No. 200.] 175 



modus operandi, but it will not work when the business is new, and 

 there are so many calls for help in other vocations. 



As much depends upon experience and skill in this as in other pur- 

 suits, raw hands will spoil much, and what they save will be unfinished 

 and inferior. To feed worms, and make the cocoons, requires no ex- 

 traordinary skill, and if they can then be turned off at a. fair price, 

 there would be some encouragement. We have none now. I am 

 pleased with the business, and can see no insurmountable difficulty in 

 its prosecution, if its real friends will devise plans for its pursuit. 



Reply of Dr. Daniel Slebbins, of Northampton, Mass., to a circular 

 of the American Institute, inviting his attendance at the convention of 

 silk cullurists, &t., held during the late fair, dated Northampton, Oct. 

 2d, and addressed to the secretary of the Institute. He says : 



On account of the situation and public duties requiring my personal 

 attention, it is extremely doubtful whether it will be admissible for me 

 to acept of your kind circular invitation, and of the pleasure of par- 

 ticipating in the enjoyment of that interesting meetin;^. But I have, 

 and shall continue to do all I can to advance the cause, in some other 

 way, and to stimulate others to improve the opportunity. I have 

 caused public notice of that convention to Ijp extensively circulated in 

 the papers, with the time and importance of the convention. 



Perhaps in this way, I shall have rendered as much pergonal service 

 as could have been reasonably expected of a solitary individual. 



I labored incessantly last winter to obtain the grant of a bounty 

 from our Legislature to encourage the growth of silk in this Common- 

 wealth, and, through the aid of kind friends a bounty often cents was 

 obtained on cocoons for the term of three years. 



I had hopes that the bounty would have excited an interest through- 

 out the Commonwealth, to commence aneiv, or re-commence the busi- 

 ness of growing silk. But my anticipations have been sadly disap- 

 pointed. Various causes might be assigned — the previous and exten- 

 sive destruction of trees, in consequence of the tree speculation — so 

 that only a few trees escaped, and those in the hands of individuals 

 who were not influenced by the delusive prospect of immediate wealth. 



Another cause may have deterred others, who had some remaining 

 trees on hand, the foliage of which was injured or destroyed by early 



