Vol. Vli.— No. 46. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL 



365 



That the soil and climate of the United States 

 are Tvell adapted to the growth of the wliite mul- 

 berry tree, (inurus alba,) and the silk worm, has 

 been satisfactorily proved by the various experi- 

 ments, which, within the last fifty years, have 

 been made upon that subject, in diffeient parts of 

 the Uuion. That the culture of silk in this <Soun- 

 try will be found bigldy profitable to those en- 

 gaged in it, is equally certain. Facts might easi- 

 ly be multiijlied on this subject, but the following 

 are deemed sufficient. 



Four acres of ground planted in mulberry trees, 

 near Boston, have atTorded enough food in one 

 season, for tlie support of as many silk worms as 

 produced four hundred and twenty pounds of silk, 

 Worth three dollars and fifty cents per pound — 

 amounting to fourteen hundred and seventy dol- 

 lars. All the labor necessary in producing this re- 

 sult, was performed l>y four girls, whose atten- 

 tion was rcijuired but for a small portion of the 

 year. 



Before the culture of silk was introduced into 

 the less fertile parts of Languedoc in France, the 

 peasantry were miserably poor, — they are now 

 among the richest of the kingdom. In some parts 

 of France a single mull)erry tree has been known 

 to yield a guinea annually to the owner, from the 

 sale of its leaves. When it is recollected that the 

 cultivation of the mulberry tree is neither difficult 

 nor laborious, and that the collection of the leaves, 

 the feeding of the worm, and the reeling of the 

 cocoons, can all be advantageously performed by 

 women, children, and decrepid persons, it will 

 certainly require no arguments to induce the farm- 

 ers of the Miami county to turn their attention to 

 the culture of s:!k. The results of this business 

 are much more immediate tlian is generally sup- 

 nosed. By procuring during tiie present .season a 

 supply of the eggs, and feeding the worms upon 

 the leaves of the common black mulberry of our 

 woods, which are found to be a pretty good sub- 

 stitute for the wliite, a return in profits may be 

 had next year. If the need of the wliite muliicrry 

 be sowed this season, the young trees will next 

 year afford leaves for the worms. 



There are three modes pursued in the cultiva- 

 tion of the white mulberry tree : The first is to 

 sow the seed broad cast, and when wanted for 

 food, to mow down the young trees annually, com- 

 mencing on the second year. The second is to 

 transplant them from the nursery, and sutler them 

 to attain to the size of trees. The third, and per- 

 haps more preferable mode, is to sow tlie seed in 

 drills, aud allow the shrubs to attain to the height 

 only of three or four feet, which may be done by 

 cutting of the top limbs, the tender parts of which 

 will answer as food for the worms. More mul- 

 berry foliage may bo produced ia this way, from 

 the same quantity of ground, that can be obtained 

 if it were occupied by full grown trees. The la- 

 bor of gathering thu leaves is "also much less than 

 is required after the trees have attained their full 

 size. 



From the experiments made in France, it has 

 been ascertained that ground which has a sandy 

 or gravelly soil, is best adapted to the growth of 

 that kind of mulberry leaves, which atfords the 

 finest quality of silk. The leaves of those mulber- 

 ry trees which grow in a very rich soil, ai-j found 

 to be too luxuriant and too full of juice, for the 

 production of the better kind of cocoons. 



The mulberry seeds ni:'.y be sown at any time 

 from the last week of April until tha first week of 



June. The safer plan is to sow the seeds at dif- 

 feient periods, say the last of April, the middle of 

 JMay, and the first of June. When the ground 

 is iiroperly dressed, and drills prepared, the seed 

 is to be sown after the manner of sowing lettuce 

 seeds, and should be covered with fine light 

 dirt. 



Those of the young shruks which it is wished 

 should attain the size of trees, must be transplant- 

 ed from the drills the second year, and the most 

 suitable time for this removal is immediately after 

 the fall of the leaf in autumn. The side tiuds 

 should be stripped off, leafing only such as are 

 necessary in the formation of a suitable head for 

 the tree. At the time of removal of the young 

 trees, they should be cut off within seven or eight 

 inches of the ground, and if they do not shoot 

 well, the first year after they are transplanted, they 

 should be cut in a similar manner, the following 

 season. The ground around the roots of both 

 those in the drills and those transplanted, should 

 be dressed several times a year, which will great- 

 ly assist their grovrth. It is advisable to plant out 

 a few of the trees in sunny situations, that a sup- 

 ply of the leaves may be had for the worms of 

 such eggs as may bappon to hatch before the 

 usual season. 



