THE CULTIVATOR. 
39 
.TILLINGHAST’S-COCOONERY—(Fig. 18.) 
Siik Culture in lljs Eniteir States. 
PROGRESS OF THE SILK CULTURE. 
Believing, as we do, that the production of silk has 
taken a firm hold, as an essential element of national 
prosperity, and that it is destined to rapidly increase in 
this country, we shall feel a pleasure in recurring to the 
subject frequently, and keeping the readers of the Culti¬ 
vator apprised of such important facts as may interest 
those who have already engaged, or are preparing to 
engage, in the business. There was the last year, as 
there will always be, on the introduction of a new 
branch of domestic industry, some failures and some 
disappointments, but as a whole, a vast increase of pro¬ 
duction of silk, over any former year, took place, and 
the failures, in proportion to the numbers engaged, far 
less than formerly. The greatest cause of failure has 
been, attempting to feed too many worms from a given 
quantity of mulberries, which has produced disease, and 
in some cases an almost total loss of the silk crop. We 
are' convinced, however, that were the full amount of 
the crop of 1841 to be made known, it would surprise 
all, and cbnvince even the most skeptical that we are 
able to grow our own silk, as well as our own cotton and 
wheat. In those States where a premium on silk is paid 
by the State, an approximation to the amount produced 
may be made, although it must always fall below the 
actual amount, as multitudes do not present their claims 
for reward. 
The following instances, collected from various sources, 
will show what was done in a few places the last season. 
In the county of Monroe, N. Y., 1,538 lbs. of cocoons, 
and 29 lbs. of reeled silk, received the bounty of the 
State, and the actual amount very much exceeded this, 
as many who grew considerable quantities made no 
claims. In the county of Chautauque, (as appears from 
the Chautauque Silk Journal, a small monthly paper pub¬ 
lished by Mr. Lord, at Dexterville in that county,) more 
than seventy bushels of cocoons were raised last year, 
and those employed in the business were so satisfied with 
their success, that many were making arrangements to 
greatly enlarge their operations the present year. In 
Cuyahoga co., Ohio, the production of silk rose from 300 
lbs. in 1840, to more than 2,200 lbs. in 1841, and the bu¬ 
siness will be greatly increased during the present year. 
More than 2,000 yards of beautiful silks, velvets, &c. 
have been manufactured at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, during 
the last two years, and a rapid extension of the works 
is contemplated. As yet, however, the greater quantity 
of silk produced has been made into sewing silks, and 
there is a probability that this important drain upon the 
country will soon be checked by an abundant home 
supply. At Economy, Pa., the Misses Rapp have pro¬ 
duced at their establishment 3,500 lbs. of cocoons, which 
gave about $1,800 worth of raw silk. We have seen no 
estimate of the quantity produced at some of the most 
extensive establishments in the United States, sucli as 
those of Northampton, New Jersey, Philadelphia, &c., 
but the above will give some idea of the progress made 
in a single year. Those engaged in the silk culture 
must not expect to enrich themselves at once. Caution 
in commencing, and experience in progressing, will 
ensure eventual success. From what we can learn, the 
Peanut variety of the silk worm will prove the most 
profitable to the silk grower. Mr. Lord says that in his 
reeling, he has found the Two Crop and Mammoth White 
to yield about seven ounces of reeled silk to the bushel 
of cocoons; the White Sulphur from ten to fourteen 
ounces, though in one instance, he reeled eighteen 
ounces to the bushel; from the Peanut, he has reeled in¬ 
variably twenty ounces to the bushel, and there was less 
waste with this French variety than any other. 
The law of New-York, passed May, 1841, gives a 
bounty of 15 cents on every bushel of cocoons, and 20 
cents on every pound of reeled silk produced in the 
State until 1846. This bounty will go far towards de¬ 
fraying the expense of cultivation, where children are 
used to gather the foliage for the few weeks of feeding, 
as they can easily do where the Multicaulis is used. 
Fifty thousand worms, kept healthy and well fed, will 
make fifteen bushels of cocoons, worth some sixty dol¬ 
lars, independent of the state bounty. 
Such of our readers as are interested in the silk cul¬ 
ture, will rejoice to learn that we are to receive a series 
of articles on this subject, from G. B. Smith, Esq. of 
Baltimore, a gentleman who has probably a more inti¬ 
mate knowledge of the business than almost any other 
individual in the country, the first of which we publish 
this month. 
CULTURE OF SILK. 
