a yy -. | . 7 ¥ ee MAPA wipe LAr k be pe RAS YpoU™~ “Coe Sec HWW UN GUIS US UTES sa tinda ee wae) SUS IAN Pitta 8 € ae oe . f e ‘ ww, Ij Jind) hi vy \» eA w Je : ’ . “ . oes > ~~ += y vy \y twit aa | vy ef NS . ‘ a re wy 2 Pe We ee th a) iy Le = ae es eye vt se oli did UU e ¥ a iy RA CCL a , 2 Ne yu s vi. ey *, ag eewuevnay : ’ ue eSy Lewy \. TE A ne WWW Bee hate SING DAA” 5 SS ee ‘ vee WwW, Prod) Md . DSPs a Ne y | i Ne viiveguivdegadvlh ve Bede nggc aa . ZU ay v v v id AS SUES SU CONS MN wy OO nto S tg IAS SIS as . Ne iy vw Hoyo VOUS ede “ a od he fe eth, URN Wee ww eres ‘ 43 bv dvivniev viii ww IN TAAAAINA ARAM ~— ee aleas 5 Wy AANA InAR AARAAAR { rnnannnnnnnnnn ene PAAR AAAAARAAG On Cp Mao NE AAA va iP meaner Wr AAARRR get a APA Annan — Antena ton ana Aan ‘isiaauibig aiinee aannannnnnnnnnnny ~ enn aanan AeRaaaan TT anh VARNA as | Site eee Cra Ra wey VOQUCSUY eae eu aaT A NAAAAAAAR, ERE IAA RA AAa Aas Anan aah | AAA AAAAAAL RaaAnAR nanan | é Mak ian, | Waa pa Aaianas AAA Pepa An WAYAAAAW AAW ana NAAAAR AA; ws A aiAAARARNARAANAC AAA AAAAAAA PREV 2 ARAARAARAAA ARARAR ARS AAARAAARA ANS SA apy aaA Annee Aan AAA AAP VT, acai if f A Debit seca 4 on BS 4 ioe ah) Oo Mea aes : A’ A AR at anA Ties AA AARaAl AS ARAN AAARARA SR Aaneehnaane A essa ae ; A! ' ARAL eS OR AARARAANAA ~ANANOA ANI AAAAAAN Aan nA aa a AAA ANI eT Lve es Aan : AAah ar PPL. py prt) Pia LA rf oth & A Jam AA IARARAAR AR A” " os Vb PAAR RRe Re sec et 23 Nh PY SULIOM 000'000'S UTB}UOD poo {yoo FT A1048 Js {Fry sor10j8 Og !Fuoy Jay OT Aq OPI ooy Og ‘At9I0000H JO MOTA PUD ‘mBlsuig Diagrams of the forms in which the branches should be laid for feeding the silkworm. CALIFORNIA SILK GROWER’S MANUAL, Owls PREVOST, PIONEER SILK CULTURIST OF THE PACIFIC COAST. WITH TWELVE YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN RAISING THE MULBERRY, AND SIX YEARS IN RAISING THE SILKWORM, SAN FRANCISCO: H. H. BANCROFT AND COMPANY. TOWNE AND BACON, PRINTERS. 1867. — Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty-Six, BY LOUIS PREVOST, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of California. By treusfer JUN 19 1915 CHAPTER. PAGB. PNM aa hccie Phin as 9 8 hie A whasdh essen alban ie Saeee Introduction; Letters, ete. a Fo. Cah ar. acc simaalep tee cs 11 1. Our Climate, its superiority, and its advantages.........148 ge RoR ik MORE ORT i oy e-d-ve eni Wine eye tv 4) ain oe eure bey wen 150 3. History of Silk, its antiquity and commerce.......... 155 4. History of the Silkworm....... getter ence enes aes (8 | Du Se CREW MOLES), 339.0. jaf 178 Mode for Cuttings in Califormia..............ceceee. 181 Plantation of the Mulberry for our California Culture... 184 + y MDEET yes CVERLWRERD. vriise.c's'pc adie tie'e vbecinadiere 188 We .COnsonery, Or Maguaneniey.. + ve s's siuwaes o'eoc tenes 192 Importance. Of & Cocoonery.. si... ccece: sscecedeccns 193 A good Cocoonery is needed on every farm..... eT | 1* VA INDEX. CHAPTER. PAGE. Plan of a California Cocoonery.......2...ecc se --na et 195 11. Silkworms, the different varieties...........cceseceee> 198 12. Modes of Raising Silk in different countries........... 202 Voers Amount 10k: MOOU ss ic Gere.. « ] beneath the first rmgs, and are each covered with a oa? scale. The other ten are flexible and membranous, haying their positions beneath the remaining ring; these ro) i i. >? are called climbers and holders, and are provided with sharp hooks or claws, to aid inclimbng. ‘The head has a horny covering like a scale, the jaws are very strong, 62 THE CALIFORNIA the teeth, sharp, serrated, or indented like a saw, the mouth is vertical and peculiar, and not horizontal, as mm most other beings. ‘Iwo broad objects in its forehead, which might be mistaken for eyes, are but bones of the skull. The eyes are small, fourteen in number, seven on each side of the head, and near the mouth; the organs of respiration are eighteen im number. Equidistant, and situated along the body, are holes, or openings, nine on each side, which serve for breathing. The substance of which the silk is composed is a liquid, transparent gum, of a fine yellow color, and is contained in separate sacks of slender dimensions. Hach of these vessels is about ten inches in length, and wound in the stomach in spiral folds. Near the jaws, two ducts convey the silken fluid; these, uniting in one, serve to compose the silken thread, which is usually from four hundred to twelve hundred feet m length. The eggs of the silkworms are of a dark lilac or slate color. ‘The silkworms are at first black, and extremely small; as they advance in age and size they cast off their outer covering or skin, usually from three to four times, at different periods, according to the variety. These successive changes are called moultings, and the times intervening are termed ages. In a colder temperature the duration of the several periods is prolonged; but in a warm climate, the period or season of the first moulting, which terminates the first age, usually occurs on the fifth or sixth day of its ex- istence; the second on the eighth or ninth day; the SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 163 third on the thirteenth or fourteenth day, and the last on or about the twenty-second day. At each of these eritical periods the silkworm remains in a torpid state, eating little, or absolutely nothing, for a day or more. At the end of about ten days from the last period, or in about thirty-two or thirty-four days from the beginning, the insect, now fully grown, is about three or four inches in length, transparent, of a yellow- - ish white or pearl color. Having now completed their fifth, or last age, they eat no more, but ascend to the leaves or brushwood which are placed for the purpose, and commence the formation of their cocoons, and in the construction of these the insects work busily and incessantly, night and day, during about four days. This labor finished, the insect im the center becomes trans- formed to the chrysalis state. The vitual functions of the silkworm are accelerated _ by warmth, and the time occupied in passing through the various. mutations is hastened, not only by the in- creased temperature, but materially by the degree of attention which is bestowed on the insects. In Madras, according to Dr. Anderson, and where the climate is very warm, the silkworm passes through all its evolu- tions in twenty-two days; here there is a saving of time as well as of labor, but none in regard to food, as it is admitted the silkworms consume the same amount of cocoons, be the term of their life of a longer or shorter duration, ~The cocoon is usually from an inch to an inch and a half in length, of an oval form, the color yellow or ai a — 164 THE CALIFORNIA straw, or pure white, according to the variety. The outer covering 1s like the finest wool, and is called floss. It is easily detached, and bemg removed, the end of a thread is discovered, of extreme fineness. After an interval of from fifteen to twenty days’ repose, the moth ejects from its mouth a liquor which moistens the gum, and dissolves the adhesiveness of the texture of the ball; and by frequent motions of its head, it loosens and forces aside the filaments, without sundering a single silken thread, until it reappears, transformed to a large butterfly, of a greenish white color, with four wings; two eyes, and two black feathery horns or plumes; unshrouded in this its last and perfect form. Both male and female, they come forth to the light of the day, and take no food to the day of their death. The butterflies generally come out of their cocoons between seven and nine o’clock mm the morning. At that time they have to be paired, and in the afternoon at avout five o’clock, they should be separated. In all cases, they must be handled by the wings, with care, soas not to hurt them. Assoon asseparated from the male, the female begins to lay the eges. Hach female is supposed to lay about three hundred, and sometimes more. ‘These eggs firmly adhere to the paper on which they are; and are arranged in a hand- some and circular form. In a few days after its multi- farious labors are ended, the insect dies. The silkworms remain in a chrysalis state a length of time corresponding with the temperature of the climate. SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 165 In England they remain thirty days; m France, twenty- one; in Spain and Italy, eighteen or twenty; in our Middle States, about the same; im California, twelve to fourteen ; and in India, but eleven days. The silkworm, lke other caterpillars, is a cold-blooded insect ; its*temperature is that of the atmosphere in which it breathes. Sudden changes from cold to heat are very injurious, yet it has been found that the silk- worm is capable of enduring a great degree of heat. I have remarked them to be very lively when my ther- mometer was from eighty to one hundred, and some days as high as one hundred and seven. ‘This heat ought to have been maintained as uniformly as possible, yet it was impossible in my garret. Such a degree they must have sometimes endured in their native forests. But when they need more heat, it is at the moment of making their cocoons. If at any time while they are performing this most important labor they are permitted to suffer from cold, they cease from their labors, and remain inactive, or move but slowly, as may be discovered while the cocoons are yet transparent. It has been proved, on dissection of the silkworms which thus suffer and become torpid through cold, that the glutinous matter in their silk reservoirs had become so congealed and tenacious from cold, as to resemble strong tendons, which sufficiently accounted for the inability