322 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



AFRII. 10, 184< 



For the New England Farmer. 



SILK CULTURE AND MANUFACTURE. 



Mr Editor : — I have just returned from a jour- 

 ney as tar west as Ohio, undertaking for purposes 

 connected with the silk business. I went out in 

 company with a gentleman from Pittsburg-, who is 

 going largely into the business and who had spent 

 Beveral weeks in New England, vi-siting our estab- 

 lishments, and collecting information in regard to 

 growing and manufacturing silk. I spent a week 

 with lum in these investigations, before leaving for 

 the West. These are some of the results. 



West,esppcially the valley of the Ohio river, and its after preserve these articles with care, believ 



There has been a larje 



tributaries, has gono ahead of New England 

 Much evidence on this point is given in the Re- 

 port of the National Silk Convention, held in New 

 York in October. Mr Gill there gives it as his 

 opinion, that the crop of the past season in that 

 valley is sufficient to keep 200 reels in operation 

 through the year. The very rapid increase in that 

 region, and its relative gain upon the East, is to 

 be accounted for as follows : — 



The mulberry speculation did nut prevail at the 



West as in the Atlantic States, and of course about 



all the disastrous consequences growing out of that 



increase in the manu- I matter fell upon the Atlantic States, where they 



■facture of silk in New England, within the last 

 one or two years. Several new establishments 

 have been started in that time, and old ones that 

 ■were prostrtited by the mulberry speculation of 

 1839, have been resuscitated, and are now going 

 on prosperously. — These establishments are em- 

 ployed chiefly in making sewings and twist, and 

 and severally consume from 40 to 200 pounds raw 

 silk weekly, amounting, in the aggregate, I should 

 think, to twice the quantity worked up one year 

 ago. We found one new establishment just go- 

 ing ii t' operation, at Willington, Conn., for the 

 manufacture of cords, gimps, and other trimmings. 

 The building is over 100 feet long, three stories 

 high, and designed for a large business. Messrs. 

 Dale and Denmead are the owners. All our New 

 England factories purchase all the American raw 

 'ilk they can get properly reeled, and pay higher 

 for it than for the foreign article, and yet their 

 chief dependence is upon foreign stoclj. 



Messrs Murray and Ryle, Patterson, N. J., com- 

 menced the business in 1840, use 150 pounds raw 

 silk weekly, chiefly in sewings and twist. They 

 have recently started twelve looms, and are ma- 

 king first rate goods. 



Mrs McLanahan, Philadelphia, established a 

 public filature in 1841, for purchasing and reeling 

 cocoons. She also manufactures sewings and 

 twist, and some other goods of first rate quality, 

 and uses none but American stock. 



West of the mountains, the business is carried 

 on very differently from what it is in New Eng- 

 land. No foreign raw silk is used in any estab- 

 lishment. — No sewing silk or twist of any conse- 

 quence IS made. The entire attention of manu- 

 facturers in that quarter is turned to plain and fig- 

 ured dress goods, serges, salins, velvets, ribbons, 

 &c. &c. I brought home with me some 70 differ- 

 ent samples of such goods, from the richest figured 

 velvet, down to the plain and simple pongee — 

 samples that will well bear comparison with the 

 same kinds of goods made in England or France. 

 The two leading establishments are Mr Rapp's, at 

 Economy, Pa., and Mr Gill's, Mt. Pleasant, Jef- 

 ferson County, Ohio, both of which were got up 

 under the superintendence of John Vox, senior, and 

 Sons ; practical manufacturers from England, and 

 have gone steadily forward, enlarging their opera- 

 tions from time to time, and finding a profitable 

 and ready sale for their goods as fast as made. I 

 found Mr Gill building a new factory, 50 by 20 

 feet, 3 stories high, to be filled with power looms 

 for weaving plain pongees for printing. I could 

 hear of no establishnieiit at the West that had 

 failed, or had been suspended, though many of 

 ihem had suffered much from the want of more 

 capital. 



In regard to the production of raw eilk, the 



that a home market for them will soon bo crcati 

 If the damaged and perforated cocoons are boii 

 out in soap and dried, they may be safely kept! 

 length of time. 



I wish to call the attention of our b'Usiness ni 

 in the east, to the manuraclnre of silk. We n 

 want establishments for weaving. Under our f 

 sent tariff such establishments, rightly conduct 

 promise all reasonable profits. As to the raw i 

 terial, it can be obtained in any quantity fi 

 abroad, until a sufficient supply is furnished fi 

 our own fields. It was in reference to this ti 

 porary foreign supply that the duty is fixed ato 

 fifty cents a pound. In regard to skilful oprrati 

 and able operatives and able superintendents, th 

 are some already in the country from England, 

 France, and many others ready to come, 

 some months I have been in correspondence wii 



belonged. Western lands are all rich, and mulber- 

 ry trees when put out, push forward at once, making 

 a rapid growth of three to six feet by midsummer. 

