154 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



KOVE.MBEU ; 



culture, tlian from large fields of wheat or corn, or 

 even cotton or tobacco. As long as men will con- 

 sult tlioir interests, it is not to be supposed that the 

 slow and tedious process of rearing silk-«oruis and 

 reeling silk, however profitable it may be, compared 

 witJi most otticr agricultural pursuits, will be pro- 

 secuted with full vigor, while the profit to be de- 

 rived from the sale of the plant which constitutes 

 llie food of the worm, transcends in value that of 

 the silk to bo derived from it. While the demand 

 for the mulberry continues to bo extensive, and tlie 

 prices high, it nill be idle to expect that silk will 

 be produced in large quantities. )'ut in a few 

 years, when the country comes to be well stocked, 

 and the prices decline so nmch that sales can with 

 difficulty be eftcctcd, a new state of things may be 

 anticipated. There will then be no other resource 

 but to ap])ropriate the mulberry to its legitimate 

 use ; the community at large will be compelled by 

 the force of circunstances to engage in the culture 

 of silk, and we may then expect to see the business 

 e.xtensively flourish. In the mean time, the ex- 

 periments that are making will lead to improve- 

 ments fe the manageiiicnt of the worm ; every 

 year will be adding something to the stock of 

 knowledge, and contributing to ultimate success. 

 The mulberry will shortly be in the possession of 

 every family, or readily accessible to all; and no 

 longer, as at present, capable of being monopolized 

 by speculators, who having no interest in the es- 

 tablishment of the silk culture farther than to sup- 

 ply the plants, and never intending to follow it as 

 a branch of industry, are intent only on deriving a 

 heavy profit from them. 



I am not one of those that <.bjoct to seeing the 

 mulberry sell at fair prices. If there was no de- 

 mand tor them, all attempts to extend the silk cul- 

 ture would fail. But I do object to making the 

 mulberry culture and the silk culture two distinct 

 branches of business; and, above ail, to the prac- 

 tice which many persons follov/, of calling them- 

 selves siUc-ciillunsIs, when they are only specula- 

 tors in the phnts, or growers of them for the mar 



Although the actual cost and labor of propagation 

 are inconsiderable, yet its intrinsic merits so far 

 surpass those of I'uy other mulberry, that for an 

 outlay of five dollars, a stock of plants may be 

 obtained, in four or five years, capable of sustaining 

 millions of worms. It would therefore be better 

 to give even a dollar a piece for a few plants, than 

 to give a dollar a thousand for the old white mul- 

 l)crry, which would only be fit to feed from, at six 

 years of age, with a scanty sujiply of foliage, and 

 difficult to gather, even then. 



It is generally considered that the multicaulis is 

 the most valuable mulberry in the country. In 

 the southern states, and as fir north as to New 

 York, and even in some parts of New England, it 

 flourishes with great luxuriance ; and the roots, and 

 even branches for the most part, will withstand the 

 winters without material injury. But for the more 

 northern portions of the United Stales, it is ex- 

 tremely doubtful whether it can ever be cultivated 

 to advantage. It is certain that in the neighbor- 

 hoods of Albany and Nortliampton, its growth is 

 stunted : but local causes exist to render ttose 

 places colder than any others in the same parallel 

 of latitude. The soil for a considerable distance 

 round them is so light and sandy, that it parts rap 

 idly with its heat whenever the rays of the sun are 

 withdrawn or excluded. For the northern and 

 eastern states, however, there are other species of 

 the mulberry more hardy than the midticautis, of a 

 rapid and vigorous growth, and furnishing leaves 

 of a large size and in great abundance. Distin- 

 guished cultivators there have their particular fa- 

 vorites. The Alpine was introduced and is patron- 

 ized by Saml. Whitmarsh, the Canton by Dr Sleb- 

 bins, and the Brussa by some gentlemen of Alba- 

 ny.* At Northampton,- there is such a confusion 

 of names, that persons residing at a distance have 

 very little idea of what their mulberries really are. 

 Instead of being designated in such a manner as 

 to be readily distinguished from all others, the spe- 

 cific term of " multicaulis" is applied to species 

 entirely distinct, as well from each other as from 



ket None talk more largely of the benefits of the multicaulis proper. Thus the Alpine is called 

 makmg this a silk-growing country -noite discourse | the " morus multicaulis Alpinense ;" and the Canton, 

 more e oquently on the advantages to he derived ! the " Canton multicaulis." Both the Alpine and 

 trom adopting the culture— while the .main object Canton have sufficient merits of their own to enable 

 IS to create a demand for their trees. The press , ti.e,,, to stand without any extrinsic aid ; and the 

 ecms with "siJk-growers' guides," and otlier pub- : apjl^^hpriation of terms to which a definite idea has 

 lications,fro;n the fertile pens of mulberry growers,, beOn long attached, is calculated to mislead and 

 demonstrdting in glowing !ang lage the enormous .produce a false impression. The Alpine is only 

 profits of the silK culture. It would be desirable , ^„^^^ ,,^ ,,3^i„„ ,3eg„ brought from the foot of the 