The heads of such as are intended to attain the 

 size of trees, should be hollowed out in a manner 

 that will render it easy to collect the leaves, and 

 such branches as may be broken in that process 

 should be carefully removed. It may be pro]ier 

 to remark, that in France the cultivation of the 

 mulberry tree for the sale of the leaves, is a sepa- 

 rate business from the rearing of the worms ; and 

 it is particularly recommended to the farmers of 

 the Rliaini county, to lose no time in filling some 

 portion of their farm» with this valuable tree, inas- 

 much as the day is not distant when the demand 

 for its foliage will give them annually a handsome 

 profit. It has been ascertained that the second 

 crop of leaves, which comes out after the first, 

 have been stripped off for the v.'orms, furnishes a 

 nutritious food for sheep, and is eaten by them 

 with greediness. When intended for this object, 

 the leaves should be strip[ied off a little before the 

 time that they would naturally fall, and laid by for 

 use in the winter season. This experiment is 

 worthy of a trial by our farmers, inasmuch as, 

 after the first year, the mulberry tree requires lit- 

 tle or no attention ; thus annually yielding a sup- 

 ply of food, without any cost save that of gather- 

 ing it 



SILK. 



The raising of silk properly commences with 

 the hatching of the worms. This will take jilace 

 generally when the mulberry foliage is sufticiently 

 matured for their consumption ; or, when the 

 spring is advanced enough to make the tempera- 

 ture from 70 to SO deg. of Falireuhcit. The first 

 preparation to be made for them is that of a dry, 

 airy room, or small building, in which stages of a 

 oouvenieut height and breadth for feeding them 

 should be erected. Care should be used to exclude 

 the enemies of the worms, viz. cats, jioultry, rats, 

 mice, auvl ants, from the room and stages in which 

 the worms are placed. The farmer may be ex- 

 cluded by ordinary precautions, and the ants, by 

 keeping hot lime around the posts of the stages. — 

 The eggs nuist not be br.iught out for hatching till 

 the weather is settled ; and if, atlcrwards, there 

 should be a change to cold, a' little fire may be 

 kojit in the room to presiirvo the temperature at 



its proper height. The eggs, when brought out, 

 may be laid on the stages, or tables, and no smoke 

 or effluvium of any description permitted to enter 

 the apartment, as the worms are very sensi- 

 tive. 



Vv'hcn the worms first apjiear they will be 

 black ; those which are red are bad, and should 

 be thrown away, for they will produce no co- 

 coons. 



In four days, most of the worms will be hatch- 

 ed, and those which come out after that time are 

 generally too weak to produce silk. The produc- 

 tions of each day should, when large quantities are 

 raised, be kept separate, in order that they may 

 form cocoons at the same time. When they are 

 first hatched, they must be fed with fresh and 

 tender leaves of the mulberry ; not more than half 

 a dozen leaves to 1000 worms will then be re- 

 quired ; but, afterwards they will each devour a 

 leaf. When the leaves become dry, or are eaten 

 up, fresh ones must be given them, taking care 

 not to put on so many as to smother the worms, 

 or obstruct their motions. For the first twenty 

 days, they must be fed three times a day, and 

 after that, as often day and night as their food is 

 destroyed or wilted. 



The worms must be kept free from dampness, 

 whether in their food or rooms ; and they must 

 not be too much crowded ; a thousand full grown 

 ones will be sufficient for a table three feet by 

 twelve. 



About the 6lh, 10th, IGth, and 22d days, the 

 worms will shed their skins and become sickly — 

 At these periods, they abstain from food, and 

 should be fed scantily at first, and then not at all, 

 till they recover. Sometimes they become afflict- 

 ed with incurable diseases, in these cases they will 

 be known by voiding a yellow liquor, and must be 

 immediately separated, and as well as the dead 

 ones, thrown away. The disease is infectious, 

 and therefore particular care should be taken in 

 preventing its progress. 



Throughout the whole period of feeding them, 

 their litter should be carefully taken away ; at first, 

 this need not be done often ; but, during the last 

 stage of their growth, it must be done as frequent- 

 ly as possible. Indeed, the utmost care should^al- 

 ways be taken to keep them clean, and give tfi'em 

 fresh food, aud pure air. 



When the worms are ready to spin, they will 

 cease to wander about, become of the color of a 

 new egg, nearly transparent, and will search for 

 things upon which to fasten their cocoons. — When 

 a considerable number have this apjiearance, 

 branches, twigs, and leaves, must be put up round 

 the stages or tables, upon which they will mount 

 and siiin their balls. This generally happens from 

 the 30th to 3Gtli days. Various substances ar« 

 used for the worms to spin upon, but Mr G. B 

 Smith (from whose circular we have taken much 

 valuable information) considers chesnut leaves the 

 best. These, when dry, curl up, and thus fjrm a 

 place of deposit for the silk ball. Twigs must bo 

 broken off; with the leaves on them, and placed 

 around the stage. 



The worms, after beginning to spin, require no 

 further attention till the cocoons are completed. — 

 The worms that begin to spin each day should tw 

 kept separate, an I in eight days from the cum- 

 meiu-euient of spimiing the cocoons, they tiiuuid 

 be removed. Those from whicii eggs are expect- 

 ed, niu-st be placed in a dry room, upon white 

 prper, in rows about a foot apart. The worm will 



