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in California, but, more or less, a deep, rich, light, 

 loamy soil is needed. In such a soil, we can obtain as 

 much food from one acre as from two or three of other 

 soils. In that mulberry soil, trees seven years old 

 measure from two to three feet in circumference ; shoots 

 one year old are from ten to twelve feet long, and we 

 have any amount in all the valleys of California. I 

 have remarked a great quantity of it in our beautiful 

 and healthy valley of San Jose*, but have observed it 

 more generally in the Sacramento Valley. We can say 

 that we have hundreds of thousands of acres of such 

 soil in California. The quantity of silk that we can pro- 

 duce is incalculable ; we could supply the whole world 

 with the article.'* 



But I do not mean by the above to impress on any- 

 body that valley land is alone suitable for the mulberry, 

 as I have observed along our foothills, and even on the 

 hills, very fine mulberry soil ; arid I would also recom- 

 mend to those who have plantations there, to select al- 

 ways the soil, and give it a deep plowing, and plant 

 early. 



In Europe, it is on the hills that they generally ob- 

 tain their best silk, but they have rain there often, which 

 stimulates the growth of their mulberry trees planted in 

 the mountains ; and it is very easy to understand why 

 the silk from the mountains is better than that produced 

 in the valleys. But by doing, in regard to mountain 

 soil, as I have said before, I have no doubt that we will 

 succeed, and I will earnestly recommend it to be tried. 

 In case of success, we shall certainly obtain there a very 



