


220 THE INSECT WORLD. 

mulberry tree in Tuscany. In 1440, each Tuscan peasant was 
forced to plant at least five mulberry trees on the land he cul- 
tivated. In 1474, the commerce in silk fabrics with all parts of 
the world had become extremely prosperous at Florence. In 1814, 
the Venetian manufactures began to assume much importance. 
Three thousand workers in silk were then established in Venice. 
Without dwelling longer on the propagation of the silk 
trade in Italy, let us pass on to its. establishment in France. 
Tt was in 1340 that some French gentlemen, who had stayed some 
time in Naples, planted in Avignon the first mulberry trees.” 
According to Olivier de Serres, it was not introduced till much 
later into Dauphiné. It was not introduced into Alan, near Monte- 
limart, till 1495, by the Seigneur Guyape de Saint-Aubain.t 
Louis XI. made great efforts to develop the silk trade in France 
by inviting over Italian workmen, and they began under his 
reign to fabricate silks in Touraine and Lyons. Francis I. greatly 
developed the trade of Lyons. In 1554, under Henry II., the 
masters and men employed in the manufacture of gold, silver, and 
silk in Lyons were twelve thousand in number. Under Henry II. 
were planted the mulberry trees of Bourdeziére, Tours, Chenon- 
ceaux, Toulouse, and Moulins. These plantations, however, were 
of very small extent. They were not the result of a general and 
truly popular effort ; moreover, civil war came very soon, and 
turned men’s minds away from the isolated attempts of some few 
private individuals. Sericiculture, in fact, did not assume any great 
importance in France till the reign of Henry LV. 
This king saw with grief considerable sums of money leaving 
France each year for the purchase of raw silk or of silk stuffs. 
Two men marvellously furthered his project of encouraging the 
silk trade. One of these men was Barthélemy Laffemas, called 
Beausemblant. For a long time, he had been writing memoir 
upon memoir, to demonstrate the advantages to be derived from 
the plantation of the mulberry tree in France; and he tells us 
that silkworms were then raised with success at Nantes, at 
Poissy, and even at Paris. The second supporter whom 
Henry IV. found in the propagation of sericiculture was a 
* De Gasparin, “ Essai sur l’introduction des vers 4 soie en Europe,” p. 70. 
+ “Théatre d’agriculture d’Olivier de Serres,” tom. ii. p. 158. In 8vo. 

