378 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Jl'NE ». 18 ». 



intellijont mi'ii, i'l (lifFeri'ht sections of the coun- 

 try, as u |)iil)!ic oliject. 'I'lie extent, also, of tln^ 

 interest felt hy iticlivicluals in the snccess of the 

 •enterprise, as a sfiirce of indiviilnal wealth, may 

 i'oe (estimated by the fact, that there are now in the 

 'office (if the Silk (/ultiirist from three to five tiioii- 

 sand letters of inquiry, &c., in relation to it. This 

 interest is tnrther manifested liy the fict, thnt sev- 

 ■<3ral other periodicals devoted wliolly and par- 

 tially to the snhject have been started, and are co- 

 operatiii!,' in the ijreat woik. 



But notwithstanding both the public and indi 

 viiluals may be deeply interested in the cid'.nre 

 and mannfaetnre of silk, its introduction into this 

 country may be unattainable. Onr soil and cli- 

 mate may not be conjrenial to its growth, and the 

 number, ijabits and pursuits of onr popidation may 

 not be adapted to its manufictnre. These are 

 insnperalile difficidties, if they exist ; and, conse- 

 quently, I have given them a promin.^nt place 

 among the topics of investigation. The residt of 

 all my inquiries in relation to the adaptation of 

 onr soil auvl climate are of the most (-ncouraging 

 character. From all the infonnalion I have been 

 able to obtain, 1 am fully satisfied that there is not 

 a State in the Union, ami perha()s I might say not 

 ji county, where the mulberry may not be I'ulti- 

 -vatel, and the silkworm reared. Experiments, 

 have been made in all parts of the country, and 

 their success has established the fact, that the mul- 

 berry will grow,and thesilkworm thrive through- 

 out the wliole length and breadth of the United 

 States. The rigor of northern wiiUers has, ordi- 

 narily, no injurious effect upon th(! Italian mnl- 

 lierry ; and the insect which feeds U|)on its foli- 

 age, and produces the silken fibre, being in a tor- 

 j)id state, and secluded from the frost during ihe 

 cold season, sustains no injury, or even incojiven- 

 ience, from its severity. It was foriiierly donbieil 

 wljethcr the moms yiitillicaitlis could be acclima- 

 ted in the Northern and .Middle Staies ; hut late 

 experiments have satislaclorily juoved that, by 

 cutting down the shoots in auiujnn, the roots will 

 endure the coldest Winters, and send up a new 

 growth of shoots in the spring, and produce an 

 abundant crop of foliage. 'J his appears to he the 

 method successfully ^inrsued by the silk growers 

 in India; and with the .«au)o treatment in this 

 country, there is no doid)t of its acclimation. 



The introduction of this valuable variety of the 

 mulberry, at a time when the attention of Ameri- 

 can .silk growers was aroused to the subject, and 

 the facility with which it is cultivate<l and inulli- 

 plied to an indefinite extent, affords, in my opin- 

 ion, a fidl guaranty against those failures and in- 

 terruptions in the business to wliich it has hereto- 

 fore be,-n subjected. It has been asceriained by ex- 

 periment, that the foliage which may be gathered 

 from animal shoots upon an acre of land will fur- 

 iiiish food enough to sustain a family of worms 

 ^.ifficiently nunierous to make 12S lbs. of si!k, 

 wort.'b at ])resent prices, $640. Though there is 

 now bQi' little doubt that, treated in this manner, 

 the viorus multicnuUs will, in the end, supplant 

 the Italian, yet it is adjudgeil advisable, by most 

 silk growers, to contmue its cidtivation. lis great 

 value for fuel and timber, cspecally for ship hull I- 

 ing, will ever make it worthy of cultivation ; and 

 should any unforeseen circunistani'es render the 

 successful cultivation of the former uncertain, or 

 ijripossible, the silk grower will be able to make 

 silk from its foliage, of good ijuality, and in large 

 <]Uanlilie.'?, 



An imaginary difficulty in rearing the worm, 

 'and enabling it to nmkeits cocoon, has been 

 urged as a reason against atti;mpting it ; but I am 

 happy to find that the process has been so far 

 simplifieil as to be intoiligible to ths most unlearn- 

 ed in rural afl'airs. So simple and easy is the 

 care and management of tin; worm, during its 

 brief life of labor, that children, with a little in- 

 struction and experience, can supi ly all its wants, 

 both in sickne.ss and in health, ami render it all 

 the a.ssistance and attention necessary, to its coin- 

 tbrt and the completicin of its labors. The pro- 

 cess of reeling, also, which was formerly siijiposed 

 to be of difficult perfi»rniance, has bei ome so fii- 

 milmrized, that children perform it with skill and 

 dexterity. In foreign countries, whi're silk is e\- 

 t<'nsively grown and manufa<-tured, the business 

 of reeling is kept, to a great extent, distinct from 

 tlip growing ; hut I think it ilesirable for every 

 grower to acquaint himself and family with the 

 art, as the value of the silk i-; iriore easily and ac- 

 curately ascertained, and is less liable to injury in 

 transportation. Thus far, the [)rodnction and 

 manufiiciure of silk may be carried on in the fam- 

 ily of every farmer, and at a [u-ofit fiw beyond his 

 e.vpectations. 



From all the facts in my possession, I am sat- 

 isfied that every farmer may devote a portion ol 

 his farm ami attention to the growth of silk, and 

 thereby much increase the value of its ])rodncts. 

