Ob ON THE CULTURE OF SILK, 



hatch the same season. The butterflies eat nothing after 

 leaving the cocoons, and die in a few days after depositing their 

 eggs, and may be given to fowls. 



Estimates of Profits, &fc. — An acre of mulberry trees, five 

 years old, will yield without greatly retarding their growth two 

 tons of leaves weighed as taken from the tree. This will afford 

 sufficient food for seventy five thousand worms. Seventy five 

 thousand worms, successfully managed, will make two hundred 

 pounds of cocoons, equal to twenty-five pounds of raw silk, worth 

 at the lowest price seventy-five dollars. The same manufac- 

 tured into sewing silk, would be worth at least one hundred and 

 twenty five dollars. According to the calculations of the silk 

 culturists in Connecticut and Philadelphia, the worth of the 

 leaves and labour may be estimated as follows : — 



4000 lbs. of leaves on the trees at half a cent per lb. ^20 



Labour in gathering the same, 20 



■ Labour in feeding and managing the worms, 20 



Cost in worms, 60 



Profit, 15 



Reefing the silk, 10 



Spinning the same, 20 



9 



Sewing silk at $5 per lb. 125 



Profit, 35 



John Fitch, Esq. of Mansfield, Connecticut, estimates the 



produce of an acre of full grown mulberry trees, set one and a 



half rods apart, at forty pounds of silk, worth ^'200 



Labour and board, 114 



Net profit, 86 



Mr. J. D'Homergue, a French gentleman now in the United 

 States, who is said to be perfectly well acquainted with all the 

 details of the silk culture and manufacture, makes the following 

 estimate. " In one acre of land there are 43,560 square feet, 

 on which may be planted 3,000 mulberry trees. These will 

 yield, at the age of seven years, 90,000 pounds of leaves 