 If public opinion could be brought to bear upon | Alps, where it was called the "Chinese mulberry," 

 such persons, and compel them— a reasonable com- i a„a is the same kind for which, under this cogno- 

 pulsion It would be— to appropriate some of their 1 men, the gentleman that introduced it was made 

 profits to the construction of cocooneries, in order the object of so much obloquy a few years ago. 

 to prove to those whom they are persuading to pur- The .ulium that was cast on him then, was, as I 

 chase, that silk may be profitably produced ; and am now convinced, very undeserved. The merits 

 give them ocular demonstrLition that their trees are | of the controversy turned on a name ; and tliat 

 worth what IS demanded for them. By this mode, ! n^me appears to liave been inadvertently adopted, 

 the sale of trees might not be diminished ; it would ' or ratlier continued in conformitv with the designa- 

 probably be promoted ; but at the same time, every tion of the species in Italy, and'not with the iiaen- 

 person would purchase with a knowledge of what tion of passing it ofl" as tlie genuine multicaulis. 

 he was doing ; and the trees would fall into the j The effect, however, has been to impair his useful- 



hands of those who would endeavor to convert a 



portion of them into silk. Had this system been 



pursued, and light shed amongst the people, even 



the present high prices for the mulberry might not 



be above their value ; at any rates, the demand 



would not be a factitious one. It is in truth a 



most valuable jilant, if tlie silk culture is practica- ■ - . - 



ble, and deserving of higher appreciation, from the • ri„rl,.c ni.;„ i i? r i ■ ■. , n . .■ 



-. ^ ^1 , ■ . , " , ...' , „ ■,. ^^Iiarles Kliind, Esq., formerly minister at Constanti- 



fact that It is reproduced with so much facility. I nople, introduced the Brussa mulberry. 



ness ever since. 



If the silk culture has not advanced with the 

 rapid strides, in the states where it received its first 

 impulse, which were predicted of it ; yet it has 

 made some progress in other places, where it has 



been recently introduced. A much larger numbr r 

 of worms has been fed during the past season than 

 has ever been fed in one year before ; and complot.- 

 success, as far as I had the opportunity of ob^eiv- 

 ing or ascertaining, attended the management of 

 tliem. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delawoi.. 

 and on the Easlera Shore of Maryland, much more 

 has been done than in any other parts o! l e coun- 

 try. A considerable stimulus has been given i^ 

 the business, in some of those s'.ates, by the libe- 

 ral bounties upon silk produced within their respec- 

 tive limits. A large proportion of the late crop of 

 cocoons was reserved for eggs for another yea: 

 and even now the demand for eggs is almost 

 great as that for mulberries. The experience ■ . 

 this year has satisfactorily proved that even from 

 trees, the growth of cuttings and layers planted in 

 the spring, worms may be advantageously fed the 

 en.suing summer. It is only necessary to retard 

 the hatching of the eggs by placing them in an 

 ice-house, which should be done befbre the warm 

 weather in the spring comes on. By this means, 

 they have been kept till midsummer. Under any 

 circumstances, the hatcliing may very properly be 

 delayed till the early part of June, which is proba- 

 bly as soon as worms should be bropght out even 

 in Virginia. The cold, wet weather of .May, which 

 is frequently a disastrous period to the young 

 orms, is thereby avoided ; and the natural time of 

 hatching is only postponed about three weeks. 

 Whether they can, fnr a number of years, consis- 

 tently with the health of the insects, be prevented 

 from hatching until the latter part of July, may be 

 regarded as doubtful. The practice is so contrary 

 to nature, that it will not be at all surprising if the 

 eft'ect should prove unfavorable. Neither would 

 any necessity exist for it, if the culturist would 

 reserve a small number of standard trees or roots, 

 and make use of the two-crop worm for his second 

 and third crops. 



I have no information which would enable me 

 to state with precision the quantify of silk that may 

 be produced from an acre of ground. During the 

 past season, one gentleman in New Jersey obtained 

 from the sixteenth of an acre, a product at the rate 

 of 50 pounds per acre, from trees of th(! first year's 

 growth. Had the trees been a year older, the 

 ([uantity of silk would no doubt have been fully 

 doubled ; and might have been still further increased 

 by successive crops. The cocoons of this year 

 were almost invariably firm and heavy ; and I heard 

 of no worms that fed longer than f.ventyeight or 

 twentynine days ; the usual period of tlieir lives 

 being thirtyfive days. This abridgment of the or- 

 dinary term of their existence, is to be ascribed to 

 the high temperature of the summer; for we know 

 that, under difloient circumstances, it is sometimes 

 prolonged to forty days. The past season, hot and 

 dry as it was, appears to have been very favorable 

 to the health of the worms. [ heard, on respecta. 

 ble authorit}', that a culturist in Delaware had fed 

 150,000 with a loss of not more than twenty, 

 Among all that I saw, some of which weie a good 

 deal crowded, I observed no symptoms of disease, 

 and heard of none prevailing elsewhere. One oi 

 two facts that came within my knowledge, showed 

 that much care is requisite in the treatment of eggs 

 when the hatching is to be postponed. It is ac 

 knowledged by all, that it is important to keep 

 them dry ; and to guard against the least admissior 

 of moisture, some persons put tiiem in bottles and 

 seal them air tight. Whenever the eggs remainec 

 in this condition for any length of time, their vital- 