of the insect to draw forth the silken filament ; yet no sooner is the temperature increased, than they will resume their labors with increased activity ; but will again desist, if exposed again to cold. If neg- R* 166 THE CALIFORNIA lected at this critical period, they assume in due time the chrysalis form, but for want of sufficient strength leave incomplete their silken tomb. Many persons have erroneously imagined that light is injurious to the silkworm; but the very reverse of a belief so contrary to nature, is evidently true. In its native state, it is of course habituated to the most per- fect ight; mdeed, a due proportion of the reviving light of day has been found essentially necessary to its perfect health. In the perfect light of day, when the sun shines, the leaves of the mulberry and other trees inhale vital air, or that pure, etherial substance, which by being inhaled, gives life and heat to the animal sys- tem; while in the darkness, they evolve mephitic air, which is destructive and incapable of affording nourish- ment. Although the silkworm will endure a great degree of heat, yet when this heat is combined with excessive moisture, the effect appears to be at least as deleterious to the insect as mephitic air. If a silkworm be con- fined in a close vessel, surcharged with moisture and heated to eighty-eight or nimety degrees, it will soon reject food and show strong symptoms of distress ; the muscles will soften, and evaporation will become obstructed ; the power of contraction, which resides in the skin, and which governs the secretions, which are indispensably necessary to its existence, will cease, and it will shortly perish; while a warm-blooded animal, if sufficiently supplied with pure atmospheric air, will endure an equal degree of heat, combined with an SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 167 equal degree of moisture with but little inconvenience. But if a silkworm be introduced into a jar charged with carbonic acid gas, which would cause a bird or any other warm-blooded animal to die instantly, although the worm will soon exhibit signs of sufiering, yet 16 will live from ten to twenty minutes; and on being with- drawn from the receiver, in due time it will exhibit no signs of injury, but be apparently as healthy as before. Some have supposed that noise disconcerts them ; but this appears to be a mistake, or at least not suffi- ciently proved: on the contrary, the experiments of the Abbé Rosier, in France, tend to show that it does not trouble them at all. CHAPTER V. THE MULBERRY—(Morus). The Mulberry, or Morus of the botanists, is a genus comprising many species. It derives its name from mor ; in celtic, black. Its origin has been assigned to China, but several species have been found growing in the wild state in America. , It was cultivated at a very early period of time, in western Asia, and in Europe ; but at first only for its fruit. This is a berry of a roundish and oblong form ; in color varying from white to red and black ; its pulp envelops numerous small seeds. i he ae a ee A es i) in i i ee Oe aimee tienen ieee ume aaa tame teeta pene 168 THE CALIFORNIA Most of the varieties of the mulberry are esteemed dessert fruit. When perfectly mature, they are grate- . ful to the taste, and very wholesome. ‘The syrup 1s useful in mitigating inflammation of the heart ; the juice, when perfectly fermented, affords a pleasant vinous wine; mixed with apples, it makes a delicious beverage called mulberry cider, of a deep red color, like port wine. The wood of the mulberry is compact, elastic, and hard, and susceptible of a fine polish ; it is, therefore, sought after by the upholsterer, the carver, and the turner. The strength of the timber renders it valuable to the joiner, and also for building boats; its power of resisting the action of the water, has been compared to that of the oak. The roots of the mulberry tree are of a yellow color and strike downwards, and the tree is extremely long- lived. Mr. De Saint Fond saw, in 1802, one of the original or parent trees of all the white mulberry trees of France, which the followers of Charles VIII had brought from Italy, on his invasion of that country im 1494. Mr. Lachaux has caused this tree to be encom- passed by a wall, to evince his respect and veneration, and to serve as a monument to a tree so inestimable. Whoever would enter extensively and at once on the cultivation of silk, let him first of all bestow his atten- tion on the culture of the abundant supplies of food ; this principal and essential food bemg no other than the material leaves of the various species of the mulberry tree. Not every kind, however, is equally suitable. SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 169 Linnzeus has enumerated seven species of those which were known in his day; and among these there are two species, the Zinctoria and Indica, which are not used as the food of the silkworm. ‘Those most esteemed and known are the Morus Alba, or white mulberry, the Morus Multicaulis or Chinese mulberry and the Morus Moretti. I will, then, describe only these three varie- ties, as being the best. The nourishment which is contaimed in the mulberry leaf is not completely developed till the leaf is fully grown. According to the analysis of Count Dandolo, the leaf contains: Ist, the fibrous substance ; 2d, the color- ing matter; 3d, water; 4th, the saccharine substance ; oth, the resinous substance. The saccharine substance is that which nourishes the insect, augmenting its growth and size; the resinous, that which ‘ separating itself gradually from the leaf, and attracted by the ani- mal organization, accumulates, cleans itself, and insensi- bly fills the two reservoirs or silk vessels.”” The propor- tion of this nutriment depends upon the variety of the mulberry, the age, the soil, and the moisture or dryness of the season. Now, I will describe the three best varieties of mulberry trees for silk raising. First, Morus Mutticauis, or Chinese mulberry, or also many-stalked mulberry. The tree grows vigorous, upright, and beautiful; the leaves, large, soft, and tender, are petiolate, cordate, accumissate, serrated towards the summit, marked with nerves, always entire. Their upper surface 1s convex or curled, of a deep and beautiful shining green. The aA THE CALIFORNIA form and dimensions of the leaf vary in different soils ; in a dry and arid soil, they are of a diminished size ; their form elliptical, and without the heart-shaped indent- ation at the base; their breadth being six inches, and their length eight; but in a light, rich, and friable soil, the produce of the foliage is most abundant ; the leaves large and cordiform, measuring often more than a foot in breadth and fifteen inches in length. That variety is sometimes called the Perrotet Mul- berry, in honor of Mr. Perrotet, agricultural botanist and traveler of the marine and colonies of France, who has introduced this plant into Europe. Mr. Perrotet has been sent out by the Government of France on a voyage of botanical research, a national ship having been provided especially for his use. ‘This tree was first discovered by him at Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands, whither it had been brought by the Chinese from China, as a tree of ornament as well as of usefulness. The Chinese are justly entitled to the credit of its introduction hither. From Manila the morus multicaulis was first introduced by Mr. Perrotet to the Isle of Bourbon, and from thence into Cayenne ; and, finally, it was brought by him to France in 1821. The morus multicaulis differs from all others in the uncommon vigor of its growth, and the property which the roots possess of throwing up numerous flexible stalks, the great length which these stalks acquire in a short space of time, and the facility with which it is propa- gated from layers and cuttings; also from the remark- able size which the thin, soft, and tender leaves speedily SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 171 acquire, and the promptitude with which they are re- newed. The fruit is long, black, and of good flavor. This mulberry should be cultivated low in rows, and never suffered to rise high. A few years will be sufficient to © raise considerable fields of it in full vigor in California, sufficient to support an immense quantity of silkworms. Second, Morus ALBA, or white mulberry, a native of China, but for centuries naturalized in Italy, and there- fore also called the Jtalica. This tree is of rapid growth, and extensively known for the uses of its leaf as the food of silkworms. ‘The leaves are pointed, cor- date, serrate, entire, or lobed, but vary in the different sub-varieties, sometimes even in the same tree, in dif ferent ages, being at times lobed, when young, but when old, entire; and very often they are entire and lobed on the same tree at the same time. The bark of the wood is of an ash color. The fruit is white, roundish, oblong, of an insipid taste. The tree, as before noted, is valuable for its timber, and exceed- ingly long-lived. In cold climates it grows slowly, yet its growth is more rapid, and it comes into leaf earlier than the morus nigra, and is not, like that variety, in- commoded by a profusion of fruit; and although the black mulberry is preferred in Persia, Count Dandolo affirms that the white mulberry was found to produce the finest silk of the kind known in Italy. It is also af- firmed, that if the leaves of this species, and those of the rubra and nigra, be presented to the insect at the same time, it will eat first the white, next of the red, and last —- a ee LL Oo = £5 a 172 THE CALIFORNIA of all, the black. In Malta, the white mulberry grows much more rapidly than in Italy ; but, in India, where the mulberry tree is an evergreen, its growth isso rapid that large quantities are sown and mown inthe same | season, and from these, sprouts are again produced for | a second brood of silkworms. Varieties are known in | silk countries which are produced from the white mul- | | | berry, and are only to be extended by layers or cut- tings. The bark, according to Rosier, may be conyerted into linen of the fineness of silk. For this purpose, the young wood is gathered in autumn, during the ascent of the second sap, and immersed for three or four days in still water ; it is then taken out at sunset, spread on the grass, and returned to the water at sunrise; and this being daily repeated, it is finally prepared and spunlike | flax. By-a letter that I have received lately from one of the great silk growers in France, I see that the white _ mulberry continues to have the preference over all other varieties, and is now extensively cultivated there. Third, Morus Moretti. This new and valuable variety of mulberry was first discovered about the year 1815, by Mr. Moretti, Professor in the University of Pavia ; and from a single young tree, he had, in 1826, multi- plied them to 120,000. 