FARMERS' REGISTER— CULTURE OF SILK. 



379 



I will, therefore, say only that, so far as relates to 

 house-room, tor the accommodation of silk-worms, 

 you are already happily prepared for carrying on the 

 silk- making business, on a large scale. We have 

 information, derived from experience, and entitled 

 to full credence, that a room, eighty feet by forty, 

 will be sufficient to accommodate a million of 

 worms. The large building which you occupy, 

 including the numerous apartments of its lower 

 and upper stories, will afibrd that amount of space, 

 and much more. A portion of if, sufficient to ac- 

 commodate a million of worms, or more, can be 

 spared lor that use, during the short time that 

 w orms operate, and yet the family, although it may 

 be numerous, experience no serious inconvenience. 

 At a moderate and safe calculation, 3,000 worms 

 will produce a pound of reeled silk : of course, a 

 million will produce SSSj pounds. The value of 

 this, at $5 a pound, (the lowest estimated value,) 

 will be 8166Gf|o. But we are told that, if silk is 

 well reeled, as it always may be, with proper care 

 and attention, it is now worth, in the American 

 markets, from seven to ten dollars a pound. The 

 amount of labor, requisite, for taking care of a mil- 

 lion of w orms, every thing included, is estimated 

 as follows: for the first week two persons; for the 

 second week four ; for the third eight ; and the re- 

 mainder of the time, which may be ten days, or 

 more, from sixteen to twenty. The most of these 

 laborers may be boys and girls, women, and aged 

 and decrepid people. It will always be easy to 

 hire enough of such laborers, and at trifling wages. 

 You will reflect, dear sir, that here there is no ex- 

 pense of carts, wagons, ploughs, harrows, har- 

 nesses, oxen, horses, &c. And surely, there will 

 be no necessity of employing whiskey as an agent, 

 in carrying on this business. 



The quantity of land necessary, to be employ e*d 

 for the growth of Mulberry trees, will not be 

 great. Gideon B. Smith, Esq. of Baltimore, who 

 has been taught by experience, tells us, that a full 

 grown iNIulberry tree will produce foliage enough 

 to feed 5000 worms. If then a million are to be fed, 

 the number of full grown trees, must be two hun- 

 dred. But the same gentleman remarks that, in 

 order to guard against failures, and losses of leaves 

 which may happen after they are picked, and also 

 to save the trees from excessive cropping, it is 

 better to have double the number of trees, that is, 

 two trees for every 5000 worms. 



If it be intended, that Mulberry trees shall at- 

 tain to all the growth of which they are suscepti- 

 ble, it will, doubtless, be necessary to set them at 

 as great distances from each other, as apple trees 

 are usually set in orchards, perhaps greater. This 

 we know, is practised in many places, and it may 

 be the better way ; yet, it is not the way that I 

 should recommend to planters, in this section of 

 the country. I think it belter to incumber no 

 more ground with Mulberry trees, than will be 

 necessary for the intended purposes. If set in a 

 form much more dense than that of apple orchards, 

 they will grow, for several years, to perfect advan- 

 tage, and, in the mean time, produce as much 

 foliage, as if set in any other form. Subsequentlv, 

 if it be desired to give room to some of them for 

 greater extensions, they may be thinned. I have 

 advised many of my fellow citizens, who have 

 sought to me for advice, to set Mulberry trees, if 

 intended for standards, at the distance of ten or 

 twelve feet apart. I know not now how to give 



better advice. You will see, my plan is, to have 

 the Mulberry trees, after a year or tw o, exclusive- 

 ly occupy the ground. At first, for one or two 

 seasons, potatoes, or other crops, may grow among 

 them. Subsequently, tillage should cease, and 

 nothing be required of the .soil, but the produce of 

 Mulberry foliage. 



There is another manner of setting Mulberry 

 trees, which is much recommended : that is, to set 

 them in hedges, or otherwise in a form so dense, 

 as to give at the rate of 3000 trees, or nearly that 

 number, to an acre. Persons, commencing Mul- 

 berry plantations, will do well to occupy a portion 

 of the ground allotted to that use, with trees plant- 

 ed in this manner. The produce of such planta- 

 tions, is said to be very great. I have little doubt 

 of the fact, that an acre of gootl soil, planted with 

 Mulberry trees, three fourths of it at ten or twelve 

 feet distances, the remainder in hedges, or other- 

 wise in a dense form, will, after the trees have been 

 set five or six years, and well taken care of, pro- 

 duce foliage enough to support a million of worms. 

 Some writers say, an acre may supply " two mil- 

 lions." I dare not put the estimate so high. It is 

 enough to say, one million. There are very few 

 farms in the country, whose produce, in the ordi- 

 nary way of farming, exceeds in value, that of one 

 such acre. If such be the facts, how great are the 

 inducements to engage in the silk business.' Surelj', 

 many thousands of our industrious citizens, should 

 hasten to embark in an enterprise, so full of pro- 

 mise. 



Although I am perfectly sincere in making these 

 remarks, yet there are in society many individuals, 

 whom I could not advise to meddle at all w iih the 

 silk business. For instance, if the man be a lover 

 of ease, and given to indolence; if he be careless 

 and slack in his manner of conducting business; if 

 his faith be weak, so that he cannot labor with a 

 view to objects unseen, and placed at some distance ; 

 or if he lack courage to encounter difficulties and 

 disappointments, and be hasty to relinquish pur- 

 suits, if not attended with immediate success, he 

 should, by no means, be advised to undertake the 

 culture of silk. If he do, it is certain, he will not 

 succeed in it. It scarcely need be said, he will 

 succeed little or no better, in any thing else. 



Think not, respected sir, that I harbor the 

 slightest suspicion, that either of these characteris- 

 tics belong to you, or any of your household. I 

 know better. Yet for the benefit of others who 

 may hear, I have said these things ; and I say far- 

 ther, that it will avail nothing to plant Mulberry 

 trees, unless the ground on which they are to grow, 

 be well fenced, and secured, especially while the 

 trees are small, against the intrusion of cattle, 

 horses, sheep, &c. The trees too, while young, 

 will require some cultivation to render them thrifty, 

 and rapid in their growth. 



There can be no doubt, that the growth and 

 manufacture of silk, will, in a sliort time, become 

 general in tl)is country, and that silk factories will 

 abound among us, as those of cotton and wool do 

 now. This new branch of industry will add much 

 to the resources of the country, and become the 

 happy means of improving the condition of many 

 thousands of our citizens. All such farmers, as are 

 too limited in their means of subsistence, may easily 

 improve their condition, by cultivating Mulberry 

 plantations, and causing their foliage to be con- 

 verted into silk. This may be done, without inter- 



