Halsing Silk. 
ing silk. We admit this united testimony, 
but still deny the untenableness of our posi¬ 
tion, that it is not the best adapted to making 
silk. The experience of intelligent, close- 
observing, practical men on this subject, is 
the only testimony we are willing to admit, 
and whenever such is offered us, continued 
through a series of years, in feeding simulta¬ 
neously, the Multicaulis and the white, which 
have been grown on the same soil, and under 
the same circumstances, and fed during the 
whole time to different lots of worms, of the 
same kind and similarly situated ; we shall 
be happy to publish it, but till then we must 
be permitted to adhere to our expressed opi¬ 
nions. 
We make no insinuations as to the motives 
of those who have labored for the diffusion 
of the Multicaulis ; no such detestable nar¬ 
row-mindedness which is too much the 
fashion of the present day, induces us to 
throw a general suspicion over the motives 
of others, for though we believe the merest 
mercenary views have actuated many in this 
traffic, and the desire of money-making in 
their production and sale, may, innocently 
enough, have actuated all; yet we think the 
majority of those who have been, and still 
are, engaged in disseminating them, have 
been influenced by laudable and by the most 
patriotic motives, and such will be the most 
ready, when a doubt is suggested as to the 
correctness of their position, to examine 
fully the grounds on which their ideas have 
been founded. 
There is much in the large, thick, luscious 
looking leaf, and the thrifty, prolific growth, 
to commend it to a favorable reception ; but 
utility is our object, and if we find by expe¬ 
rience, that there is an excess of moisture, 
which is peculiarly productive of disease to 
the worm, and a disproportionate deficiency 
of the resinous matter, which is essential to 
making silk, we ought not to hesitate in sub¬ 
stituting for the fashionable Multicaulis, the 
large-leafed varieties of the white, such as 
the Alpine, Canton, and Asiatic. We repeat 
here what we before said, that when the 
Multicaulis is used at all, they should be 
planted on a dry, light soil, which will do 
much to reduce the proportion of water, and 
increase that of the resinous matter of the 
leaf. We have now done with this part of 
the subject, till we have such evidence of the 
incorrectness of our views as we have speci¬ 
fied above, and such, if it is ever afforded us, 
we shall be most happy to lay before our 
readers. If we know our motives in this, 
and all other subjects pertaining to our jour¬ 
nal, truth, and the best good of our common 
country, is the only rule of our action. 
Varieties of Worms. —The best variety ol 
these, beyond all question, is such as pro¬ 
duce the Pea-nut Cocoon. These are of two 
colors, white, and salmon or straw color, but 
alike as to value. They are of moderate 
size, and round and blunt at each end, and 
indented in the middle, and very similar in 
shape to the pea-nut. The cocoons are not 
as large as some others, but exceeds every 
known kind in compactness, and the strength 
and fineness of the fibre, and the worms are 
peculiarly healthy and hardy to rear, and the 
cocoons are reeled with more ease than from 
any other kinds. Next to these in point of 
value is the Sulphur, and last of all the Mam¬ 
moth White, and the Two-crop variety'. The 
comparative average of yield of silk from 
each, is 20 ounces from a bushel of the Pea¬ 
nut ; 16 from the Sulphur, and 12 to 14 from 
the White. 
Preservation of the Eggs. —After the 
eggs are laid on paper or muslin, and hung 
up for a few days, till properly dry, they 
should be carefully packed away in some 
cool, dry place. It is not necessary to resort 
to artificial cold for preserving them, unless 
it is required to delay their hatching beyond 
the ordinary time for the appearance of the 
leaf in the following spring. When this is 
desired, they must be kept uniformly cold 
through the winter and spring, till wanted ; 
the temperature not being allowed to exceed 
45° or 50° Far. till required for hatching. 
As but a brief space of warm weather suf¬ 
fices to start the germinating principle in the 
egg, which a subsequent cold below 50° 
cannot prevent from progressing, it is ab¬ 
solutely necessary, if required to retard the 
eggs for successive crops through the sum¬ 
mer, that they be packed away in time to se¬ 
cure this object. 
A good refrigerator for this purpose, is 
a small box to contain the eggs, lightly 
nailed, so as not to prevent some access by 
the air, for packing in an air tight box for any 
considerable length of time, kills them. This 
is to be placed in a larger box, and completely 
enveloped in dry, powdered charcoal, dry 
saw-dust; or even fine tan-bark ; having 4 to 
8 inches on each side of the inner box, and 
the outside, to be loosely secured by nails. 
If this is put down when the temperature is 
below 32°, and safely stowed away in a dry, 
deep, cool cellar, where there is scarcely any 
circulation of air, the eggs will probably 
keep through the whole of the following sum¬ 
mer, But if once opened, it must be remem- 
