No. 10. Brooks^ Silk Spinniiig Machine and the Silk Culture. 155 



machine in its construction that any woman 

 can obtain a competent knowledge of it in 

 two or three hours. 



One great object in the construction of this 

 machine, arising from its simplicity and few- 

 ness of parts, is, tliat it but seldom, if ever, 

 gets out of order, if well treated ; and another 

 not less important is, that should it by any 

 accident become deranged ,almoit any ingeni- 

 ous mechanic can at little cost put in repair. 

 These are desiderata which must largely con- 

 tribute to bring it into general use, and ren- 

 der it a favorite with every one engaged in 

 the silk culture. With one of these machines, 

 no farmer need be at a loss for a market tor 

 any silk he may raise, as his wife and daugh- 

 ters, without neglecting their other occupa- 

 tions, with the aid of a lad to turn tlie wheel, 

 can manufacture all he may make into good 

 sewing silks. His silk thus fabricated, as 

 every one knows, will readily find a market 

 near at home, in almost every village ; but 

 should a market not be thus convenient, it can 

 easily and at little expense be transported to 

 any of the larger cities, where he is sure to 

 find a ready market and good prices. One of 

 these machines, moved by a hand power, at- 

 tended by a female and lad, as abova stated 

 can readily turn out from one-half to two-thirds 

 of a pound of good sewings in a day. The value 

 6? the cocoons in their raw state is four dol- 

 lars per bushel, that is )5;4 per pound, a bushel 

 making a pound ; when manufactured into 

 sewings, it will be worth from $7 to $11 per 

 pound, according to the care and skill with 

 which it may be fabricated. Let us now, 

 then, attempt an approximation to something 

 like a calculation of the profits ; and in order 

 to do so we will presume that a farmer has 

 an acre in culture. We have in our unpre- 

 tending' manual assumed, that an acre is com- 

 petent to furnish foliage sufficient to support 

 540,000 worms ; that calculation was based 

 upon the supposition that they were to be fed 

 upon the leaves of the White Italian JMnl- 

 berry; but from our experience we have no 

 hesitation in affirming, that one acre planted 

 in the Morus Multicaulis, or Many Stalked 

 Chinese Mulberry, will furnish leaves enough 

 to feed 1,000,000 of worms at the first feeding, 

 and if the eggs be kept over, 'as they can be 

 by being placed in an ice house, the same acre 

 of trees will furnish foliage enough to feed a 

 second crop of an equal number of worms. — 

 But let us wave the feeding of the second 

 crop, and this will be the result. 



A million of worms will produce 333 1-3 

 bushels of cocoons, which will yield 3335lbs. 

 of silk, which silk when made into sewing 

 silk will be worth at $7 per pound, the min- 

 imum or lowest price, $2333 33 1-3 ; if we 

 deduct the expense of manufacture, as fol- 

 lows : two women, or girls, are competent to 



attend four machines, with the aid of 4 boys 

 to turn the wheels : in 6 months, with easy 

 work, these can convert into sewing silks, 

 333 l-31bs. of silk. I set down the v. ages of 

 the two women at $S per monlli, which for 

 the 6 months they will be occupied, will 

 amount to $36 ; allowing their board to be 

 worth $10 per month, it will be $110; the 

 wages of the boys at $5 per month, is $120, 

 their board at $10 per month, is $240: cost 

 of the services of two women to reel 3331-3 

 lbs. of silk into skeins, say two months, board 

 $40, wages $12 ; interest on cost of 4 ma- 

 chines, say, first cost $40 each, transportation, 

 $.5=$160 ; interest per annum at 6 per cent., 

 $10.80 ; cost of cleansing, coloring, and do- 

 ing up into separate skeins, if done at a dye- 

 house, $1 per pound, on two thirds, say 222 

 lbs. =$222; cost of cleansing the balance of 

 llllbs. 25 cent?=$27.75, or, for the whole 

 process, $249.75; cost of feeding the worms, 

 if fed on morus multicaulis leaves, $41.63. 

 Now let us see how the account will stand : 

 RECAPITULATION. 

 One acre of Silk in account with Culti- 

 vator. Dr. 

 For wages of two women 6 months, $36 00 

 For board of do. " " 120 00 

 For wages of four boys, " '• 120 00 

 For board of " " " 240 00 

 For cost of two women to reel, 52 00 

 For interest on cost of 4 machines, 10 80 

 For cost of cleansing, coloring, &c., 249 75 

 For cost of feeding the worms, 41 63 

 Balance as per contra, 1,463 15^ 



$2,333 33A 



Cr. 



By value of 333-3lbs. of sewing silk, 



at $7 per pound, $2,333 33§ 



$2,333 15A 



By balance or clear profit of one 

 acre,in the silk culture, the silk 

 converted into sewing silks, $1,463 335 

 The agricultural reader will perceive, that 

 in this estimate we have taxed the acre in silk 

 culture with laborers, and the board of such 

 laborers, as though the cultivator had been 

 compelled to call in extra help, whereas we 

 believe that there are few who would engage 

 in the business but would have the necessary 

 help within themsel^^s, for all purposes ex- 

 cept feeding the worms, andjthis expense, from 

 the circumstance that the leaves can be gath- 

 ered and the worms fed just as well by chil- 

 dren from 7 to 10 years of age, as by grown 

 persons, it only being necessary to employ 

 one careful hand in the cocoonery to give a 

 general superintendence over them, may be 



