110 THE CALIFORNIA 



soil and well cared for, you can begin to feed from them 

 the third year ; after which you will have more food 

 every year, and consequently more silk worms. The 

 reason that the preference is given to the morus alba 

 everywhere, where silk is cultivated 4argely, is because 

 it contains more substantial food and produces a silk of 

 better quality. So to give you an idea of it, I enclose 

 you a small sample of what is obtained from its bark ; it. 

 is almost equal to floss silk, and can be spun the same 

 way. I believe this answers the questions in your let- 

 ter, but for the benefit of your readers allow me to add 

 a few lines. 



The fact that California is the best spot on the globe 

 to raise silk profitably, I have fully demonstrated by my 

 five years' experience ; and also the fact that the supe- 

 riority of our climate for the silk culture enabled me so 

 to arrange the work that one man can do as much 

 as eight formerly did, cannot be doubted, as I have my- 

 self, without help, raised over one hundred thousand 

 silk cocoons. This is the work of eight persons in 

 France or Italy. I am now very glad to see that the 

 importance of this branch of industry begins to be un- 

 derstood, as the highest prizes have been awarded to me, 

 in the shape of gold medals, etc. The culture of the silk- 

 worm is bound to be more beneficial and more important 

 to California than all the others together, taking the 

 mines in, because those engaging in it will not be exposed 

 to deception ; and the regularity of our fine, dry sum- 

 mers, without rain, storm, or electricity, insures regular 

 good crops. I have a thousand things to tell about the 