Editors of the Cultivator— I am much pleased 
"with your determination to devote a portion of the pages 
of the Cultivator to the culture of silk, and accept 
promptly your invitation to write a series of articles 
containing “ plain, practical directions, such as are ne¬ 
cessary for the multidude of farmers who are just be¬ 
ginning the business in a small way.” I will premise 
that I am preparing a Manual on the Culture of Silk, 
adapted to the every day wants of the same class of peo¬ 
ple, and which shall also be adapted to the most exten¬ 
sive range of business, embracing all the improvements 
recently made in Europe, and all the information I shall 
have been enabled to collect up to the time of publica¬ 
tion. My plan of conveying information on silk culture 
is, to adopt the plainest terms of the English language 
in all I write; the advantage of this is obvious, for 
there are none so learned that they cannot under¬ 
stand the subject in a plain dress, while if written 
in the technological terms of science, none but the 
scientific can profit by it. In the course of the 
series, I will embrace the whole subject of silk 
culture, and will endeavor to say all that can be 
necessary to the production of first rate reeled silk ; 
but, owing to the season of the year when the 
series will commence, it will be necessary to adapt 
each article to the necessities of the season, instead 
of commencing at the beginning of the subject, 
that advantage may be taken for the use of the 
coming season. For this purpose, I will take up 
the queries contained in your letter of the 1st inst. 
1. “The killing of the worm in the cocoon” 
will bear postponement to a later period. I will 
say here now, however, that killing the worm 
(chrysalis) with the vapor of camphor, has been fount! 
a most excellent and economical mode. 2. The best 
kind of worm is undoubtedly the P eanut. As this is the 
proper season for obtaining eggs, I will remark that 
there are two families of silk worms; the one that forms 
oval or egg shaped cocoons, the other that forms peanut 
shaped cocoons. The former has been from time imme¬ 
morial the insect that furnished the silk of the world, 
until within the last ten years. This family has a great 
number of members or varieties. The old fashioned 
sulphur color cocoon is the parent of one branch of the 
family; the old fashioned orange color cocoon, some¬ 
times called the Spanish worm, is the parent of another; 
and the old white cocoon is the parent of a third. Each 
of these families has numerous sub-varieties, and nu¬ 
merous names for each variety. There are the Large 
Sulphur, the Mammoth Sulphur, the Large Brown, the 
Italian Grey, the Two Crop Sulphur, &c. &c. of the first. 
The Orange or Spanish has not met with sufficient favor 
to induce division into varieties, or the invention of new 
names. The third: these are the Mammoth White, the 
Connecticut White, the Two Crop White, &c. The old 
sulphur colored cocoon variety is the best of the whole, 
and the only one of the tribe of egg shaped cocoons that 
can be recommended. The Peanut varieties, named 
from a resemblance of the shape of the cocoon to the 
peanut, (or the fruit of the Arachis hypogcea ,) has two di¬ 
visions, the Large and the Small Peanut; these are di¬ 
vided into varieties. The Large Peanuts have the Mi¬ 
rabel jaune, or Mammoth Nankeen Peanut, the Lina mi- 
rabel, or Mammoth White Peanut. These two I con¬ 
sider the very best of silk worms under all circumstances. 
The silk is very fine, the worms large and robust, 
the cocoons uniformly well constructed and easily reeled, 
and the product fully equal to that of any other at all 
times, and generally much more. The Small Peanuts 
are the common Nankeen and White. They are an ex¬ 
cellent variety, nearly equal to the Large Peanuts in all 
respects, and when the cocoons are to be transported to 
any distance, superior to all others, owing to the small 
size of the cocoon in comparison to the quantity of 
reeled silk they produce. A bushel of the small Peanuts 
will generally contain from 3,500 to 4,500 cocoons, and 
will yield 20 to 22 ounces of reeled silk of the finest and 
best quality. The egg shaped varieties generally re¬ 
quire only from 2,500 to 3,500 cocoons to the bushel, 
and yield from. 12 to 16 ounces of silk to the bushel. 
The difference between the two families consists in the 
loose, flimsy structure of the egg shaped cocoon, and 
the thick, compact structure of the Peanut. The Pea¬ 
nuts are also generally more robust and hardy, and not 
so liable to disease as the egg shaped. The cocoons of 
the Small Peanut do not reel quite so easily as the large 
ones, or as the egg shaped, owing to the firmness of 
their structure. I should always recommend the Pea¬ 
nut, either large or small, in preference to any other 
kind. 
The best kind of mulberry is the Multicaulis, the next 
best the Canton, (called in France the Elata,) the next, 
any of the varieties of the White mulberry. The Mul¬ 
ticaulis must, however, in northern latitudes be planted 
on high, dry, rather poor land, exposed to the north; it 
will not answer if planted on low, rich soils, or at least 
the leaves are subject to become too succulent for the 
worms, and the trees to be injured by winter. I shall 
treat this subject more at large hereafter. 
“The improvement of frames” is now in proper sea¬ 
son, as preparation should now be made for them. The 
best frames I know of are made as follows: take inch 
and a quarter plank, good stuff, saw it into strips an inch 
and a quarter wide; cut these strips into pieces 3 feet 
long; put four of them together, by proper fastenings at 
the corners, into a frame 3 feet square; then take sawed 
laths and set them edgewise, an inch and a half apart, 
in the frame. The best way is to saw into the side of 
the two opposite side pieces of the frame, and make 
grooves one-fourth of an inch deep, just large enough 
for the ends of the laths to fit in; then drive a brad 
through the side piece into the end of the lath, to hold it 
in its’place. This will form a frame three feet square. 
