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AND OAUDENEU'S JOUUNAL. 



I'UKLISIir.l) l!Y JOSEI'H BliKCK & CO., NO. 52 NOKTU MARKET STKEET, (Ac;ricii.turai. Wahf.house.)— T. G. FE!-SEN1)EN, EDITOR. 



VOL. XV. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENINO, JUNE 14, 1837. 



Nu. 49. 



i^<Bm.Ti^'^&^W]^^lL^ 



HEPORT ON SILK. 



(Coiicluiled.) 



A\w England States. 

 The six New England States are, more or less, 

 eiigJiged in the culture and inantifacture of silk ; 

 and (our of them are encouraging the business by 

 legislative boutities. In Maine, a bounty of five 

 cents on every pound of cocoons grown, and fifty 

 cents on every pound of silk reeled, is paid from 

 the btate treasury. The growing of silk has also 

 been commenced in several towns in difl^erent 

 parts of the State, and the experiments which 

 have been made, confirm the belief that the cli- 

 mate is no obstacle in the way of the silk grower ; 

 especially from the foliage of the Italian mulber- 

 ry. In New|iorl, Fryeburg, Saoo, lliratn and Lim- 

 ington, nurseries have been planted, and are said 

 to be in a flourishing condition, especially in the 

 first mentioned town. This town is situated at 

 nbout equi-distaiice between the Kennebec and 

 Penobscot rivers, and within a few miles of the 

 45th degree of latitude ; and yet the young plants 

 withstood the severity of the last winter uninjur- 

 ed. A gentUunan in Fryeburg has 10,000 or 

 12,000 Italian mulberries, four years old, and sev- 

 eral tliousand more in his nursery. He fed the 

 last season 5000 worms, which produced about 

 the usual quantity of silk. His confidence is bo 

 strong in the success and profit of the business, 

 that he intends to extend it as fast as his means 

 \vill admit. About $40 worth of silk was made 

 in Hiram the last season, and manufactured into 

 Hewing silk ; the quality of which is said to be 

 equal to the best Italian. A few pounds were al- 

 so made in Limington of excellent quality. 



In New Ham|ishire, the business has been be- 

 gun, and is ]iresecuted with consideralile spirit, 

 though no public encouragement is given. At 

 Concord, there is an incorporated company, with 

 a capital of $75,000, for the growth and manufac- 

 ture of silk. The company have purchased a 

 farm of 250 acres, and are stocking it with both 

 kinds of the mulberry as fast as circumstances per- 

 mit. Individuals, also, in most parts of the State, 

 are planting the mulberry preparatory to feeding 

 the worm. In the vicinity of Portsmouth, many 

 gentlemen are engaging in the business. Exper- 

 iments have also been made in South Weai-e, 

 Newport, Duribarlon, Warner, Hopkir.ton, Keene, 

 and many other towns ; and the results have sat- 

 isfied the experimenters that the business is both 

 practicable and profitable. 



The Legislature of Vermont, by an act passed 

 on the 10th of November, 1835, have authorized 

 and directed the State treasurer to pay a bounty 

 of ten cents on every pounil of cocoons grown 

 within the state. This bounty, and a good de- 

 gree of interest which previously was awakened, 

 has given the business a good beginning. In n.ost 

 parts of the state, seed has been sown, trees plant- 

 o^\, and small quantities of silk have been tnade. 



In Burlington, BrattI .'boro', Woodstock, Middle- 

 burg, Bennington, South Hero, .Montpelier, Or- 

 well, Shoreham, Guilford, rutiiey,and many oth- 

 er places, the gid>ject is receiving attention, and 

 pretKirations are making for operations on a large 

 scale. 



The legislation of JIassachusetts, for the en- 

 couragement of the growth o( silk, is of the most 

 liberal character. The bounty on all silk grown, 

 reeled and throwed in the Commnnweallh, is $2 

 a pound, which is considered by silk growers to 

 he sufficient to defray all expenses attending its 

 growing, reeling and throwing. Before the pas- 

 sage of this law, extensive nurseiirs and planta- 

 tions were commenced or projected; but the busi- 

 ness has since assumed a more general charactei. 