'The leaf is ovate, sharp pointed, entire, cordate at the base; it is thin, smooth on the under and especially on the upper surface, which is of | a beautiful and rather deep shining green; it is not so thick as that of the large white mulberry, called, in SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. ite France, the admirable, and it is thinner than those of the Spanish mulberry, morus nigra. It is neither wrinkled nor plaited, is, in general, ten inches wide and twelve inches long. ‘The fruit, which is at the first vio- let, becomes at maturity perfectly black, but is some- times white. This mulberry will be most profitably cul- tivated in the form of a hedge, and from the remarka- ble size of its leaves they are gathered with the greatest facility. Their superior quality has been proved by the experiments of Mr. Gera and Count Dandolo, who assert that “ they produce silk of a more beautiful gloss and finer quality than common silk.” It is well established that the morus alba is the vari- ety cultivated for silk nearly everywhere, and is gener- ally considered as producing the best silk ; but after my own observation, my opinion is that the morette will be the very best variety for California, for many reasons. First, I remarked it to be a very vigorous and strong grower, wherever I have met it in the State ; it is also more hardy than others. Second, as it is an improved variety of the alba, it is very easy to understand why it produces silk of a superior gloss. Third, because one of its large, thick, substantial leaves contains as much food as a half dozen of the others, and, consequently, the whole tree produces more in proportion. Fourth, the thickness of its leaves is the cause that they do not wilt so fast, and keep fresh a longer’ time, and they af- ford the worms plenty of time to eat the whole. ‘This last point ought to be taken into consideration under the influence of our dry atmosphere. All the above quali- ———<- - <<. — ae ae —- 174 THE CALIFORNIA ties of that fine variety will certaimly be appreciated by our silk growers, and I should not be surprised to see it, in a short time, very extensively cultivated through- out California. This, and the alba, and also the multicaulis, are the principal varieties that we should cultivate for silk in California, because it is fully demonstrated and known - that they produce the best quality of silk; and, besides that important point, there is another. We are satisfied that these three varieties thrive most luxuriantly in our silk State, as I have been able to ascertain in different parts of the State, in my travelings for the silk cause. CHAPTER VI. THE SOIL. Without fear of bemg contradicted, I think that I can say here, that in California we possess, not only one of the best, but the very best soil for the mulberry tree. For my part, | never before saw mulberry trees with such a growth as they have in California. In regard . to soil, in one of my letters to the ‘ California Farmer ”’ I wrote thus: “To all who are about to start in that rich industry I desire to say for their benefit, that the most amportant point to begin with, is the selection of the soil for the mulberry. It is a fact, that it grows almost anywhere SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. C75 in California, but, more or less, a deep, rich, light, loamy soil is needed. In such a soil, we can obtain as much food from one acre as from two or three of other soils. In that mulberry soil, trees seven years old measure from two to three feet in circumference ; shoots one year old are from ten to twelve feet long, and we have any amount in all the valleys of California. I have remarked a great quantity of it in our beautiful and healthy valley of San José, but have observed it more generally in the Sacramento Valley. We can say that we have hundreds of thousands of acres of such soil in California. The quantity of silk that we can pro- duce is incalculable ; we could supply the whole world with the article.”’ But I do not mean by the above to impress on any- body that valley land is alone suitable for the mulberry, as I have observed along our foothills, and even on the hills, very fine mulberry soil; and I would also recom- mend to those who have plantations there, to select al- ways the soil, and give it a deep plowing, and plant early. In Europe, it is on the hills that they generally ob- tain their best silk, but they have rain there often, which stimulates the growth of their mulberry trees planted in the mountains ; and it is very easy to understand why the silk from the mountains is better than that produced in the valleys. But by doing, in regard to mountain soil, as I have said before, I have no doubt that we will succeed, and I will earnestly recommend it to be tried. In case of success, we shall certainly obtain there a very Te. ae ee ee” = SS lll Sn Sa. A SS ae | « ee —_— + >». Tai. OSL” ae 176 THE CALIFORNIA superior article. Sunny exposures on the declivities of hills must be preferred ; those especially which slope to the south and east are the most favorable. The cocoons of mountainous countries are deemed superior to those of the plains; although not so large, they are usually of a whiter color. ‘Trees planted in the hills are neither exposed to suffer from the early and later frosts, nor are the leaves liable to become spotted or diseased from mildew. One of the principal things we must have in view to succeed well, is the preparation of the soil in which to plant our trees. The soil, before planting, must be thoroughly and deeply cultivated, because the roots of the mulberry tree strike downward, and consequently need a deep plowing. But, in regard to the preparation of the soil in Cali- fornia, there is nothmg better than the admirable ad- dress of G. N. Sweezey, Hsq., delivered before the Northern District Agricultural Society at Marysville, on the 4th of September last. I cut from the “ California Farmer”’ the following paragraph : “‘ Having built my house and out buildings and done my fencing, or before, if not prepared to fence, I would in the month of March or first of April, with suitable teams, proceed to fallow the lands I designed for my orchard, vineyard, shade trees, grain, and pastures, at least so much as 1 could conveniently put in the fol- - lowing fall and spring. In ploughing these lands for fal- lows I should run the plough to the beam of subsoil, which would be the best. The deeper these lands are SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 177 ploughed the more productive they will be, and the greater amount of moisture they will retam. Here, you will find, is the great secret in treating and culti- vating these dry lands. . They must be ploughed deep and rendered loose and friable in order to retain mois- ture. If allowed to harden and bake and crack, the evaporation passes off as does that from water poured upon a heap of bricks; but if the soil is well pulverized, it will hold moisture like a sponge, and retard and re- tain the evaporation constantly passing upwards, and what is more, will allow the tender roots and fibers to permeate the soil m every direction, licking up the moisture, and to penetrate down to where the soil is damp and cool. At the same time I am ploughing my fallow I would procure my grapes and other cuttings, preparatory to rooting them for the next spring’s plant- ing. I will have to prepare these myself, for if I pur- chase nursery plants as now prepared, my labor will be in vain, as the ground to be planted will be dry before they have commenced sprouting deeper down than such plants can be set. These plants I will make from twenty-four to thirty inches long, and will put them out in nursery rows, laying them almost horizontally in the soil, so that the end designed to root shall not be more than six inches under ground, while the other end protrudes not over two buds. - In this way I shall ob- tain a long plant, when rooted, which I should not do if they were placed perpendicularly in any soil adapted for nursery purposes, as such soil is cold and wet ata Se + . . 