No. 199.] 535 



When Uic time arrived for them to spin, I made white paper bags, 

 of conical shape, put them in, and secured them against the wall. 

 Much to my surprise and gratification, I found, Nvhen I took them 

 down, all, without a single exception, that had eaten of the Osage 

 Orange leaf had spun perfectly white cocoons, the silk of which was 

 as strong, if not stronger than the other half, which had spun yellow. 



I do not recollect ever having seen a statement of worms spinning 

 perfectly white silk, and believe no one has tried the leaf of the osage 

 orange as food for them. 



I remain, &c., 



GEO. S. RIGGS. 



of Baltimore. 



Farmers' Club, May 21st, 1850. 



Hon. RoBKHT Swift Livingston in the chair. Henry Meigs, Scc'y . 



Mr. Meigs read the following papers, prepared by him, to illustrate 

 the relative importance of Agricultural wealth and the precious metals : 



Gold from South America in old times. — The Spanish writers of 

 authority concur in the statements, official and of estimate, as to tl?e 

 amount of gold and silver obtained by Spain from America, from the 

 year of discovery, 1492, down to the year 1780, i. e. two hundred 

 and eighty-eight years. By the official account, that which paid duty 

 to the King was^re thousand S'ix hundred and sixty millions of dollars; 

 and that there must be added to this vast sum at least as much more, 

 introduced without knowledge of the King, or rather unofficially, or 

 in the whole, about twelve thousand millions of dollars. 



If we should receive from California three millions of dollars a 

 week, or more than four hundred thousand dollars a day, for eighty 

 years, i. e. from this time to the year 1930, we shall then have re- 

 ceived the same amount which Spain did. We have free hands to get 

 the gold ; Spain destroyed thirty millions of men by the labour in the 

 mines. 



