194 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



DEC. 23. Ii4". 



and it is known thiit there are several in other 

 towns. 



From all of the abcivo towns the whole quantity 

 of cocoons was only about 8000 pciunds, and I have 

 no doubt that there has been niised thin year at 

 least 10,000 pounds within this agricultural dis- 

 trict — sufficient to make 1000 lbs. of raw silk, 

 wortli 50!10 dollars— a very small sum indeed, in 

 proportion to the capability of the towns. It would 

 be very easy to raise in each town as many pounds 

 of silk as there are inhabitants. By the returns 

 made it appears that ujore than one fourth of the 

 whole was raised in Northampton. The crops of 

 another year will probably be much preater, and 

 would have been double the present year had there 

 been a sufficiency of healthy worms : millions on 

 millions have perished before or after hatchintr. 

 One person in this district lost a quantity of inipoit- 

 ed eggs equal to twelve millions. Within my 

 own knowledge, one lot of eg-gs, called 100,000, 

 wound less than lUO cocoons, and not one half of 

 them were fit to be reeled. The fatality attending 

 the silk worms or eggs this year is unprecedented, 

 in every section of the country from Maine to Geor- 

 gia. Within the last two years, silkworms' eggs 

 had been sold at an enormous price; next to the 

 mulberry tree, what was sold for ten dollars might 

 be profitably raised for as many cents. This spec- 

 ulation induced many to save all their cocoons last 

 ye«r for eggs, among which were many imperfect 

 and soft cocoons, producing, of course, a feeble 

 progeny; whereas none but the hardest and sound- 

 est cocoons should be saved for eggs. To this 

 cause may be traced some portion of the failure. 

 But the greatest injury has probably arisen from 

 the attempt to keep back the hatching, by deposit- 

 ing them in the icehouse: too sudden transition 

 and exposure to heal or cold completed the destruc- 

 tion — (so I opine.) In the instance of the loss of 

 the twelve millions, it was entirely attributable to 

 the too long detention in the ice house. I and 

 others had some of them before they had lain loo 

 long in the ice house, and they did well and pro- 

 duced a splendid golden pea-nut cocoon ; and the 

 loss of the 100,000 is attributable to similar causes. 

 These results have been discouraging to niany, 

 so that it has been made a serious inquiry whether 

 the growing of silk can be made profitable as an 

 agricultural crop. But while some — well-wishers 

 to the silk cause — have been sedulously engaged, 

 working against the wind of popular opinion and 

 the tide of reproach and sarcasm, have, and do en- 

 tertain, a favorable opinion of the silk cause, ought 

 we not as Americans and as friends to agricultural 

 improvement, bear with and encourage them to go 

 ahead, instead of throwing obstacles in the way ? 

 Members of this society (the Hampshire, Hampden 

 and Franklin Agricultural Society,) are in corres- 

 pondence with some of the most eminent silk grow- 

 ers of the country, who unitedly expressed their 

 confidence in the opinion, that the business may be 

 made so profitable as to engage the attention of 

 all who would be satisfied with a reasonable return 

 for their labor, or have patrioiism to assist in dimin- 

 ishing some twenty million of dollars annually ex- 

 pended for an article of luxury. 



With due respects, yours, &c. 



D. STEBHINS. 



SILK CULTURE. 

 Extract of a letter from an experienced cultiva- 

 tor in reply to a printed circular, under date of Sept. 

 29,1840: 



Dear Sir: — I have raised this year li)7 pounds 

 of cocoons (separate from my others,) upon the fo- 

 liage (if one fourth of an acre, as an experiment, 

 and after rejectin'f the poorest, had 126 lb. 5 oz. — 

 This was dime to test the experiment of Mr Mc 

 Lean the last year; and I expect to have as much 

 silk as he liad from the same quantity of land. I 

 had also a further object, which was, to bring con- 

 viction home to some of my incredulous neighbors. 

 I have commenced tiie reeling, and when finished, 

 hope to have some facts worthy of being communi- 

 cated to the public. 



It is my pri'sent candid opinion, that one half of 

 the silk which may be raised on a given quantity 

 of land, will fully pay for all the cost of raising, 

 including cultivation, picking leaves and feeding 

 worms, and that the State bounty will fully indem- 

 nify for the labor of .picking and feeding, board 

 not included. E. M. 



Remarks. The experimenter expresses the 

 opinion that the State bounty will pay for the ex- 

 pense of picking and feeding ; but there are other 

 expenses to be brought into account, such as board, 

 rent of land, interest of stock invested, &c. ; there- 

 fore it seems highly necessary, to encourage the 

 culture, that the bounty should be continued for 

 some years. The worms used were of the six 

 weeks kind ; but the loaves having been chopped 

 fine the two first weeks, the worms went up in 25 

 days. The Chinese use chopped leaves in the 

 early stages, and all with us who have practised 

 the same, have been successful in a healthy crop 

 of worms. S. 