178 THE CALIFORNIA small depth below, and would consequently rot the cuttings within six or eight inches of the surface.” That address is a very important document, and every farmer ought to have it. But I only put here simply what concerns the preparation of the soil, as it com- pletely suits my views; because mulberry trees will certainly do pretty well in a soil prepared as above. I think I have said enough to make every one under- stand that the soil in which you intend to plant your mulberry trees must be well and deeply cultivated, as by all I know and what I have seen, deep ploughing is indispensable in California, i order to retain a proper moisture through our dry season. It is the cheapest way, as it saves you the labor of irrigating, and is ten times preferable. CHAPTER VIL. MULBERRY CULTURE. The mulberry tree is propagated by seeds, by cut- tings or slips, by layers, and in Europe also sometimes by grafting; but I think that we have no need of grafting in California, where the mulberry is so easy to grow, easier even than the willow. First, By srnuDS. The seeds are obtained by washing the bruised pulp of thoroughly ripened fruit. The trees that are left for that purpose must be shaken every day ; SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 179 the fruit is mashed in a tub with water till thoroughly Incorporated, and the mass, being largely diluted, is poured off, its place beimg supplied by new quantities, till the water comes off clear and the seed perfectly clean. It is then dried on cloths in the shade, and when perfectly dry, it is preserved and kept in a dry, cool place. Good mulberry seed will sink to the bottom after steeping a short time in water, and one ounce will usu- ally produce from eight to ten thousand plants. Pre- vious to sowing, the seeds should be soaked twenty- four hours in tepid water, then mixed with fine, moist sand, and exposed to a moderately warm temperature, and sown as soon as they commence to germinate. Take the mixture (seed and sand) and sow them im- mediately in well-prepared, fine soil, kept free from weeds. They do better in drills, and are easier to take care of. ‘The rows should be from two to three feet asunder, and the seed planted at an average distance of about half an inch. Cover them but half an inch deep ; press the earth a little, so that it may retain sufficient moisture at its surface. The best time for sowing will vary much in California according to the locality; the farmer will have to ex- ercise his own judgment about it, because we have many places where there is frost, and plenty others where there is none. It must be borne in mind that when young trees begin to spring out through the earth they are very tender, and the least frost would kill them. eae eh. 180 THE CALIFORNIA Then I would advise those that are in a locality where there is no frost, to sow some time in January or begin- ning of February, so that the young trees may be ben- efited by the rains; they will then make a fine growth through the season. And to those who live in a locality subject to frost, ] would say: sow in the spring when the frost is over; but it will then require close attention to keep your rows sufficiently sprinkled till they are a few inches high; but as January. and February are the best months in which to sow the seed in order to have good trees through the season, it can be done in our frosty localities. But now that you know the danger, you understand very well that 1t 1s necessary to pro- tect the young plants coming out against the frost. We have such light frosts here, in this country, that they are only dangerous for very young seedling trees at the time they are coming out and very tender, be- cause when they are five or six inches high, the frost never injures the trees any more. When your young trees are coming out, you must hoe with care between the rows and weed carefully during summer; thin them out where needed, and, if your seedlings have been well taken care of, you will have in the fall fine young trees that you can transplant where they are to grow. Second, By curTines. This is the best and surest way to propagate the mulberry, because they are not subject here to be injured by frost, or hot sun, or any- thing else. In this way you can propagate more largely the best varieties of mulberry, whereas by seed you SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 181 cannot, as they vary very much, and from twenty you can hardly find two that look alike. As to the old way of making cuttings and planting them, every one knows; but in this part of the culture, as in all the rest, we have to work according to the locality we are in and the climate we are under. The old way of making cuttings, with one-third sticking out above the ground, I consider very bad under our dry atmosphere, to which tops are exposed. ‘The action of that dry atmosphere and of our burning sun dries them and kills a great many, as the cutting is simply a piece of wood with no roots to supply it with moisture. For the benefit of all, I will here note the result of my observations on that subject. Have your cuttings about six or eight inches long, the tops cut near one eye or bud; plant deep enough to have the top covered about half an inch. This is sufficient to prevent the action of the sun, etc., and in this way you will have them all grow, if planted in a proper soil; that soil I have de- scribed before. You must not forget that for the cut- tings also the soil must be well prepared. Now, at the beginning of the silk culture, what do we need? Plenty of mulberry trees. My new and simple way of planting cuttings (I may say, according to our climate) will greatly help to secure that result ; and I hope that it will give a great impulse to the mul- berry culture, as we can propagate it fast without any trouble. Another advantage of propagating the mulberry by cuttings is, that it is a stronger grower, and, conse- 9 182 THE CALIFORNIA quently, will allow to begin to feed from them the first year, and thus pay for their cost. If you plant your cuttings in a nursery to be trans- planted the year after, the rows must be from three to four feet asunder, and the cuttings in the rows six or eight inches apart. But m a good mulberry soil, in selecting the best cuttings and planting them, as I say above, I think that there would be no danger to plant them at once where they have to grow. Yet, im what- ever way, you must take care of your cuttings, not allow the weeds to grow, pass the cultivator between the rows, and hoe carefully, remembering that the cuttings must not be touched before they have good roots, because if you hit them any way, you break the young and very tender roots and prevent them from growing. Keep the surface of the ground loose by working it, and it will retain a sufficient moisture; but in some localities and soils, if it is too dry, give them water. Your care and attention will be well compensated by the good growth of your cuttings. Third, By LAYERS. According to our California cul- ture, the trees have to be cut only a few inches from the ground to make them branch out more freely ; this will greatly favor the propagation by layers. I have observed that the mulberry tree is easier to grow from layers than many other trees; then it does not require so much trouble or work for the bending of the branches. I would recommend simply to do thus: have your branches all round the trees you wish to propagate, laid out horizontally, covered about two inches deep, their SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 183 extreme ends only being left out; many branches will require a hook to keep them down to their places. After the branch is covered with fresh earth, pressed “down to it, the operation is done. The result of having young layers fixed im this man- ner, will be that nearly every eye will produce a tree, with plenty of roots, if they are in a good mulberry soil, and kept with sufficient moisture. I would recom- mend to have that operation done early, say in Febru- ary, although it could be done after that time. In the following fall you take them up, and with your prun- ing shears separate the trees, and you will be aston- ished at the quantity produced in that way; then we will soon have enough mulberry trees to plant the State all over, by these different modes of propagating. Kverything considered, it is my opinion that we have no other tree so easily propagated in California as the mulberry. Then we have no reason to look for any substitute, as it is well established and demonstrated that it is the very best and most natural food of the silkworm ; besides, the fact is also well demonstrated by nature, as no insect can live upon its leaves, but the silkworm. = i el 184 THE CALIFORNIA CHAPTER VIII. PLANTATION OF THE MULBERRY, ACCORDING TO OUR CALIFORNIA SILK CULTURE. | Before thinking to raise any silkworms, we have first to plant the mulberry. I have shown before what soil must be selected to plant it; and how to prepare that soil, and also the different modes of propagating it; and in this last part I add the results of my obser- vations in California, by which we can come in a very short time to have mulberry trees enough in California to cover the whole State. The mulberry tree is, of course, but little known in this country, so recent is the awakened interest in its culture ; but it will certainly prove to us a source of great wealth, and it should receive the attention that it merits. It will add another, and decidedly the great- est and most valuable staple to our agriculture, the true source of wealth to any country—a staple that will conduce more to the happiness and comfort of our whole country than any other. And I can say here, that there is not another staple that offers such general advantages, and could contribute so largely to enrich the country, as the culture of the mulberry tree, and the raising of silk. But as I have said before in some of my letters, everything miust be cultivated in its proper place; and as California has been designed by nature for that rich culture, let us then cultivate it all over the State. SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 185 We already have our cotton States, why not have also our silk States ?