 The gatln^ring of the foliage, and the feeding of 

 the worms may be pi rl'ormed by the children, and 

 such ollii'r members of the (amily as are incapa- 

 ble of more arduous labor ; and who, if not thus 

 employed, W( iihl spend their time in idleness, or, 

 what is worse, n-,ischiel'. If prodm-tive labor is a 

 priirci| al source of wealth, both to nations and in- 

 dividmds, it is desirous it should be increased to 

 its greatest possble extent. This can ordy be 

 done by seeking out objects to wliich the labor of 

 the young, old and infirm is adapted ; and among 

 lbe.se, I know of none more appropriate than the 

 culture of silk. The same remarks are substan- 

 tially true with respect to its manufacture. 



It has been erroneously sup|)o-ied that the man- 

 ufactnre'of silk was attended with cxtiaordinary 

 ilifficnlties ; that it reipiired much complex and 

 expensive niachinery, and a skill whii-h .Ameri- 

 cans were incapable of acquii'ing ; but it has been 

 found to be as simple as that of cotton or wool, 

 and requiring a far less ex[ienditure in buildings, 

 machinery and fixtures. The weaving of silk 

 fabrics on power looms has been attempteil, and 

 the success that has resulte<l from the experiment 

 is of the most fiattcring character. Fabrics for 

 gentlemen's wear, cravats, &c., have been woven 

 in power-looms, which, for beauty of textiwe, fall 

 but little, if any, below thos-; of fori ign manulac- 

 ture. In this respect, wij are already in advance 

 of the silk niamifactmers of Europe and India; 

 and it is believed that the advantage the Anieri- 

 can manufacturer will derive from the aiil of la- 

 bor-saving machines, will more than counterbal- 

 ance the advantage the foreign manufacturer does 

 or can derive fiom tin; reduced price of labor in 

 countries of a more dense population. Hence it 

 is believed that this country can successfully com- 

 |)ete with other countries, both in the culture aB<l 

 manufacture of silk. 



The imjiortance of introducing this species of 

 manufacture, may be estimated by the fact, that 

 the i'l portations of manufactured si ks, during the 

 year ending the 30th of September last, amounted 



to .S17,497,90( , being nearly a million more tliiui 

 the previous yeai. .Most of this enormous amount 

 is consumed in this country, and is an annual tax 

 upon the consumers. It is also to them ami the 

 country a total loss ; for it is believed there are in 

 the country a sufficient nundier of laborers to pro- 

 duce and manufacture the whole amoiin , whoare 

 nnproduclively or unprofitably employed. If this | 

 be so, it follows, as .1 necessary consecpience, that 

 we sustain an annual loss of double iliat amount, j 

 in onr unemployed and misa|>plied labor. This 

 amount will also be astonishingly increased, if we , 

 add to S all the evils of crime and pauperism, ; 

 which arc the legitimate and unavoidable conse- 

 quences of idleness and improiluctive labor. The 

 connexion between idleness and poverty has not, 

 and never will be di^solved, so long as the rela- 

 tion between cause and effect exists ; and though 

 crime may not be a necessary cuncomitani, yet it 

 is a common attendant. The same is true, though 



in a less degree, in regard to misapplied labor 



■| he f.uits of uiipro<luc.ti\e lal or are poverty and 

 wretchedness, and these are often the remote, if 

 not the immediate causes of crime. The impor- 

 tance, therefore, of the culture and manufactdr'e 

 of silk, both in a pecuniary and moral point of 

 vievv, is immen.se. i 



Our independence also urges ns to engage in 

 the culture and nianulacture of silk. F(jbrics, of 

 which silk is tlie whole, or a component part, are I 

 indispensable. In the early ages of the world, | 

 wnen the customs and fashion of society were 

 rude and unpolished, si'k was considered a lux- 

 ury which nime luit princes could indulge ; and 

 even in them it was supposed to be unpardonable 

 extravagance, lor it was among the enum rated 

 prodigalities of Ileliogabali.s, that he had a gar- 

 ment made wholly of silk. The Emperor Aiire- 

 lian, also, 270 years afterwards, refused his Em- 

 press a silk robe, merely because he coiiid not in- 

 cur the expense. In still later times, silk has been 

 considered luxurious, for it is said of James I, he- 

 fore his accession to the English throne, in 1603, 

 that he was compelled to burrow a [lair of silk 

 hose of the Earl of IMar, when he first appeared 

 before ihe ambassador. But the customs and 

 habits of society, have since undergone an aston - 

 ishing change. Silk is no longer coiisidered a 

 luxury, but an indispensable article. So common 

 has it become, that it forms a considerable part of 

 our wardrobes, and enters more or less into al- 

 most every garment, both of male and femalo 

 dress. However nmiecessary and extravagant silk 

 may have anciently been considered, it camiOL 

 now be dispensed witli, neither can its consump- 

 tion be confined to the wealthy. Time was, and 

 novv is in some countries, when difi'ereiit orders 

 in society, growing out of rank and wealth, exis- 

 ted ; but this state of things no longer continues 

 in this count!-}'. Wealth and descent are no lon- 

 gi'r the thermometer of respectability, but indus- 

 try, frugality, and the praclice of the moral and 

 social virtues. The poor as well as the ri( h must 

 be clothed in silk: and why sbouUl they not? 

 they are as meritorious, and often more so. 'Ihe 

 (juestion is, thereforw, seltied.lbat there can bene 

 diminution in the consumption of silk; and un- 

 less measures are taken to encourage its culture, 

 we must bo forever dependant on foreign labor 

 for its production. Though foreign laborers may 

 b,: de|>en(hint on ns for the consumption of their 

 products, yc't it detracts much from our ind''peii- 

 deuce to be dependant on them for necessary 



