33 



Ibs. of cocoons are equal to 1 Ib. of silk, so is 

 1234 Ibs. equal to 137 Ibs. 



No. 2. This is calculated upon the same prin- 

 ciple as the first branch of the above, with this 

 difference, that the 6 feet square assumed by Mr. 

 D'Homergue, will give 1210 trees to the acre 

 the square of 6 being 36, that divided into 

 43,560, the number of square feet contained 

 therein, gives 1210 as the quotient. 



No. 3. Our own calculation is based on a sim- 

 ilar principle. 



No. 4. Mr. Fitch's statements do not accord 

 with each other, and we have, therefore, under- 

 taken to reconcile their discrepancies. In the 

 first place, he speaks of having seen a. full grown 

 tree that afforded food for worms, which made 

 4 Ibs. of silk : then he tells us that an acre of 

 full grown trees set a rood and a half apart, will 

 produce 40 Ibs. of silk. Now as a rood and a half 

 is 24 feet, 75 trees can beset upon an acre, and 

 unless Mr. Fitch has two measures for his full 

 grown trees, he is not consistent with himself, 

 as, 75 such full grown ones as he first describes, 

 would yield 300 Ibs. of silk, instead of 40. The 

 first tree he names must have fed 12,000 worms; 

 but if we calculate that his subsequent ones are 

 competent to feed 5,000, the most generally re- 

 ceived number, the 75 must have produced 125 

 Ibs. of silk. It struck us however as most fair 

 to take the average of the three, and we accord- 

 ingly made our calculations upon that data. 



No. 5. Mr. Tufts baring avouched Mr. Fitch's 

 statement, we have made the same calculations 

 for him. 



No. 6. Mr. Storrs estimates that it will take 

 4,000 worms to make a pound of silk; this is 

 much too high; 2,400,2,542, 2,700 and 3,000 

 have severally done so; but he has even set the 

 produce of an acre at greatly below what his ex- 

 travagant estimate would make it. We believe 

 we make a liberal allowance for contingencies, 

 when we assume 3,000 as the number compe- 

 tent to give a pound of silk ; we have, therefore, 

 found our average, by calculating the pound at 

 that ratio ; at Mr. Storr's 4,000, and then at his 

 60 Ibs. per acre. 



No. 7. We take Mr. Smith's estimate of the 

 capacity of a full grown tree, and Mr. Bradley's 

 for the measure of that of the worms, and thus 

 arrive at the result in the table. 



No. 8. We take this as we find it, though it is 

 evidently made with too much looseness to enti- 

 tle it to the least consideration, and but that we 

 wish to show both sides of the picture, we would 

 not give it. 



No. 9. Here too, there is much looseness; 

 but to prevent cavil have placed the trees 20 feet 

 square apart, and thus find a result much below 

 what the data would justify. 



No. 10. Count Dandolo gives data for three 

 calculations, and as his great experience in the 



business, enlightened mind, and mathematical 

 exactitude in all that he does, entitle his state- 

 ments to every consideration, we have made caV 

 culations for each and taken the average, viz : 

 171, 184 and 240=5 9 5 aggregate average 198|, 

 and we are pleased to find that this is 17^ Ibs. 

 more than our own; for from the familiarity of this 

 distinguished gentleman with the business, the ut- 

 most reliance may be placed on his estimates; be- 

 cause they are the results of actual practice. 



No. 11. Miss Rhodes' experiments being 

 made in England, where the worms will not labor, 

 should not be taken into the account ; for Eng- 

 land has long since abandoned the culture, hav- 

 ing given it up as utterly impracticable owing to 

 the humidity of the climate; but as our object 

 is truth, we give it for what it is worth. 



No. 12. This is a high-pressure calculation, 

 which never has been, and, in our opinion, never 

 can be realized : we are, therefore, disposed to 

 think that, in the translation, the word "silk" has 

 been substituted for that of "cocoons" with 

 this changed version, it would approach much 

 nearer practicable results. 



No. 13. This author is also too high, in our 

 opinion, though he has several good authorities 

 to back his calculations withal. 



No. 14. This a little too sanguine also. 



No. 15. This being an actual result, is of 

 course, to be taken for its actual amount, and 

 although less than an acre is capable of produc- 

 ing by nearly a hundred per cent., it is a most 

 wonderful product, all things considered. 



No. 16. This, in our opinion, is much below 

 what can be realized from an acre properly cul- 

 tivated. 