—because any other State which possesses a climate similar to ours, is convenient for silk culture, and our simplified California silk culture could apply to it. But I think that it is very difficult to find another place so wonderful, and so particularly adapted for silk culture, as California. Here we seem to have everything in our favor—the best climate for the silkworms, and the very best soil to cultivate and raise the mulberry, which furnishes here an abundance of that precious and healthy food that they need : all these ad- vantages, I think, cannot be surpassed in any country. It is the superiority of our climate that allowed me to simplify the work, and reduce it considerably. I will show at the chapter on the worms how and why that culture will have to be adopted here, under the in- fluence of our dry atmosphere, besides the great advan- tage it has of reducing the work, which 1s most import- ant. In other silk countries, not so well favored as Cali- fornia, the climate forces them to feed their worms with leaves only ; while here in California, I am feeding with branches, and the worms are doing better that way than when fed with leaves only, which I will demonstrate in its proper place. But we must have our trees planted in view of our California silk culture, in order to facili- tate the gathering of the branches. 186 THE CALIFORNIA HOW TO PLANT. The ground bemg prepared, as I have said before, take your plants that you have grown from seeds, or cuttings, or layers, and plant them. Here in California, according to. your locality and soil, I would recommend that the rows be from ten to twelve feet apart; but in the rows I would put them double, or from five to six feet. Hvery six rows, I would make the distance be- tween the rows six or eight feet wider, because it is necessary to leave room enough to pass with your wagon to load your branches in; because, if you had to run too far it would be a loss of time, and it is to your ad- vantage to plant in such a way as to render the work easier and quicker. For our California culture, it is necessary in planting to have your trees cut at about three or four inches above the level of the ground, because they must be kept low, so as to render the gathering of the branches easy ; and another advantage of keeping them very low is, that they produce more branches, and consequently more food. For the gathering of the branches you must have good pruning shears, as they are the best for that work to do it well and quickly. In gathering your branches, I wish to call your attention to a very important point, and that is, if you cut all the branches at the time of feeding, the effect will be to stop the sap, which is fur- nished by the roots, and ruin your trees, that, under such a treatment, would hardly live two years ; and you SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 187 know now, that the mulberry tree is a long-lived tree, often continuing healthy several hundred years. But it is very easy to avoid injuring the trees, in gathering the branches, by proceeding thus: the first time, with your pruning shears, you cut only about one- third of the branches of your trees, removing always the largest branches, and cutting each time only what you need for your worms and no more, as they should have fresh food every time. You proceed. in that manner every day, in cutting only about one-third ; and when you have been through all your trees, you come back and begin again where you first began, and cut again another third in the same manner ; and doing so, by the number of young branches left on your trees, the sap continues to run up, and your trees do not suffer from the gathering of some of their branches. Low Mulberry Tree Plantations, therefore, in their formation, is the mode which I shall recommend for general adoption in California, for the following reasons : First, it is necessary for our mode of feeding in Cali- fornia, as it renders easy the gathering of the branches. Second, they arrive to a state of productiveness with comparatively little expense of time and tillage. Third, sufficient sun and air are admitted to the tree to render the leaves of the first quality, and to enable them to put forth early. Fourth, the ground is more suddenly and completely filled and occupied-than by planting stand- ards. Fifth, they are easier to be managed and con- trolled. Sixth, the produce of leaves, on the same 188 THE CALIFORNIA quantity of land, is more than double, than from stand- ard trees in their best state, when the labor is much les- sened. Seventh, women and children can gather the food with perfect convenience from low trees, which they cannot so easily do at all from large trees. Rosier and other modern writers of France, particu- larly recommend this mode in preference to all others. John P. Cushing, Hsq., of Belmont, in Watertown, a gentleman who has resided many years in China, has stated that the most approved mode of cultivating the mulberries, as practiced in that country, consists in keeping them low by annual prunings, like plantations of raspberries. ‘The same mode, according to Mr. Lou- don, and also Mr. Bonafoux, is practiced in India. This system of keeping the trees low is certainly the best, and the only one we can follow with advantage for our California silk culture. CHAPTER IX. MULBERRY TREES EVERYWHERE. ~- The mulberry tree is the dest, the most useful, and, consequently, the most valuable of all the trees known ; more particularly in California, where it grows so easily and so rapidly. I will try to demonstrate here, and show how and why we ought to plant it everywhere, in ik ie ea SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 189 showing its merits and superiority over all the rest, by enumerating a few facts. ist. Because it is the easiest tree to propagate, and, as it grows so rapidly in California, it will be the cheap- est. 2nd. Because most of the varieties of the mulberry are esteemed dessert fruits when perfectly mature. 3rd. Because the syrup made from its fruit 1s very useful in mitigating inflammation of the throat. 4th. Because, also, when the fermented juice of its fruit is mixed with apples it affords a delicious beverage called mulberry cider, of a deep red color like port wine. The black mulberry is the best variety for that purpose. oth. The juice of its fermented fruits produces a pleasant, vinous wine by itself alone. 6th. It ought to be planted also for the value of its wood, which is compact, elastic, and hard, and suscep- tible of a fine polish; it is therefore very useful to the upholsterer, the carver, and the turner. Tth. The great strength of the timber renders it very valuable for the jomers generally. 8th. The quality of its timber makes it also very valu- able for the building of boats, its power of resisting the action of the water being equal to oak. “9th. One, also, of its merits is, that the tree is long- lived: it 1s fully demonstrated that it lives several hun- dred years. 10th. Its bark can be converted into linen of the fine- ness of silk. I have in hand some of that kind of silk, Q* 190 THE CALIFORNIA produced from the bark; it looks as fine, and as good and strong as the floss silk from the cocoons. 11th. It is very valuable for feedmg milch cows. Every one has seen in our principal papers, under the _ heading of mulberry for forage, that “a German farmer of Ohio, during the late season of drought, cut down a number of black mulberry trees for his cows, and was surprised to find that they gave more and richer milk than when fed on grass; the butter had a peculiarly pleasant flavor. In California this fact may be of great value ; the tree, by growing deep into the earth, reaches more moisture, and can resist drought better than grass, and the dairyman would thus be enabled to provide green forage the year round, even from dry soil.”” Many farmers were ruined by the loss of their cattle, not long azo, when we had been two years without rain, and then if we had mulberry trees planted everywhere, we could have saved those thousands of thousands of cattle that perished from hunger. Let us begin, then, to plant everywhere, and such a calamity will never occur again. 12th. As an ornamental tree it ought to be planted everywhere, because there is none that can be compared to it. We are planting in California a great quantity of ugly and common trees, that are good for nothing, and that are called ornamental trees, when they really orna- ment nothing at all, and which are certainly very far from being as fine looking and ornamental as the mul- berry tree. Some of these common trees, mstead of — being ornamental, I consider a real and regular nwz- sance. Such is the cotlonwood tree, that we find planted AWE RE i SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 191 in many of our cities to ornament their streets, and, in- stead of that, renders them dirty, and everything in ‘their neighborhood. Then it would be certainly hun- dreds of times better to cut down immediately all these dirty trees, and plant mulberry trees in their place, and then only, we will have fine-looking, ornamental, and clean trees to look at; as on the others, myriads of in- sects live upon their leaves, while with the mulberry tree, no insect can live upon its leaves but the silkworm. 