PRACTICAL FARMER. 



99 



the cocoons, for a ihort v.:v.:i in thi'. boiling wutor, 

 and then placing tiiera in tiie steam heated water 

 for winding. 



Rush's Silk Manual obsci-ves, that " The tem- 

 perature of the water is to be regulated, 1st by 

 the nature of the silk, resulting in part, from the 

 quality of the food on which the ?ilk-caterpillars 

 have been fed. This is exemplified in a striking 

 manner by a fact recorded by Aldini, which is, 

 that in Piedmont and in Lombardy, the gummy 

 cement of the cocoons is so easily soluble as to 

 require the water to be heated only to 60° or 66° 

 of Reaumer (168° 181° of Fahrenheit,) while 

 the cocoons spun in the south of Italy, and [)ar- 

 ticularly in the Papal territories, require a lieat of 

 80° of R. (212 of F.) owing to the greater tenac- 

 ity and solidity of the gum. Ex|!erinients can 

 alone, therefore, determine the various degrees of 

 heat re(|uisite for the water in difterent places, 

 and for several varieties of cocoons, and even for 

 diflferent parcels of cocoons of the same sort. As 

 this is a jioint connected with the succ -ss of the 

 operation, it affords another argument for the use 

 of the thermometer, in order to ensure it, and to 

 prevent the delay and troub (; which will ever 

 ensue from guessing at thi- iicnt of the water, by 

 dipping the finger in it. Our own sensations are 

 very inaccurate tests of the iieat of water; the 

 use of the thern}onieter, besides saving muclitime 

 and trouble to the spinner, will ensure an evenness 

 of thread, and jierfiectiori in the whole operation." 



Dr Lardner observes that, " it is considered 

 essential to the production of good silk, that the 

 thread should have lost part of its heat and adhe- 

 siveness before it touches the bar of the reel. 

 For this reason the Piedmontese reel3rs are 

 obliged by law to allow a distance of three 

 feet between the guides and the centre of the 

 reel." This, as well as many other apparently 

 insignificant matters, is, no doubt, indisj:ensib!e to 

 success *in reeling; and the manufacturer must be 

 '^ great in little things^^ or he will not be successful 

 in the great objects connected with his pursuits. 



For Fessenden's Silk Manual. 

 Mr Editor — Having embarked in the silk 

 culture, and being desirous that others should do 

 the same, I am pleased to see the public press 

 wielding a portion of its energies in tha service" 



of this enterprise. And what is attci.-iptcd in the 

 way, I shall wish, by all means, to see, not only 

 prompted by zeal, but undertaken with prudence 

 and judgment. This branch of agricultural in- 

 dustry is, at present, in an early stage of experi- 

 ment, in this country, at least in most parts of it. 

 Few have had much opportunity to acquire 

 knowledge by their own experience ; and, con- 

 sequently, few are qualified to be teachers, or to 

 impart valuable information to enlighten and 

 guide the cultivator, cr to awaken and direct at- 

 tention upon this important subject. Not a few, 

 however, seem ambitious to lend a helping hand, 

 by publishing the result of their speculations, and 

 sometimes stating observations and opinions osten- 

 sibly grounded on known facts. Much, however, 

 of this character, and presented in this form, 

 needs revision. I have, myself, for about six years 

 past, been in the habit of consulting books, read- 

 ing newspapers and periodicals, and what I es- 

 teem vastly better than all the rest, gleaning some- 

 thing from personal experience, for the purpose 

 of getting an understanding of the art of rearing 

 the silk-worm and ascertaining its profits. And 

 I do not now, Mr Elitor, sit down to pen this 

 short article with any high pretensions, to palm 

 myself upon your readers as a man qualified to 

 teach them, to guide them to all the knowledge 

 that is ini'portant to practice. My object is rather 

 to guard against mistakes, to warn men not to 

 receive as canonical, all the high-toned and ex- 

 travagant representations of enthusiasts, who, I 

 doubt not, esteem themselves public benefactors 

 in pro'iortiou to the exalted terms in which they 

 paint the prosjiect of all silk cultivators. ]My 

 motive is derived from a belief, that sober facts, 

 precisely reported, and well authenticated, are 

 ultimately of infinitely greater advantage to the 

 cause they seek to advance, than ail the high'y 

 colored and flattering encomiums enlisted into the 

 service by volunteers, who have more warmth 

 than light, and moro valor than experience. 

 When led to expect more than it is possible we 

 should ever realize, our disappointment, when it 

 comes, must necessarily produce a most disastrous 

 effect upon the engagement, into which we were 

 seduced, or conducted at least, by an inordinate 

 estiinate of its advantages- 