 The interest which is felt in this state is attribu- 

 table, in a great degree, to the efl^orls of Jonathan 

 H. Cobb, Esq. of Dedhaiti. This genthunan has 

 been several years engaged in the business, and 

 the success he has had has inspired others with 

 confidence in it. There are several incorporated 

 companies formed, some o!" which have commen- 

 ced operations. Among them is the New Eng- 

 land Silk Company, at Dedham, under the super- 

 intendence of Mr Cobb. This company has a 

 capital of $50,000, with liberty to extend it to 

 $100,000. It has already about 20 acres planted 

 vvilli t!ic mulberry, and about 30 more in prepar- 

 ation. In relation to the present state of the njan- 

 Hfacturing deparlment, Mr Cobb says: " We have 

 sixteen sewing silk machines, some of which have 

 been in operation, and others are nearly comple- 

 ted for running. But a small quantity of sewing 

 silk has been made, as yet. We have found or- 

 ganzine and tram, or warp and filling, to be in 

 greater demand than heretofore ; but in conse- 

 quence of the 40 per cent, protection on seiving 

 silk held out by the Government, we have been 

 building a large njill this season, and are now 

 about ready to manufacture 200 pounds jier week 

 of sewing silk, which, at present prices will fetch 

 $2000; and shoidd the tarifi" remain, and the price 

 keep up as it now is, we shall make a heavy busi- 

 ness of it. About $10,000 worth of silk goods, 

 part with a mixture of cotton, have been manu- 

 factured here the year past; about one half Irom 

 foreign, the rest from domestic silk. We shall 

 c-ontinue to fm-nish, as we have in years past, the 

 warp and filling for looms in difi'erent parts of the 

 country. The Tuscan loom was first started here, 

 and we have supplied many himdreds of them 

 with warps, for two or three years past." 



The Atlantic Silk Company, at Nantucket, has 

 a capital of .$40,000. The object of the company 

 is the growth and manufacture of silk. The fiic- 

 tory is already in operation, and the fabrics which 

 have been made are highly creditable to the man- 

 ufacturers. William H. Garden :r, Esq, of Nan- 

 tucket, is president of the company. 



The Northampton Silk Company has a cajiital 

 of $100,000, with liberty to extend it to $150,000, 

 and is innler the superintendence of Sanmtl Whit- 

 marsh, Esq., who is also the president. The 



object of the company is both the cidture and 

 manufacture of silk ; and for this purpose, they 

 have a plantation of about three hundred acres, 

 and suitable buildings. The plantation is being 

 stocke<l with the nwrus muUicaulis ; and another 

 variety of Chinese mulberry, which on many ac^ 

 counts, they think preferable. 1 heir manufac- 

 ture, at present, is principally cnnfined to sewing 

 silk, the quality of which is sairl, by competent 

 judges, to be equal to the best Italian. The com- 

 pany have also imported large quantities of mul- 

 berry trees, with which they are stocking their 

 own ]ilantation, and in part, supplying the great 

 dematul for that article. 



The Massachusetts Silk Company has a capital 

 of $150,000, and a plantation of 160acresat Fram- 

 ingham. 'I hey have now growing 78,000 Italian, 

 and 7,360 Chinese mulberry trees, besides a seed- 

 bed of two acres. There are also in this slate, 

 the Boston Silk Company, the Roxbury Silk Com- 

 pany, and the Newburyjiort Silk Comi-any, all 

 with large capitals. Besides these incorporated 

 com[)anies, individuals areJ engaging in the busi- 

 ness, in most part* of the state, with very promis-- 

 ing prospects. 



In Rhode -l«land, where the n;anufacture of cot-- 

 ton has been-' Song and ])rofitably prosecuted, the 

 manufiicture of silk is commencing. There is- 

 one incoiporated conq any by tl^e name of the 

 Valentine or Rhode Island Silk Cotnpany. This 

 company has a capital of $!00,00',l. The factory 

 is in Providence, and the plantation tp the neigh- - 

 borhood. It has been in operation so,«ie time, 

 and has manufactured gome very be<*Ml(iiful and 

 durable articles. 



In Connecticut, silk has been grown in consid- 

 erable quantities, for fifty or sixty years, particu- 

 larly in the counties of Windham and '1 olland. — 

 As an encouragement to the silk grower, the state 

 pays a bounty of one dollar on every himdred 

 Italian or Chinese mulbi'rry trees, set out at such 

 distances from each other, as will best favor their 

 full growth and the collection of their leaves, and 

 cultivated tmtil they are five years old. The state 

 also pays a bounty of five cents on every pound 

 of silk reeled on an improved reel. 



There are two incorporated companies in the 

 state, — the Mansfield and the Comjecticut Silk 

 Manufacturing Companies. The former is loca- 

 ted at Mansfield, and has a capital of $20,000 ; — 

 the latter nt Hartford, with a capital of $30,000. 

 Both these companies have been beneficiaries of 

 a bank. The business of the latter has hitherto 

 been principally limited to the manufacture of 

 Tuscan straw for ladies' bonnets ; but it has late- 

 ly commenced the manufiicture of sewing sjlk in 

 large quantities and of a good quality. There is 

 also a small silk factory at Lisbon, which has been 

 in operation several years, and is said to be doing 

 a good business. 



Individuals, also, in all iiarts of the state, are 

 engaging in the cidlure ; several of whom are 

 planting large tracts with the mulberry. The 

 Messrs Cheney at Manchester, have been engaged 