13th. Asthe mulberry produces alsoa quantity of fruit that the birds are fond of, this 1s another reason why they should be planted everywhere, around the gardens, farms, and particularly orchards, as a protection to other fruits. The damage done by birds to fruits generally, and particularly to cherries, is well known by all. This damage will be greatly reduced, because the quantity of fruit they eat from the mulberry they will not have to eat elsewhere. - 14th. Another reason again, why all the farmers ought to plant it everywhere around their premises 1s, as I have said before, because the trees produce a large quantity of fruit, that keeps falling off the trees for a long time. ‘The hens and other fowls generally like it, and devour it, and it is considered a good and whole- some food for them, and the same for other animals about the farm; in fact, their fruit is perfectly wholesome in every respect. This point ought to be taken into con- sideration by our farmers, and make them understand that it is for their interests to quit ne trees that are good for nothing. 192 THE CALIFORNIA 15th. Even one of the above facts is enough to prove that 16 1s a useful tree; but all these facts together are more than sufficient to persuade any reasoning person that the mulberry tree ought to be planted everywhere in California: but it is not all, and we come now to the most important point. Besides the above facts in its favor, it is the tree that produces that wholesome food for the insect that produces the sz/k, which 1s the finest and richest of all fabrics, and which has made so many countries rich ; and as California is found to be so favor- able to that culture, we will certainly be the first and most important sk State of the Union. Now, I have said, at the beginning of that chapter, that the mulberry tree is the best, the most useful and valuable of all the trees known. Iam in hope that all my readers will now agree with me that it is the truth, as I think it would be very difficult to find another tree of such importance. Now, we will leave the mulberry tree for the silk- worms. CHAPTER X. COCOONERY, OR MAGUANERIE BUILDING, TO RAISE THE SILKWORMS IN. ~ Since 1860 I have been raising silk in California, but never had the means to have a cocoonery. I have been SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 193 obliged to raise the first silk in a greenhouse, having no other room that I could use. A greenhouse is a very bad place for using the worms, because there 1s a suffo- cating heat during the day, and it is very cold at night. I have been raising them that way for four years; and since, two years in the garret of my new house, which is not a good place either,as I am not able to give them air enough there ; but, however, it is better than the greenhouse. In both places, I have succeeded in rais- ing them without any sign of disease, which shows the superiority of our climate, because, in many other silk countries, under such circumstances, they would not have been able to raise any. But, besides that, I have given worms and sent silkworms’ eggs to different per- sons in the State, with a few verbal, and sometimes a few lines of instruction in a letter, and they have alj succeeded in raising the silk; and persons that have never done it before, some of them, have raised their silkworms in their bedroom, some in their kitchen, others in different rooms, or rather a shed. All this certainly demonstrates fully, that under our fine silk climate, silk- worms can be raised in any room, and almost every- where in California. IMPORTANCE OF A COCOONERY. For any one that wishes to make a profitable business of it, a good cocoonery is indispensable ; because, although the climate allows us here to raise silkworms in almost any way, it is, however, well established and known, that the silkworms need plenty of air, room, 194 THE CALIFORNIA and particularly a temperature as regular as possible. All these points cannot be attained without a good cocoonery, built with special reference to them. In a good cocoonery we are certain of obtaining more silk from the same number of cocoons, and the silk finer, and of superior quality, besides rendering the feeding of the worms easze7, and consequently it can be done with less trouble and work. A good cocoonery has also the advantage of pro- tecting the silkworms against their natural enemies, which are the bzrd, principally, and all the poultry, rats, mice and ants. A GOOD COCOONERY IS NEEDED ON EVERY FARM. I wish to show and impress upon every reasoning person, that a good cocoonery is indispensable on every farm, and that such a buildmg would be of great benefit to each farmer, not only for the raising of silkworms, but also for other products, because at the feeding time, which isin June and July, you have no need of the building to store anything in, and during all the balance of the year that building can be used to store all the grain, hay, corn, or any other products that need to be protected against the inclemency of the weather, or the depredations of cattle, squirrels, gophers, rats, mice, etc., etc. It is evident that for the storage of all this only, such a building ought to exist on every farm; and the saving of the crops will certamly more than compensate the farmer for the erection of it, because they can build it small or large, according to SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 195 the size of the farm and the business carried on, or intended to be. But, as it would not cost any more, it should be necessary to have the interior of that buildmg arranged in view of using it for storage and silkworms, and that is very simple. Only have all the posts for the shelves of a regular size and length, kept together by means of wooden pins or screws, all also of the same size, or any other way that you may find better ; but remember that they must be arranged in such a way as to make it very easy to put them together and to take them apart. Then, after you put them up, when you want to feed your silkworms, and after the feeding and cleaning is done, in a few hours’ work you can take the whole thing apart, and have them piled in one or more corners of the building, as you find it most convenient ; and then you have the whole room ready for your storage, or anything else. Many farmers have to pay storage for their grain ; but the moment they have a cocoonery, they will save that much, besides the other advantages. PLAN OF A CALIFORNIA COCOONERY. As our fine silk climate enabled me to simplify the culture of silk, and our California silk culture is different from that of other countries, we also need a California _cocoonery to suit our culture, and also different from the others. I would then suggest or propose the annexed plan : The building is fifty feet wide by one hundred feet long, and is two stories high; the walls to be brick, but 196 THE CALIFORNIA hollow, according to Mr. Goodrich’s patented system. These are my reasons for recommending hollow walls: First, they are nearly one-third cheaper, as only two bricks are needed instead of three. Second, it is more healthy for the worms. TZ'hird, and the principal, it has a more even temperature, which is exceedingly favorable to silkworms. It is necessary for a compiete success that we do all we can to have in our cocoonery a temperature as regular as possible. About eight windows will be needed on each side of the first, and also of the second story. SHELVES, POSTS, ETC. The posts to support the shelves ought to be from three to four inches in diameter and eight feet apart ; the cross pieces to support the boards about one inch and a half thick by three inches wide, and, of course, just eight feet long. We can use inch boards sixteen feet long, the cross pieces being eight feet apart, the board will be sup- ported in the two ends and in the middle; the boards need to be in sufficient number to make the shelf ezght feet wide. The shelves need to be two feet six inches from one to the other. The worms on the three first can be fed while standing on the floor, and for the three others above, at that point the cross piece needs to be longer, so as to put a good board on the ends to take care of them, and the same way in the second story. The galleries between the shelves, to take care of SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 197 the worms, are four feet wide in the center, but those alongside of the walls only three feet. The rafters are laid across for a second floor, but they are only boarded, where the galleries are, for attending the worms ; the object of this arrangement being to allow the air to circulate everywhere. In order to be able to regulate the temperature and have plenty of air, I wish a kind of second roof on the top should be raised at about twenty inches from the other, and projecting on each side from four to five feet. This gives the appearance of a double roof. With some hinges, lids can be hung that we can open and shut at will. In the cocoonery it is very important to have nothing that would give a bad smell, and more particularly tobacco. ‘That drug is a regular poison for the worms, and no one that smokes or chews tobacco should be allowed to go into a cocoonery, as the breath, which is impregnated with that drug, is very injurious to worms. The cocoonery should be built in an airy situation, because what the worms need most is plenty of air and space. In regard to space, I see that Count Dandolo says, that he considers the following estimate as afford- ing sufficient space for a million of silk worms, or in this proportion for a greater or less number: for the first age, two hundred square