No. 2. 



The Italian Mulberry — Production of Silk. 



59 



come to nothinn-, that it is ciifliciilt to assort 

 and establisli the worth of one really ijood," 

 yet, " inculcating the propriety of keeping 

 our minds open — Ciuitiously and candidly — 

 for the reception of new truths." 



A NTi- Anthrax. 



P. S. Sir Walter Scott ridiculed tiie idea 



of cities lighted by means of coal gass, and 



Lardner has demonstrated the impossibility 



of crossing the Atlantic by means of steam !! 



For tlic> Kariiiirs' f'abiiict. 



Tlic aialiaii ITIiilbcrry. 



Mr. Editor, — After reading some numbers 

 of the Cabinet I resolved to cultivate the Ital-] 

 ian white mulberry, and now they are growing 

 finely. I see in the Cabinet several articles 

 on the mode of cultivation, but the writers 

 differ so much on very important points that 

 I am at a loss what course to pursue. Onej 

 says they must be planted 8 feet apart and IS 

 inches in the drill. Another 20 feet each 

 way.* Others say thoy will serve as a hedge 

 fence, while thoy produce food equally good 

 for worms. Again it is said the limbs cut 

 will grow, being stuck in the ground. Now, 

 sir, this leaves me in the dark after all, and I 

 ask 



1. Is it not a different species of mulberry 

 about which each is writing! 



2. If it is the same genus, which of all the 

 above is preferable and most efficient] 



3. Will some of your good silk growers — 

 ready writers, give us (it will do every reader 

 of the Cabinet some good) an essay on the 

 subject. Such a communication will be read 

 with interest. But I hope it will designate 

 the different kinds of mulberry, and place 

 them in such order, with the course pursued, 

 and the time to operate with each, that the 

 most simple farmers can perfectly understand 

 it. I would request that those words in an 

 " unknown tongue" be explained, for every 

 one has not a Latin and Greek Dictionary, — 

 The more plain the better — the more practi- 

 cal, the more easy to the farmer. 



Yours, &c., 



Chrtstian Tabler. 



Production of Silk. 



It is probable most persons will consider 

 a description and illustration of the man- 



♦ The distance will (Ippnnd in a preat measure upon 

 the coursf! the grower of tlie trees may pursue, and the 

 sper.ies sruwn— those that are to remain permanently 

 will require considerable distance, while those fthe 

 inoriis multicaulis) that are propajaied for the purpose 

 of removal in the autumn, will require much less room. 

 We think thnt for permanent trees, they should he 

 planted in drills frum « to |n feet apart-aiid from A to 

 .*> P'et in the drills We recommend the communication 

 of Mr. Stone to th? roncressional .Vfrricultural Com. 

 miltee, tothe noticeof all concerned. Itmay he found 

 at page 217 of the second vol. of the Farmers' Cabinet. 



ner in which the silk worm elaborates its silk 

 and forms its cocoon, a iriatter of more spec- 

 ulative than practical importance; yet as the 

 naturalist and scientific eulturist may be grati- 

 fied willi it and possibly benefitted by it, we 

 devote a small proportion of our present num- 

 ber to the subject. 



ELABOR.\TION OF SULK. 



The engraving Fig. 7 represents the worm 

 in the act of throwing out the silk from the 

 vessels in which it has been elaborated, with- 

 out reference to the tbrmation of a cocoon. — 

 The silk is secreted in the form of a fiiu; yel- 

 low gum, in too long slender vessels, one on 

 each side of the body, the orifices of which 

 are near the mouth. As the silk is ejected, 



Fig. 7. 



it appears to be but one thread, but is, in fart, 

 a compound of two fibres, which are extracted 

 from the orifices, and united by means of two 

 hooks placed in the mouth. The length of fibre 

 thrown out by the worm has been variously 

 estimated. Isnard, an old writer, says it will 

 measure six miles, that is 10,565 yards ; but 

 this is taxing credulity rather too much for 

 the present age. Count Dandolo says, the 

 probable length is 625 yards, and Pullein 

 gives an average length of JiOO yards. 



formation of cocoons. 

 The engraving Fig. 8 represents the worm 

 in the act of forming its cocoon. Having 

 selected a place suited to its purpose, it com- 

 mences the labor by spinning thin and irregu- 

 lar threads, so as to support its future dwell- 

 injr. It then forms upon these a loose struc- 

 ture of an oval shape, which is called floss- 

 silk. In the three following days it forms a 



