130 THE CALIFORNIA 



very little, as our climate is so favorable to that culture 

 that it enabled me to simplify it considerably. In proof 

 of this, I need only state that I have this last season 

 raised over 100,000 silkworms, every worm making a 

 cocoon ; and all this with my own work alone. This is 

 the work of eight persons in France or Italy. Our 

 California silk culture is so simple that, as soon as it is 

 published extensively, everybody in the State will en- 

 gage in raising silk as well as any other production. If 

 we consider it a moment, the quantity of silk that could 

 be raised in California is immense ; and it would afford 

 employment to thousands of families, hi raising as well 

 as in manufacturing it. It is an easy work, that can be 

 done by aged persons, as well as by the young of both 

 sexes. Then our ladies would have a right to f '! 

 proud in wearing silk dresses made of silk raised by 

 their own hands. In France and in Italy silk is raised 

 very extensively, and millions of families are living by 

 this work. The silk exported from Italy surpasses in 

 value, by two-thirds, all other expiations together. 



A remarkable fact is, that with our climate so very 

 favorable to silkworms, we also have a soil well adapted 

 to the growth of mulberry trees. They thrive almost 

 everywhere in the State ; but the best soil for them that 

 I have yet seen is in the bottom lands of the Sacra- 

 mento Valley. A large quantity of those trees will be 

 planted there the coming season. I suppose some will 

 also be planted in the San Joaquin Valley, where there 

 is already quite a large plantation that of Mr. Gles- 

 gjug commenced last year. But the largest planta- 