Extract of a letter from a highly respectable 

 silk-grower in the county of Franklin, in reply to 

 the silk circular. The writer says that the follow, 

 ing persons (names not here mentioned,) were sup- 

 plied with eggs of his own raising, and that the 

 worms were perfectly healthy ; that three fifths of 

 the persons fed with the niulticaulis foliage and 

 one with the white mulberry. 



One person fed ;!0,000 worms, consumed 1200 

 lbs. of mnlticaulis foliage, and had 70 lbs. of co- 

 coons ; another fed .3.5,000 worms, consumed 1.327 

 lbs. of do. and had 100 lbs, cocoons; another fed 

 25,000 worms, consumed 817 lbs. of do. and had 

 75 lbs. cocoons ; another fed 40,000 worms with 

 the white mulberry, (leaves not weighed,) and had 

 105 lbs. cocoons ; another fed 8000 worms with 

 multicaulis, (leaves not weighed,) and had 10 1-2 

 lbs. of cocoons: four pounds of these last reeled 

 half a pound ot raw silk. 



The persons who fed the :5.5,OCO and 25,000 

 worms, chopped the leaves, which they say greatly 

 abridged the labor of feeding, and prevented wnste_ 

 (The Chinese do the same.) That Ki lbs. of raw 

 silk (peanut) reeled in a style of superior beauty by 

 a lady, was sent to the American Institute for ex- 

 hibitirn. 



The correspondent closes w'ith the following 

 pertinent remarks : 



"If this nation does not become a silk-growing 

 nation, the (ault will be hei own. We lack no- 

 thing bestowed by Providence to become such at 

 once. All that can be wanted is the diffusion of 

 practical knowledge. We have the gift, and the 

 knowledge is exceedingly easy to be acquired. 1 

 do not believe that surfrfcn fortunes can be acquired 

 by the culture of silk ; but it will yield to patience 

 and industry an ample reward. The business is 

 too unpopular at present to flourish, by being asso- 



ciated with the mulberry bubble; but I hope the 

 result of this year will convince all grades and 

 classes of its practicability, and lead them to in., 

 vestigate the subject. J. D." 



Extract of a letter from an experienced silk 

 grower in the county of Harnpden, under date of 

 April, 1840, in answer to sundry questions : 

 Dear Sin — 



Having fed worms with the foliage of tha 

 white mulberry, the morus multicaulis and tho 

 large leaf Canton, do not find much difference in 

 the quality of silk. The qunntity of silk produced 

 very much depends on regular and attentive feed* 

 ing. I have led the six-weeks, the one and two 

 crop worms, and am decidedly in favor of the six* 

 weeks kind, as being more profitable, and shall usa 

 no other for feeding. Cocoons from the two-cropi 

 worms yield only about half so much silk from the 

 bushel as the six-weeks or one-crop. 



Of the worms fed on the white and large-leaf 

 Canton, 3000 cocoons weighing 10 pounds, mada 

 one pound of silk; but it required 15 pounds of 

 the two-crop to make a pound of raw silk. 



I think that worms fed upon the morus multi- 

 caulis foliage make thinner and looser cocoons, 

 and yield less silk than those fed on the white or 

 large-leaf Canton. 



I should think that the average quantity of fo- 

 liage to make a pound of silk, would rather exceed 

 than fall short of 100 pounds. 



As an experiment, 1 left out about 400 Cantons 

 during last winter, and from appearances I feel 

 quite sanguine that they will stand the weathet 

 well on our soil. 



Respecting the profits of growing silk, I am ol 

 the opinion that it may be made a fair business: 

 our further experience in gathering foliage, using 

 the branches and reeling silk, will increase tht 

 profits. 



We have made in this place last season (]S:i!) 

 more than 50 pounds of silk, and received 105 dol- 

 lars bounty from the State (besides the bounty o 

 the agricultural society) and the coming scasot 

 hope to increase the quantity. 



I regret that I cannot give more definite answers 

 to most of your questions. For my own satisfac- 

 tion the coming season, I intend keeping an exact 

 account of expense and facts relating to it, and i: 

 I find any thing worthy of notice, will cheerfullj | 

 inform you, in aid of your praiseworthy intentioi ' 



orthy 

 of disseminating correct information on this inter 

 esting subject. 



Respectfully, yours, W. O. N. 



Hadley, Sept., 1840. 

 Dear Sir — You know that I attempted a few 

 years since to do something in tlie culture of silk 

 in which I was unsuccessful. I have this sunimei 

 been making another experiment, with which I an 

 better pleased. One principal cause of disap 

 pointinent, probably was too highly raised expecla 

 tions of profit. I was unfortunate in several re 

 spects : my first crop of cocoons were laid in tin 

 garret where the rats ruined them. The nex 

 crop were enclosed in tin cylinders: in coiise 

 quence of confinement, fermentation so weakeiici 

 the the texture as to render it impossible to rt-'v 

 them. During this time there was no market fn 

 cocoons, in this region ; but the next year oil' r 

 were made, yet the price and mode of ineasunii; 

 were so precarious and so entirely in the han.U .- 

 the purchaser, that I abandoned the business r 



