NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 221 



Canada, there are gravelly or light soils, or stony hill-sides, with 

 good exposure, some of the varieties of our native grapes could be 

 ripened abundantly. Independently altogether of the manufac- 

 ture of wine, the introduction of the grape as an article of food 

 of a peculiarly agreeable and healthful quality, is well deserving 

 of effort. 



At some of our meetings discussions have arisen respecting 

 the use of Canadian fibres in the manufacture of fabrics and of 

 paper. It would seem that the fibres of the stem and the silky 

 coma of the seed of our common milt-weed, might be made 

 available in this way, and that the culture of the plant might be 

 profitably undertaken. A more important subject, perhaps, is 

 the culture of silk. Efforts are now being made by the Botan- 

 ical Society of Kingston, to introduce into this country from 

 China, a species of silk-worm, Bombyx Cynthia, said to be hardy, 

 and which feeds on the leaves of Ailanthus glandulosa, a well- 

 known ornamental plant,, rather tender for this climate, but still 

 capable of cultivation here. Dr. Lawson has kindly sent me a 

 few of the cocoons, from which it is hoped that a small colony of 

 the animals may be reared, as Mr. Sheppard of this city posseeses 

 a little plantation of the Ailanthus. Dr. Lawson has also fur- 

 nished for publication a valuable paper on the subject, by Mr. 

 Patterson of Leith. It appears to me, however, that the silk of 

 some of our native moths might be rendered more available than 

 that of any foreign species. The ubiquitous moths of the genus 

 Clisio campa, which devastate our forests and orchards, produce 

 delicate silken cocoons, tons of which go to waste annually, and 

 the amount could no doubt be greatly increased by the artificial 

 culture of the animal. A still more abundant source ot silk would 

 be the cocoons of the great emperor moths of the genus Attacus, 

 some of which, and especially the A. cecropia, yield cocoons supe- 

 rior to those of many of the species cultivated in China and 

 India. Harris, in his " Insects of Massachusetts," states that 

 the silk of this moth is very strong and quite available for manu- 

 facture. The writer of an excellent article on this subject in the 

 Journal of the Board of Arts and Manufactures for Upper 

 Canada, adduces additional facts as to the easy breeding and cul- 

 ture of the moth. An esteemed correspondent and good ento- 

 mologist, Dr. Morris of Baltimore, has naturalized there the 

 Ailanthus moth, and is now engaged in experiments on the cul- 

 ture of the American species. There seems no reason why these 



