6B THE CALIFORNIA 



tional prosperity. When this becomes the case, and sir, 

 I honestly fear, not till then, under the smiles of a 

 gracious Providence, and the benign influence of a pa- 

 ternal government, we may walk abroad with proud in- 

 dependence secure from the vexations and embarrass- 

 ments which, to a greater or less extent, invariably 

 attend a debtor nation. 



Here is an article which we largely consume, an arti- 

 cle which we cannot dispense with, which the nation must 

 and will have, either produced or imported, in annually 

 increasing quantities. 



[From the California Farm or, August 16, 186.] 



. SILK CULTURE NEW SERIES. 



LETTER NUMBER TWO. DY L. PRKVOST. 



SAN JOSE, August 7, 1866. 

 COL. WARREN, Editor California Farmer : 



DEAR SIR : Next to food, the chief want of man in 

 every state of society, is clothing. This, in all civilized 

 countries is produced from wool, flax, cotton, and silk. 

 The increasing: extent to which the silk enters into the 





clothing of the civilized world is amazing ! In our own 

 country it pervades every class of society, and enters 

 largely into the holiday and even daily habiliments of 

 12,000,000 of people. The average annual importation 

 of silk into the United States, during the last five years, 



