16 THE CALIFORNIA 



lature the duty they owed the State, to consider the 

 importance of offering a bounty, independent of the 

 trifles that we had induced the Agricultural Society to 

 award ; and within the past year we received from Mr. 

 Hentsch and Mr. McNulty parcels of silkworms' eggs, 

 which we offered to those who desired to try the experi- 

 ment, but for want of due attention on the part of 

 those who tried, the successful result has not been at- 

 tained until now ; and to L. Prevost, Esq., of San 

 Jose, will be awarded the honor of being the first to 

 show the Chinese silkworms in successful operation. 



We are glad to present the following letter from Mr. 

 Prevost, which we regret was not received till too late 

 for our last issue ; but now we lay it before our readers, 

 and hope this new field of labor for thousands of our 

 people will be improved, and especially for the fair sex, 

 as this is an easy employment, and will certainly prove 

 in coming years a profitable one. 



SAN JOSE, August 7, 1860. 



EDITOE FARMER : For want of time, I am compelled 

 to write to you a few lines in great haste, to let you 

 know that we have now the California silk. My silk- 

 worms began to work last Sunday, and now a large 

 number of fine cocoons can be seen ; as I have a great 

 number and of different ages, there will be some at 

 work every day for several weeks ; then those interested 

 in that fine culture can come and see them, and ascer- 

 tain for themselves how easy they are to raise in this 