They can be made easily by any man, and where there 
is a steam saw mill or circular saw, the stuff can be got 
sawed very cheaply, and the frame, when done, will not 
cost more than plain board shelves. The supports of 
these frames are made as follows: take inch and a quar¬ 
ter plank, eight inches wide, long enough to reach from 
the floor to the ceiling, and nail upon both sides cleats 
an inch and a quarter wide and thick; (pieces from the 
strips prepared for the frames are proper for the cleats.) 
Place the cleats a little more than an inch and a quarter 
apart, from end to end of the plank, on both sides. Set 
up these supports three feet apart in the clear from 
one end of the room or cocoonery to the other, in 
rows. You can then slide in the frames between any 
two cleats on each side, and place five or six frames be¬ 
tween every two supports. The object of putting cleats 
on the supports from top to bottom, is, that the frames 
may be placed near together or farther apart, at plea¬ 
sure. The supports should be well fastened to the floor 
and to the ceiling. When feeding worms, an extra 
frame,with paper laid on it, may be kept between every 
two feeding frames, for the purpose of catching filth 
that may fall from above. For this purpose, a conside¬ 
rable number of frames should be provided more than 
sufficient to feed worms on. In the course of these 
papers, the use of these frames will be particularly al¬ 
luded to, and this in time for the season. My next 
paper will be more instructive. 
Gideon B. Smith. 
Baltimore, Md., Jan., 1842. 
FEEDING SILK WORMS. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I send you herewith 
a drawing of my cocoonery, (fig. 18,) noticed at p. 167 
of your last vol., together with the description, as given 
in my letters patent. The above cut represents a section 
consisting of one end of my cocoon room. A A is a 
part of the posts or studs. B B is a part of the rafters. 
The feeding frames which are to support the worms 
upon shelves, when first placed there, and which are to 
sustain the trees and branches after the shelves are re¬ 
moved, are suspended from the rafters so as to stand 
about two feet and a half or three feet from the ground. 
C C represent strips of wood nailed to the rafters at their 
upper ends, and to the side timbers. D D, of the feed¬ 
ing frames at their lower ends. These feeding frames I 
have made four feet wide, and eighteen or twenty feet, 
more or less, long, there being an alley or space way 
between them and the sides of the building, of two feet 
six inches, and along the middle of the building an alley 
or space of about five feet between the frames. At 
every eighteen or twenty feet, more or less, I leave a 
space of about five feet across the frames, to allow of 
passing from the middle to the side alleys, and of taking 
a hand cart or other vehicle from place to place. The 
frames D D are made open, consisting only of side and 
end pieces, as they are to receive the shelves and worms 
from the other apartments after the fourth moulting. 
These shelves are to be attached to the under side of the 
feeding frames, by grooves, cleats, and buttons, hooks, 
or other suitable means. The shelves used in the feed¬ 
ing room,where the worms go through their first stages, 
are made of thin boards, say half an inch thick, and are 
capable of being removed in sections with the worms 
upon them, and they must be of such width as to adapt 
them to the frames in the cocoon room. A section of 
these shelves is shown at a a, attached to the under sides 
of the frames D D, by cleats, hooks, or other devices, as 
at 5 b. When the worms have been so disposed of, I 
take strips of wood, say of an inch square and four feet 
and somewhat upwards in length, and place these across 
the frames D D, resting upon their upper edges. These 
may stand a foot or two apart, according to circum¬ 
stances. Upon these I lay the trees and branches, co¬ 
vered with fresh foliage. The worms will soon leave 
the shelf and ascend upon the trees, and when they have 
done so, the shelves are let down, by unhooking or un¬ 
buttoning them, and are removed off of the way. The 
worms have then a perfectly free circulation of air, and 
the litter from them falls unobstructed]y on to the ground, 
and may be swept out at any time. For the convenience 
of doing this, and for perfect ventilation, I let the lower 
board of the sides of my cocoon room constitute shut¬ 
ters, which are hung by hinges or otherwise to the 
boards above them, as at c. I make similar openings in 
my weather boarding, near to the eaves and along the 
whole building, to which I adapt shutters, as at e. d re¬ 
presents an end door. The worms, after feeding upon the 
leaves,will spin their cocoons upon the twigs and branch¬ 
es of the trees, and that in the most perfect and beautiful 
manner; and what is particularly remarkable, they will 
never, when thus accommodated, form double cocoons, 
which so often become sources of loss in the spi nn ing 
upon the kinds of apparatus heretofore employed for 
that purpose. The cocoons have much less floss upon 
them than is usual, and can be very readily gathered 
without injuring them, although they "are so thickly de¬ 
posited that I have gathered fifteen pounds and a half of 
good cocoons upon a space measuring four feet in width 
and five and a half in length. The approach of mice, 
so frequently destructive of the worms and the cocoons. 
