185 



We already have our cotton States, -why not have 

 also our silk States ? because any other State which 

 possesses a climate similar to ours, is convenient for silk 

 culture, and our simplified California silk culture 

 could apply to it. But I think that it is very difficult 

 to find another place so wonderful, and so particularly 

 adapted for silk culture, as California. Here we seem 

 to have everything in our favor the lest climate for the 

 silkworms, and the very best soil to cultivate and raise 

 the mulberry, which furnishes here an abundance of that 

 precious and healthy food that they need : all these ad- 

 vantages, I think, cannot be surpassed in any country. 



It is the superiority of our climate that allowed me to 

 simplify the work, and reduce it considerably. 



I will show at the cJippter on the worms how and why 

 that culture will have to be adopted here, under the in- 

 fluence of our dry atmosphere, besides the great advan- 

 tage it has of reducing the work, which is most import- 

 ant. 



In other silk countries, not so well favored as Cali- 

 fornia, the climate forces them to feed their worms with 

 leaves only ; while here in California, I am feeding with 

 branches, and the worms are doing better that way than 

 when fed with leaves only, which I will 'demonstrate in 

 its proper place. But we must have our trees planted 

 in view of our California silk culture, in order to facili- 

 tate the gathering of the branches. 



