PREFACE. 



In the compilation of this Manual, the au- 

 thor has spared no time which he could snatch 

 from his daily avocations, in reading various 

 authors and essays on the interesting subject 

 of the culture of silk, and he takes occasion 

 here to say, that, for the facts, directions, and 

 instructions, which may be found in it, he 

 is indebted to articles in the Encyclopedia 

 Jlmericana; Lardner^s Cyclopaedia; the Ed- 

 inburgh Encyclopedia; Kenrictfs Orchard- 

 ist, the observations on the silk worm by 

 William B. Buchanan, Esq., published in 

 1828, the treatise on the culture of silk, pub- 

 lished by Gideon B. Smith, Esq., in 1830; 

 the essays on American silk, published in 1830, 

 by John D^Homergue^and Peter S. Dupon- 

 ceau, Esqs. ; Cobb's Silk Manual, published 

 in 1831 ; Nicholson's Farmer's Assistant ; # 

 brief treatise of the culture of Silk, published 

 in Boston, in 1 831 ; The Trade and Naviga- 

 tion of Great Britain, considered, by Joshua 

 Gee, published in 1760; the letter from James 

 Mease, transmitting a treatise on the rearing 

 of silk worms, by Mr. De Hazzi, of Munich; 

 and the manual of the secretary of the treasury 

 on the same subject ; both of which last works 

 were printed by Congress, in 1828; the vari- 

 ous articles respectively in those excellent 

 periodical journals, Fessendeti^s Silk Manual 

 and Practical Farmer ; The Silk Cullurist ; 

 " The Silk Worm ;" essays in the Farmer's 

 Register, and various other periodicals. 

 From all of these works, he has derived the 

 most valuable information; but from the two 

 compilations printed by Congress, and the 

 treatise by Gideon B. Smith, Esq., he has re- 

 ceived the most light with respect to the cul- 

 ture of the Mulberry, and he feels that he 

 should not obey the dictates of his own feel- 



ings did he not particularly acknowledge the 

 historical facts he derived from the excellent 

 and scarce work by Joshua Gee, Esq., as 

 connected with the early silk culture in A- 

 merica. To the treatise communicated to 

 Congress by Dr. Mease, and the letter of the 

 Secretary of the treasury based thereon, he 

 owes not only the arrangement, but in most 

 instances the language also, in which the 

 instructive part of his work is dressed ; nor 

 should he pass over noticing the immense ser- 

 vice he has derived from personal interviews 

 with his intelligent fellow townsman, Gideon 

 B. Smith, Esq., and he feels it due to candor 

 to observe, that wherever he has- had to recon- 

 cile the clashing of opinions, he has turned to 

 his sensible and judicious little work, as a 

 common mediator, and never without receiv- 

 ing the most able assistance. The work of. 

 Count Dandolo which forms the superstruc- 

 ture of the two congressional documents, pre- 

 viously noticed, is so full upon every head 

 connected with the subject, that after reading 

 every thing within his command, the editor's 

 only difficulty seemed to be to separate what 

 might be termed the purely scientific and phi- 

 losophical parts, from those of a more practical 

 character, with a view of presenting to the 

 agricultural community, a Manual, wherein all 

 might derive the necessary information to car- 

 ry on the silk culture in its every branch and 

 department, from the sowing of the Mulberry 

 seed to the reeling of the silk. How far he 

 has succeeded he will not pretend to say, but 

 shall leave that to others to determine being 

 content, himself, in the declaration that he 

 labored with a singleness of intention, to pro- 

 mote what he considers a great and growing 

 interest of his country. 



