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of them in a moment. Families in Europe, whose chief suppot t is derived' 
from this industry, will sometimes lose an eutire brood, worth 
hundreds of dollars, during the progress of a sudden and violent 
thunderstorm. Our Californian eulturisls are happily exempt from 
danger on account of these electrical disturbance-. During the 
months of May and June (corresponding with November and 
December in Victoria), the best period for silk oulture in California, 
the sound of thunder is rarely ever heard in any putt of the State. 
Nearly thirty years ago the importance of this industry began to 
press its claims. In 1S56 Louis Provost, at Sau Josh, commenced 
the planting of mulberry trees. He was the pioneer in this work, 
and before bis deatli he published a manual, in 1867, on silk cultuie, 
the effect of which was to induce many persons to engage in the 
enterprise. Another silk culture pioneer was Adolph Mueller, also 
of San Jos<5, He began the work about the same time with Mr. 
Provost. He continued it until bis death, in 1561), and his success 
was a great encouragement to others. John E. Goux, Mr. A. 
Paokatd, and Dr. Ord entered upon this industry in 1SG0 at Santa 
Barbara, and were very successful in producing fine cocoons, but 
there being no filature and no market for their product, the business 
was given up. In 1865, the Legislature of California recognised the 
importance of silk culture by offering a bounty of 250 dollars to any 
person who should plant 5000 mulberry trees, and another bounty 
of 300 dollars to any one who should produce 100,000 cocoons. It 
was a patriotic and well meant purpose on the part of the Legislature. 
If it had at the same time provided means for a filature for the 
purpose of extracting the raw silk from the cocoons, silk culture 
would long ago have become au established industry. But it was a 
work so entirely new to rulers and people at that time that this 
necessity for success was neither understood nor provided for. Still 
the generous offer of the Legislature was not in vain. A large 
number of persons were induced to plant trees and raise cocoons. 
In Sacramento, bauta Clara, Sonoma, Nevada, Napo, Contra Co3ta, 
Marin, Alameda, Los Angeles and other countits, thousands of 
mulberry trees were planted, and in two years cocoons began to be 
raised in considerable quantities, ^ increasing during the next three 
years until the product amounted to several hundred thousand. In 
1868, W. M. Hay me aud 1. N. Hoag, of Sacramento, raised over 
800,000 cocoons, aud received the State's bounty. In 1870 a 
company at Davisville is reported to have produced 4000 lb. of 
cocoons worth 5o00 dollars. 1 he expense of the experiment is said 
to be not more thau 1500 dollars. In the sameymrr T. B. Flint of 
Sacrimento. it is stated, raised 900 lb. The product of Mr. Hoag 
was 050,000 cocoons. It is estimated that 20,000 oz. of silk worm 
eggs were produced that year in California. There being no mar ket 
for the cocoons, the main object of the producers, from lS6o to 1870, 
was to secure the bounty of the State for trees aud cocoons, and to 
raise silk worm eggs for cnlturists in Europe. The war between 
France and Germany unfortunately closed the market for the sale of 
eggs. The product of 1870, worth not less than 100,000 dollars, 
was thus left on the hands of the producers, and, there being no 
market in the United States for their cocoons, our pioneer silk 
culturists became discouraged. Tens of thousands of valuable trees 