feet of surface; for the second age, three hundred and seventy-five square feet ; for the third age, eight hundred and seventy-five square feet; for the fourth age, two thousand and 198 THE CALIFORNIA sixty-two feet, and for the fifth age, about five thousand feet of surface. | In other silk countries, less favored than California, they have to use in their cocooneries any amount of different apparatus ; but we have no need of all that here. At one end of the building and under the roof, I would recommend to have one room, finished off, of some twenty feet square, more or less, according to the capacity of the building—it should be lathed and plastered ; that room to be used as a hatching room, and for the first week’s feeding, and also for the millers. I have already designated the enemies of the silk- worms, but I wish you to remember particularly that mice destroy from the egg to the miller. a ne CHAPTER XI. SILKWORMS—THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF. As there are many varieties of silkworms, we will have to find which is the best for California; and in order to decide that satisfactorily, I have made ar- rangements to receive this season, five of the best vari- eties that are in cultivation in Europe, which I will try the next season, and then I will inform the public of the results. JI already have in hand my first variety, which is very good; but I expect to find among the SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 199 others something better, which will produce still larger cocoons, according to the information I have. I have now a variety from Japan, that I expect to be their annual variety, that I will be able to try the next season also. In Japan, as in other silk countries, they cultivate several varieties; some better than oth- ers. If this kind is their annual variety, according to the accounts I have of it, I know it will be a good sort. But, last year, I received a variety from Japan, which I tried this last season. It belongs to the class of worms called trivoltines, because they hatch several times during the season; and in California the eggs of that variety hatch eight or ten days after the females have laid them. I have made this last season three crops of that variety, each time coming to per- fection. Their cocoons are of a pure white, but small, and for that reason I cannot recommend them to be cultivated. For my part I will not cultivate them any more, for two reasons: First, the fact of hatching so readily, keeps you busy all summer after them; and certainly one good crop of a good variety, (which is only one-third of the work) is more valuable than three crops of those. Second, their cocoons being too small, are consequently of little value, as they pro- duce the short silk; and you must all know that short silk brings the small price and long silk the larger price ; and I prefer long silk. Some eges of that Japanese variety, that were left in my garret, have hatched out for the fourth time. My old, or first variety, produces yellow cocoons, but 200 THE CALIFORNIA very superior to that Japanese sort, in size and quality. Until we find something better, it 1s the best variety that we could cultivate at present. JI received that variety at the first, from France, but its origin is China. There are many other varieties of silkworms; I will mention a few here. Besides the silkworms of one crop, or annual, we have also those of two crops. These go through their various mutations in twenty days, and produce fine white silk, which has the valua- ble property of retaining its clear white color. It pro- duces two crops, though the quantity is less than that produced by the large, dark colored, or by the large white worm. At the silk establishment of the British East India Company, at Jungepore, in Bengal, besides the com- mon silkworm, which produces but a single crop annu- ally, they have also another silkworm called dacey, which produces eight crops or harvests, and is supposed to be indigenous. There is a variety of silkworm found im Friuli, so very large that two of them, when fully grown, will out- weigh five of the common kind, and their cocoons weigh almost in the same proportion; the quantity of food is one-tenth less in proportion to the weight of co- coons produced, than for the common kind, but they require five or six days longer in their evolutions, be- fore they begin to spi their cocoons, which are heavy, and measure almost 1,500 yards. One hundred co- coons weigh a pound, and one thousand and ninety-one will yield a pound of pure reeled silk. ae ee SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 201 The arrindy silkworm is another species entirely different from any other described or known, and is ealled arrindy from the name of the plant, the palma christt, on which the insect feeds. It is peculiar to the districts of Dinapore and Rangpore, in the interior of Bengal, where it is reared by the natives in a domestic state, as they do other silkworms. The palma christr is largely cultivated in India, as it is also in many parts of France, and some other countries, for the abundant produce of oz which is obtained from its seeds, known in commerce as the castor oil. ‘This plant is therefore cultivated for the double use of seeds, and also of its leaves. The cocoons it produces are remarkably soft and white, or yellowish; and the filament is so exceedingly delicate, that it cannot be wound, as are other cocoons, but must be spun like cotton. The cloth woven of this substance, is white, coarse, and of a seemingly loose texture, but of incredible durability ; it is used for the clothing of both men and women, and will wear con- stantly for fifteen or twenty years. Hot water dis- solves its texture, causing it to tear; it is therefore washed only in cold water. The palma christi, or castor bean plant, flourishes most luxuriantly in California; and, under our fine climate, that variety would certainly do well here. The wild silkworm of India is a species which can- not be domesticated. They are so abundant in many parts of Bengal, and the provinces adjoming, as to have afforded the natives of those countries, and particularly 202 THE CALIFORNIA the Brahmins, from time immemorial, considerable sup- plies, of a most durable, coarse, dark colored silk, which is woven into a fabric called tusseh dootie. 'This kind of cloth might prove very useful here, and be beneficial to the country, as a cheap, light, cool, and durable dress is much wanted—such a dress as this silk affords, and such as is worn by the Brahmins of India. Once introduced, our climate being so favor- able, the species would certainly flourish, unaided by the care, and undisturbed by the attentions of man ; but for that we must have large quantities of mulberry trees planted to let them spread over. 9 + CHAPTER XIL. MODES OF RAISING SILK IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. Before giving our California silk culture, I thought it would be well briefly to sketch the different modes of raising the silk in other countries. It will give my readers some light on the subject, and enable them to appreciate our culture, by comparison. The general saying is: give the silkworms air, fresh and pure; let them be comfortably warm and dry, and cleanly ; and with sufficient space to prevent them from contact, with ample supphes of healthy food. These directions alone are sufficient to insure the most perfect success. SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 203 Although the art of making silk was for ages in- volved in obscurity, it 1s now stripped in a great meas- ure of the dark vestments in which it has been so long and so mysteriously vailed ; specimens of sewing silk of different colors, and of the most perfect beauty, have been produced by N. B. Stacy, Esq., of Burlington, Vt., in 1836, and that unaided by any experience, and with no other instruction than that which books afford. Mr. Stacy has succeeded in raising and manu- facturing several pounds of sewing silk of superior quality, yet he had never before seen a silkworm, a cocoon, or reel, and was himself astonished to find no mystery in the business. The cocoons produced by him were very large, requiring but little more than two hundred to the pound. He is persuaded that the main profit depends on full feeding, and making the greatest possible amount of silk from every insect. In some parts of China, where the climate is more suitable, the silkworms are suffered to remain at liberty, on their native mulberry trees, where, uncontrolled and unaided by man, they pass through their various muta- tions among the branches. When the cocoons are formed, they are collected from the trees, except a few which are left for reproduction. The experiment of raising silkworms in the open air was tried in Languedoc, France, by Mr. Martely, of Montpelier, in the garden of the College of Jesuits, of that city, in 1764. In that year twelve hundred francs were appropriated, by the Minister of France, to defray the expenses of the experiment, which succeeded per- 204 THE CALIFORNIA fectly. In 1765, the sum of eighteen hundred francs was appropriated to defray the expense of another trial ; but owing to the unfavorable state of the weather, and the heavy and incessant rains, the experiment.in this instance totally failed ; and though the rearing of silk- worms in the open air has not been attempted any more in that quarter, yet its partial success taught the culti- vators new and important lessons, in regard to a more perfect system of ventilation. In China, when the mulberry tree has sufficiently put forth its leaves, the rolls of paper