Silk Manufacture. 49 



at results in different periods. Thus in 1827, Mansfield pro- 

 duced 2430 pounds — and the county of Windham alone in 

 1826, manufactured |'54,000 worth of silk — although the pro- 

 ceeds of three counties, from this branch, in 1810, amounted 

 to less than f 29,000. The town of Mansfield has raised the 

 last season ^ve tons ; and the culture is rapidly extending in 

 Coventry and other neighboring towns. One gentleman in 

 this state, last year, paid $1500 for white mulberry trees, 

 with which he has set out an orchard of 100 acres. About 

 1000 bushels of cocoons were sent to Philadelphia last season 

 and were sold for f 3 a bushel. 



A short time since a few enterprising individuals of Mans- 

 field united and established a small silk factory under the 

 direction of Mr. Edward Golding, a regular-bred English 

 manufacturer of silk. They have 32 swifts, for vvinding hard 

 silk ; 32 spindles for doubling ; 84 spindles for throwing ; 84 

 spindles for spinning ; 32 spindles for soft silk winding; and 

 2 broad and 1 fringe silk looms. There is machinery enough 

 prepared to keep 30 broad silk looms in operation. They 

 have only 11 hands employed at present, but 50 could be 

 employed to advantage. The sales of sewing silk in this 

 town alone the past year are estimated at upwards of |^85,000. 



There is every reason to believe that a rapid increase of 

 this production will soon take place in many of the states of 

 the Union. In New Hampshire and Vermont, silk has been 

 cultivated in small quantities with advantage. Individuals in 

 Massachusetts have cultivated it with success for more than 50 

 years. Mr. Enoch Boynton, of Newbury, has been engaged in 

 the business for 40 years, and is convinced of the utility and 

 practicability of its being pursued as a lucrative branch of 

 business. He says that the inhabitants of the United States 

 can be clothed with silken goods, with less land and less labor 

 than with flax, wool or cotton; and that it can be made imper- 

 vious to water, for outside garments, while cotton, wool and 

 flax can be made useful for inside ones. He has made con- 

 siderable improvement on his silk mill, which will no doubt 

 be of utility. It is calculated to wind from the cocoons threads 

 of various sizes, suitable for any fabric wanted. 



Mr. J. H. Cobb, Esq. of Dedham has been successfully en- 

 gaged in the business for several years, both in rearing the 

 worms and manufacturing the silk. By a great deal of pa- 

 tience, perseverance and industry, he has brought into oper~ 

 ation most of the machinery that is used in England, and upon 

 an improved plan, particularly for preparing silk. He has in 

 operation winding, tramming and throwsting machines and 

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