50 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



tional wealth. Much pains are taken to improve 

 the culture of si'k ; it has hitherto been carried 

 on ahnost entirely in Italy and principally in 

 France, by private and individual industry, and 

 supposed to be unskilfully and imperfectly con- 

 ducted. The government have established throe 

 model farms, for the purpose of various experi- 

 ments in agriculture, and especially in si k. , I 

 have beeji in the interior to visit one of those 

 farms, an4^was permitted to examine its details. 

 A separate house is prepared for feeding the silk 

 worms, which is heated by a furnace, its heat 

 regulated by a thermometer, and its ventilation 

 attended to with care and system. M. Beauvais, 

 its director, states, that 1 oz. of eggs will produce 

 in India 20 lbs. of silk ; in Italy, 5 to 6 lbs. do. ; 

 in France, 5 lbs. Tliat this great difference of 

 - ^-o-dt.^t cniaT-o ftom rare and skill and treatment. 

 'J'hat he has last year, in his exj>erin]ents, increas- 

 ed the product up to thirteen pounds, and is con- 

 fident of a greater increase this yeai. He thinks 

 a dry and cool climate is best, and that the room 

 should be made equal in temperature bjj heat and 

 ventilation. I liave observed with care his model 

 fixtures as to the frames, heat and ventilation. — 

 The worms are here fed by leaves, put on a net 

 suited to the frames, and which is to be laid over 

 them : the worms so^n ascend, to the new leaves, 

 and can then be removed on the net and the 

 fraine cleaned. When the leaves of different 

 kinds of mulberry are mixed together, the vvorm.s 

 will select and gather on the Chinese mulberry, 

 and yet it is not a settled point here in what con- 

 sists the superiority of the Chinese over the other 

 kinds of mulberry. 'J he model plantation of 

 trees is planted in rows of 12 feet apart. The 

 trees are six feet apart, in the rows, and are cut 

 down so as to have four or six s; routs from near 

 the ground, and these in after years are cut off" so 

 as to be kept dwarfed for use in picking the 

 leaves. It is believed an acre or two, thus allot- 

 ted to trees, and near the house, will give such 

 facilities and product, as to make the best result, 

 and so it appears to me. Tiie Chinese mulberry 

 will s;';rout from cuttii cs about six inches long, 

 and set I'.'i a row four inches distant. I Imve vis- 

 J'ted one garden where £0,000 are just set out in 

 thy inaniiCr iik^ where 20,000 were thus raised 



1 . . ■. .,1.^1 'i''ve been sold, and, as is said, to 

 last year, »>'« i.'^ _, ' ^ ' , n 



1 A >..: ....1 .,^H "ket. The French farmers 

 the American mai 



,;r,,Ao tn change, and comparatively 

 have no aptitude to & ' . • f 



„ ,,. ■ .,iKo,-r"it.a a ve set out in 1" ranee. It 



few Chinese niulbeiries a. ,. , , , ,, 



„., ,,.o ^n hp rr'^dited, they nave sold, 

 the nurseryitien nie to lie cr. ' / . „ ' 



. . I . ^r,u i.iin,li-pd tiet'^s lor America for 



this last year, one numireti net. 



I .A !.«..« P"i<im iriV own observa- 

 ten transplanted neie, fiom m^ 



tion I believe it to be the case. 



JVI. Beauvais has tried, with profit a room heat- 

 ed to 18 and 20 degrees (Reaumur) and says 28 

 and 30 is used in India. M. Beauvais and several 



other growers of silk, whom I had seen in th« 

 country, have since visited me at my rooms in 

 this city, and have communicated freely with me. 

 Tliere is often discrepancy in their statements and 

 opinions, and their allegations will only serve as 

 clues to enquiry ; but I trust the safe common 

 sense and keen observation of our people will 

 soon understand, as a science, the growing of silk 

 much better than Europeans, who, after the ex'pe- 

 rience of ages, act more from usage and habit 

 than skill and experience. I have entire confi- 

 dence in the full success of our people in the cul- 

 ture of silk. Most of the gentlemen [ have al- 

 luded to, have agreed in the opinion that a warm 

 climate is not so good as a regulated room ; and 

 one of the gentlen en, of experience, says he con- 

 stantly uc'oo pliiies niili x,?ilvrint: in ilir; iworn to 



purify the atmosjihere, and without injury to the 

 worms. Some doubt establishments for feeding 

 the worms, and prefer private industry in family 

 rooms. All agree that a damp climate is injuri- 

 ous, and therefore say that silk does not prosper 

 near the ocean, where the damp westerly winds 

 prevail ; — and they express an opinion that our 

 warm and dry summer climate is admirably fitted 

 for the business of silk in famtJies as well as in 

 Establishments. France is found to produce not 

 more than one hglf the silk she manufactures ; it 

 is purchased from Italy and the Archipelago. — 

 Her thirtythree millions of inhabitants cannot 

 afford sjiaoe sufficient for the mulberry trees to 

 6uj)|)ly her own wants. Our country is exempt 

 from this difficulty. Various books or manuals 

 of instruction in the culture of silk, have been 

 published here for the use of families. I have 

 collected them, and shall endeavor to bring them 

 with me for the library of the Institute. I must 

 omit further details till an opportunity for person- 

 al explanation. 



CHINE:SK '. .VLBKRRY, 



The time having arrived for laying down the 

 Chinese Mulberry, the following extract of a let- 

 ter dated Sept. 1835, from a gentleman who is 

 practically acquainted with the business, may be 

 of use to new begiriuers : 



The manner of putting down the mulberry and 

 covering the branches with earth, is bad, decided- 

 ly bad. Many of them* rotted, some wholly and 

 some in part only. I [)Ut them down in various 

 ways — some I put down with the toi)s out — some 

 with the tops covered, and some 1 broke off — the 

 last did tiie best. Now the way to do the thing 

 as it should be done, is this — I know by experi- 

 ence, and one grain of experience is worth a 

 pound of sp°culati m. 



Bend the shoot flat to the ground, nip off the 

 tip or top, mind that — secure it with forked sticks 

 and do not put- any earth upon the branch, (except 



