55 



near so pure, and the worms five or six xlays later than 

 the others in attaining their full growth, and in rising, 

 than the common silk worm. 



3. Worms that produce white silk. This species was 

 introduced into France about fifty-two years ago, from 

 China, but was not much cultivated until about 24 

 years past, and is much prized. 



Count Dandolo says, that he has raised a large quan- 

 tity of these, and found them in all respects equal to the 

 common silk worms of four casts. That if he reared silk 

 worms for the purpose of spinning the silk himself, he 

 would cultivate only the silk worms of three casts, 

 and those that produce white silk, as preferable to all 

 others, and every year would choose the very whitest 

 and finest cocoons, to prevent the degeneration of the 

 species. 



The following varieties may also be added to the 

 number : 



4. In Windham county, Connecticut, there is a small 

 pale white worm, which it is said eats but twenty 

 days, and produces fine white silk, though in less 

 quantity than either the common large pale white, or 

 dark colored worm ; but it has the good quality of re- 

 taining its clear while color, and does not turn white 

 by washing or by exposure to sun and air. These 

 worms also produce two crops. 



5. Jl dark drab colored icorm. This variety is very 

 common in the U. Stales, and are called "black" they 

 live longer and make more silk than the large white 

 worms. 



6. Silk worms of S cropt. At the silk establishment 

 of the British East India Company at Jungepore, Den- 

 gal, Lord Valencia, besides the common annual silk 

 worm which gave but one crop, found two others ; the 

 one commonly reared, and supposed to be indigenous, 

 is called Dacey, producing S harvests also another, 

 but greatly inferior, called the China, or Madrassa, 

 which yields S times a year. 



The following instances we copy from the Treasury 

 Manual, to show that two crops a, year have been raised 

 in the United States ; and to use a very trite adage, what 

 has been done, may be done again, therefore, \ve 

 incline to the belief, that it is within the power of a vi- 

 gilant culturist, residing in those States, in which the 

 heat of summer continues long, to make double crops ; 

 but then, we question much, whether any calculations 

 should be predicated upon such results, as they must 

 necessarily depend for success upon circumstances, in 

 our eccentric climate, too uncertain to rest any well 

 grounded hopes upon. 



" In the month of March, 182G, Mr. Seth Millingfon, 

 Prairie Haul, St. Charles Co., Missouri, received a few 

 silk worm eggs from Philadelphia, which were kept in 

 an upper room without a fire, and hatched early in 

 April : they were fed the first week on lettuce, after- 

 wards on the leaves of the White and native Mulberry 

 tree, and came to maturity, within from twenty-four to 

 thirty days, and spun their cocoons before the 12th 

 of May. 



On the last day of May and first day of June, the moths 

 came out and laid their eggs on paper, which was loose- 

 ly rolled up and placed in an open room. Within 8 or 

 10 days from the time the eggs were laid, they began to 

 hatch, and before the 15th of June, nearly one-twen- 

 tieth part had hatched ; and the worms were heallhj, 

 fed well, grew more rapidly and came to maturity in 

 a few days less time, than the first crop. They wound 

 their cocoons on the first day of July; or the last of 

 that month, and first of August, the moths came forth 

 and laid their eggs, which were placed in the, same 

 room as the first eggs. On the 12th and 18th of 

 August, these eggs were hatched. The worms came to 

 maturity and spun their cocoons in less time than the 

 first, viz : before the middle of September, the moths 



came forth and laid their eggs in the first days of Oc- 

 tober." 



"Messrs. Weiss and Youngman, of Bethlehem, Pa. 

 raised two crops during the year 1825. The worms of 

 the second crop appeared more vigorous and healthy 

 than those of the first ; they also produced large co- 

 coons, the silk of which was of a belter quality. 



" Two attempts, however, by Messrs. Terhoeren, of 

 Philadelphia county, Pa., in the years 1826 and 

 failed." 



We have now arrived at a branch of th6 culture of 

 the most vital importance to the success of the whole, 

 and we feel especially solicitous to lay before the rea- 

 der a frank exposition upon this head. It is the supjfOs- 

 ed difficulty of reeling that has hitherto deterred hun- 

 dreds from entering into the business, and, indeed, to- 

 that cause, together with the want of a market, may be 

 ascribed the snail-like march it has hitherto made to- 

 wards being adopted as a component part of the hus- 

 bandry of the country. Much difficulty too has been ex- 

 perienced in the obtainment of reels. This latter cause, 

 however, has ceased to exist, as reels of the most sim- 

 ple structure are now to be had at moderate prices, 

 and a knowledge of the use of these is so easy of acquisi- 

 tion, as to hive stript this particular part of the culture 

 of all the repulsiveness with which it was formerly sur- 

 rounded. Those who enter into the business with a 

 view of prosecuting it on a large scale and of combi- 

 ning them anufacture of silk with it, will not need to be 

 instructed ; but the farmer or planter who may have 

 entered into it merely as a branch of his system of 

 husbandry, will require to be inducted into the mode of 

 preparing his silk for market. And we would advise all 

 such to submit their cocoons to the process of reeling, 

 because in so doing they will impart a greatly enhanced 

 value to the article, and we would especially recom- 

 mend them so to do, as the requisite labor may all be 

 performed by the females of their respective families, 

 who will be enabled through a labor no less interesting 

 than useful, to greatly add to the aggregate amount of 

 the productions of the country, and instead of being 

 burthens upon those upon whom they may be depen- 

 dent, will become at once among the most profitable 

 branches of every farming establishment. Nor is the 

 labor of reeling the less valuable, because it can bo 

 performed at periods of leisure ; but as we would ad- 

 vise in almost every other matter, so in this, the co- 

 coons should be reeled as speedily as possible, and es- 

 pecially those that are defective, as they will deterio- 

 rate by being permitted to remain unwound for any 

 length of time. 



Before we enter upon the description of the process 

 of reeling, we would respectfully offer a word of advice 

 to each and every person who may contemplate enter- 

 ing into the business. It is this. 



Those who may commence the silk business as a 

 branch of their respective system 5 ' of husbandry, after 

 having sown their Mulberry seed, should procure a 

 small quantity of silk worm eges, with which we ad- 

 vise, that they should practice upon our instructions. 

 Should they do so, this good will result from it by the 

 time their orchards of Mulberry are fit to feed from, 

 they will have become perfect masters of the manage- 

 ment of the worms, the cocoons and the method of reel- 

 ing the silk. Jf we are asked, where they will get the 

 leaves from with which to feed the worms, we answer, 

 in most cases, even the first year, they will be able to 

 abstract a sufficiency of leaves from the Mulberry 

 plants, without injury to them, to feed the few worms 

 necessary to be fed as a school. Five hundred or a 

 thousand eggs would be sufficient to commence with, 

 and these could be afterwards multiplied, so that, by 

 ihe time the orchards were of sufficient age for strip- 