 On the other hand, our Eastern lands are exhaust- 

 ed, and our trees will do nothing without manure, 

 any more than our corn, and other crops. On this i gentleman in Lyons, on this subject He 

 point many silk growers at the East have made a I here last season, and left us, strong in the be 

 sad mistake, and laid the foundation for their own [ that we are to be a great silk growing and a 

 disappointment, and the discouragement of them- I manufacturing people. He is fully recommen 

 selves and others. In this matter, the West have by gentlemen in New York well acquainted v 

 precisely the same advantages over the East in the him, as a man of high character, and one that ! 

 silk business, as in other agricultural pursuits, and roughly understands his business. He is i 

 no more. Western farmers do everything on a ready to come to this country and take chargi 

 larger scale than we do in the East, and they arc 

 carrying this characteristic spirit into the silk cul- 

 ture, and their summers are some two or three 

 weeks longer than ours, thougii no better in any 

 other respects. 



I think, therefore, that the west and southwest 

 will take the lead in the growth of eilk, just as 

 they now do in corn, and other agricultural pro- 

 ducts, and for the same general reasons, and no 

 others. The proper question then, for eastern far- 

 mers, is not whether the west can lead us in this 

 crop, but whether silk is not one of the best crops 

 we can raise. We know, that corn is one of our 

 best crops, and yet we all admit that the west can 

 and does lead us in this article. I reason about 

 silk in the same way. Here we are, lixed upou 

 our hills and plains, exhausted though they may r 

 be. Some of us would not abandon them foi' the i oisposed to embark in such an enterprize. Nai 

 fertile west, if we could. Some of us could not and references, together with full details of 

 if we would. Here we are, and here we must be, ! plan, will be given to any one wishing for the sa 



an establishment for manufacturiiig the best v 

 ties of French goods, and in the best style, 

 capital of $60,000 can be secured for the purp 

 and he will himself furnish one-fifth of tlial c. 

 tal, that is, $12,000. His plan would be to c 

 mence the business at that point of perfectioi 

 which French skill and experience has aire 

 brought it. For this purpose he would have 

 latest improved French machinery, made here 

 there, as may be found best, and bring with hi. 

 sufficient number of operatives to carry the b 

 ness, in all its parts, directly forward. He is h 

 self fully confident of results altogether satisfai 

 ry. I mention the case in this manner for the [ 

 pose of showing that the necessary practical s 

 in this business can now be easily secured, 

 also to invite a correspondence with any genllei 



in view of such a measure. 

 Oxford, .February 14. 



Y^ours, truly, 

 J. R. Barbo 



and we must do something. We are on a Iread- ' 

 mill, and it is work or die ; and the only question 

 is, what articles of production are most worthy of 

 our cultivation-?— Socr.er or later my readers will 

 decide in favor of silk as one of the class. 



I found at the West several large establish- 

 ments for growing silk going into operation. Mr 

 James O'Hara, Pittsburg, is preparing to stock 20 

 acres in trees this spring. Mr George Sanders, 



near Wheeling, Va., has already 8 or 9 acres and | ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^.^^^^^ ^^ ,^,^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^, 

 is preparing to stock 50 acres more. Hut 1 will ' 



WASTEFUL MANAGEMENT OF MANUl 

 Some idea of this may be gained by analc 

 Let us imagine that a farmer keeps three team! 

 horses, who consume, say two quarters of Outs 

 week. Let the farmer give one quarter each w 



give you another line at no distant day, respecting 

 this gentleman's operations. 



.^t Economy, Pa., I found two power looms in 

 operation, as ao es,oeriment. I brought with me a 

 saniple of the goods woven, a plain satin of first 

 rate quality. At the same establishment I also 

 found machinery in operation working up floss- 

 silk waste, damaged and perforated cocoons, and 

 brought with me sa.mples of the yarn spun. It 

 makes a beautiful and valuable article for hosiery, 

 under dresses, and ol ,her goods. We have in New- 

 England no machine) -y of this kind, and of course 

 have suffered a gre at loss in these articles. I 

 would suggest tO' al I silk growers that they here- 



follows : — There may possibly be some ruts in 

 road leading to and from his farm-yard ; let I 

 pour as many as possible of the Oats into e» 

 one of the horse-holes and ruts of this road, 

 o-inning at the gate of the yard, and proceedino 

 the nearest turnpike-road. There may seem m 

 trouble in all this, but nothing valuable con e 

 be gained or done without trouble, and this exp 

 ment will probably always be conclusive. S( 

 farm-yards are nicely drained, and very frequei 

 the drains run into the horse-pond. Let the fa 

 er insist on on-e of his laborers (who may possi 

 have some prejudice against it; pouring a g' 

 drill of Oats into every drain that leads out of 

 yard till it arrives at the pond, where he may thi 



