1836] 



F A R M E R S' REGISTER, 



233 



dry, gravelly or somewhat sandy soil; better two 

 poorlhaii too rich; not that the trees will flourish 

 better, but the leaves are more nutritious and 

 health}'' for the worms, and cause them to make 

 better silk: no matter how stony if the trees can 

 have room to grow 



The natural food for the worms are the leaves 

 of the mulberry tree. There are several species 

 and numerous varieties of the mulberry, the leaves 

 of most, if not all of which are eaten by the silk- 

 worm; the most common are the black, the pur- 

 ple, the red and the white. Tlie worms will feed 

 on the first three, but the silk they produce is com- 

 paratively coarse. The white, or as it is fre(}uent- 

 ly but improperly called, the Italian mulberry, is 

 that on which worms have been hitherto chiefly 

 fed, in Europe and in this country; but these now 

 bid fair to be superseded by others recently import- 

 ed from Asia, the chief of which are the Brusa 

 and the Chinese, or mi)rus tnulticaulis. 



The Brusa is a hardy tree, far superior on ac- 

 count of the size of its leaves, to the White mul- 

 berry, but the Morus multicaulis, of which there 

 have hitherto been some doubts respecting its har- 

 diness, has now been fairly tested, and no reason- 

 able question remains as to its taking place of all 

 others. It is fully ascertained that it can be 

 brought to feed a stock of worms in half the time 

 of the White mulberry — that a given space of 

 ground will produce from twice to four times the 

 weight of foliage — and that a child can gather as 

 much weight of leaves in a given time as two men, 

 and that a given weight of leaves are worth a 

 quarter more than those ol the White mijlberry: 

 and besides all these advantages it is stated on 

 respectable authority that it is more congenial to 

 the health of the worms, and proJuces better 

 silk. 



The Chinese mulberry is at present chiefly pro- 

 pagated by layers and cuttings. The former motlc 

 is perhaps preferable for propagating on the same 

 ground, the latter is best calculated lor transporta- 

 tion. But little of the seed has yet been produced 

 in this country, but will probably be plenty in a 

 few years. W'hen the trees are to be nudtiplied 

 on the same ground by layers, they should be set 

 so far apart as to leave room to extend the layers 

 between them. When this is not intended, there 

 should be room enough fijr them to p:oduce their 

 full growth of leaves without matting or choking 

 each other. If the trees are set 19 8-lOtii inches 

 apart, there will then be ten trees in a rod in each 

 row, and when they get too large for that distance 

 every other one can be taken up for sale or for 

 transplanting, leaving five trees in a rod. The 

 distance of the rows may be varied as fancy maj' 

 dictate. If it is intended to pass between them 

 with a cart or wagon, half a rod, or eight feet and 

 six inches will be a convenient ilistance. To pas=! 

 between them with a hand cart, the rows may be 

 five feet six inches apart, which will give three 

 rows to a rod. By the first plan, an acre will con- 

 tain 3200 trees, and when every other one is taken 

 out 1600. By the second plan the acre will con- 

 tain 4800, and when thinned out 2400 



The mode of preparing the ground, sowing the 

 seed, setting cuttings and layers, will be found in 

 the preceding numbers. For setting trees with 

 roots, the best method is that proposed by Mr. 

 Bestor which is given in the preceding number. 

 If the business is commenced with the Chinese 



Vol. IV— 30 



mulberry, most of the branches may be cut down 



in the fall, and separated into cuttings to set the 

 next spring. The young shoots will produce 

 leaves enough the first seascm to feed a small stock 

 of worms, sufficient to procure eggs for the sec- 

 ond season. By these fi;w worms, a sufficient 

 knowledge may be acquired to manage with a 

 degree of safety the second year — when calcula- 

 tions may be made on some profit from the silk. 

 The few worms fed the first year may be kept on 

 rough boards covered with papers; but this is too 

 slovenly a practice to be extended. Those who 

 wish to proceed systematically, and who do not 

 choose to build a cocoonery for the second year, 

 are invited to call and examine the portable frame 

 and hurdles which I have constructed, and 

 which, if a little more expensive than rough 

 boards and papers, will be found extremely con- 

 venient. 



The plan of a cocoonery will be found in No. 

 7, which though it may be varied as fiincy or con- 

 venience may suggest, will at least assist the con- 

 structer as a starting point from vvhich to vary. 

 But the general plan of feeding the worms on hur- 

 dles of net work, with some kind of slide un- 

 der each to receive the refuse and filth, to be re- 

 moved without disturbing the worms, will be 

 found of indispensible necessity to any one who 

 wishes to conduct the business with any regula- 

 rity. 



Various statements have been given of the 

 quantity of silk which may be calculated on at 

 difl'crent periods from the commencement, all of 

 which are from, jxood authority, founded on actual 

 experiments. But as these experiments have 

 been made by difl'erent people, the statements giv- 

 en of their results, as may be expected, difler al- 

 so. As every person who goes into the business, 

 will wish to form some estimate of Avhat can be 

 efiected, to save my readers the trouble of search- 

 ing the preceding numbers for data in scattered 

 items, I will here give a statement, which, if the 

 business is conducted with any degree of correct- 

 ness, cannot be liillen short of. 



I shall, in the first place, suppose the business 

 to be commenced with the Chinese mulberry, and 

 suppose an acre to be set with young trees or cut- 

 tingsin rows five feet and six inches apart, or three 

 rows in a rod, arul nineteen and eight-tenth inches 

 apart in the rows or 10 trees in a rod, giving of 

 course 4800 trees. It has been ascertained that 

 these young trees will yield half a pound of leaves 

 each, the first season; but as I intend in this calcu- 

 lation, not to approach near the utmost limits, I 

 will suppose them to afford only a few leaves to 

 feed the small stock of worms necessary for eggs 

 for the next season, which need not be over one 

 thousand. I s.hal! suppose only half a pound of 

 leaves from each tree the second year, though it 

 h IS been ascertained that they will yield a pound. 

 [ suppose the third year every other tree to be 

 transplanted out, which will leave 2500 trees, from 

 each of which I calculate a pound and a half of 

 leaves this year, three pounds the fourth year, five 

 pounds thefifih year, and seven pounds "the sixth 

 year. 



It has been stated by some experienced feed- 

 ers of silkworms, that 80 pounds of Chinese 

 mulberry leaves will produce a pound of silk: 

 the account, then, for six years, will stand 

 thus. 