on which the eggs of the silkworms have been preserved, are daily sus- pended in the sun: the side on which the eggs are placed being turned from its rays. At night the papers are closely rolled up and placed in a warm situation ; and this being daily repeated, the eggs hatch in about: four or five days. But in high latitudes, the Chinese regulate the temperature of apartments with stoves, that the eggs may hatch simultaneously. The houses for silkworms are in dry situations and in a pure atmosphere, and remote from noise. The rooms are made very close, but with ample means of ventila- tion, and the doors open on the south. Hach room, or chamber, is provided with nine or ten tiers of frames, on which the rush hurdles are ranged one above the other; on these the insects are fed during all the differ- ent periods of their growth. Stoves are also provided in the corners of the apartments, to preserve a uniform and equal temperature; or coals are carried in a cha- SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 205 fing dish, from time to time, backwards and forwards, through the room. In China, the wants of the young worms are supplied with unceasing attention; they are fed during the night as well as the day, forty times during the first twenty- four hours, and thirty times during the second day ; but fewer and fewer on the third day, and afterwards. Sagacious observers, from their long experience affirm, . that as the growth of the silkworms is accelerated and success assured by the abundance of their food; also, that the quicker the silkworms are brought to maturity, the greater is the quantity of silk which they produce. If the silkworms which are produced by each drachm in weight of eggs are suffered to linger, either through cold, or neglect and famine, for thirty or forty days, _ before they begin their cocoons, the product of silk will be ten ounces; but if their maturity is completed in twenty-eight days, the product will be twenty ounces ; while the same quantity of silkworms, in a warmer tem- perature, which being fully fed and well attended, have completed their growth in the short time of twenty-five days, will produce twenty-five ounces of silk. The Chinese are fully sensible of the importance of preserving the most perfect degree of cleanliness in their establishments, and are exceedingly careful on this head. When the insect 1s prepared to spin, mats are provided, and in the center of each a leaf is affixed, an inch in width. ‘This is wound round in spiral form, till the mat is covered; a space being left between each circle of one inch, it having been found that less silk is 10 206 THE CALIFORNIA wasted, in the receptacle of these dimensions, than where more space 1s allowed; also, at such periods they exclude the outward air and light, believing the silk- ' worms spin their cocoons more diligently in darkness. Seven days after the silkworms have commenced their cocoons, they are collected together; and a suffi- cient number being reserved for breeding, the remainder is placed in layers, in large earthern jars with salt, in the proportion of one-fortieth part of the whole weight of cocoons between the layers. The whole is covered with large dry leaves, and the mouths of the vessels are closely stopped. | | The long, shinmg cocoons produce silk of superior quality. These are separated in reeling, by the Chinese, from those cocoons of a thick form and dark color, which are of an inferior quality. In China and m Han-Choo- Foo, according to Sir George Staunton, women only are employed in the fabrication of flowered and em- broidered satins, and vast numbers are employed in very extensive factories. In the hot climate of India, the silkworms are reared and sheltered in buildings, and beneath sheds of an open and airy structure, the sides being composed of lattice work, and the roofs covered with thatch; their breadth being generally fifteen feet, with a path through the center of sufficient width. The height is usually eight feet or more, and on either side; and one above the other, and in tiers of from twelve to sixteen deep, are the stagings, formed of shelves or shallow boxes of bamboo, in which the silkworms are placed. The posts, SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 207 which support the stagings, rest in basins of water, to protect them from ants. When the silkworms are ready to form their cocoons, they are transferred to cells formed of planted bamboo. Formerly, it has been the practice in many parts of Europe, to inclose a couple of ounces of eggs, in a silk or cotton bag; which was worn in the bosom next the skin, and at night was placed beneath a warm pillow. After three days the eggs were carefully transferred to thin shallow boxes, these being placed between warm pillows. The heat of each was frequently renewed, as the silkworms were expected to appear toward the fourth day. In Italy, Count Dandolo had recommended and adopted the plan of using stoves for warming and regu- lating the temperature “of the apartments in which the eggs were hatched. The heat of these rooms being regulated by the thermometer, is raised during the first day to sixty-four degrees ; raising it gradually a degree or two a day, till it shall have reached eighty-two degrees on the tenth day, and this point is not to be exceeded. Count Dandolo has suggested that one room might answer for all the silkworms of a whole district. Fortunately, the necessity of rules like these is unknown in California, and in a great portion of America. In some of the late establishments of France, they have altogether dispensed with the use of fireplaces and stoves, the apartments being now warmed when 208 THE CALIFORNIA needful by currents of heated air, caused by a furnace placed beneath or without the main apartment. Broussa, a city at the foot of the Mount Olympus, like many other cities of Turkey, says Commodore Porter, is surrounded with plantations of the mulberry trees; and asses laden with the limbs and leaves are continually going into the city. 3 Mrs. Rhind says, that in Turkey the production of silk is confined to the cities, or large towns, in the vicinity of which the mulberry trees are chiefly cultivated by the farmers and landed proprietors, who do not raise the silkworms themselves; at the suitable season, the leaves are daily collected by them, and sold in the market of the city as fruits or vegetables are sold. When the season commences, almost every family clear out all the rooms in the house, except the one in which they live. The worms being hatched, they purchase sufficient leaves, and strew them over the floor of each room, leaving only a small space round the four walls, for the convenience of feeding; they then place the worms on the leaves, who rapidly attack them. New quantities of leaves are daily added to supply the wants of the worms; the litter is never removed, but is suffered to accumulate frequently to the height of three feet. When the worms are ready for winding, branches and brushes are planted immediately over the collected mass, and on these the cocoons are formed ; and these being collected, the rooms are then cleared out, and the reeling is commenced. | This is the rude and abominably negligent mode SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 209 which is practiced in Broussa, the great silk district of Turkey, where the best silk is produced. Thus in Turkey, the silkworms are reared in cities, as well as in country villages, and the food is purchased in the market; these cities and villages being surrounded by the plantations of the mulberry. I have been thus particular in describing the mode of rearing the silk in Turkey, but not by any means that .I would propose it as an example for us to imitate in California, but as a striking proof of the great strength of constitution which the silkworms possess ; and the only mystery appears to be, to comprehend with what power the silkworms are endued, which can enable them, thus situated, not only to live and survive, but also to produce valuable crops. It shows that in Turkey, their trees are constantly growmg under the influence of a genial sun. T have also tried here in San José, to raise the silk- worms in open air. In 1861, knowing that the birds would eat them all, I covered with mosquito bars the two trees on which I put my worms. I put them in the morning at about 8 o’clock, and the next morn- ing at about the same time, I visited them and found them almost all gone; and the few that were left were surrounded, each one, by a half dozen of ants, that were carrying them away. Jinding that we have so many enemies outside, I concluded that it was of no use to think of raising them in the open air, in Cali fornia. 210 THE CALIFORNIA CHAPTER. XIII. AMOUNT OF FOOD. According to Count Dandolo, five ounces of eggs will furnish two hundred thousand silkworms, which will consume seven thousand pounds of leaves; and one hundred trees can furnish the food for all; and twenty- one pounds of leaves will furnish food for one pound of cocoons. Count De Hazzi, from the sources above named, calculates that two hundred thousand silkworms- require ten thousand: pounds of leaves in the different stages of their existence, in the following proportions : in the first age, fifty pounds; second age, one hundred and fifty pounds; third age, four hundred and sixty pounds ; fourth age, one thousand three hundred and ninety pounds; but in the fifth and last age, which usually comprises near one-third of the brief existence of the silkworm, they will require seven thousand nine hundred and fifty pounds. It is evident that the curious tables of the progress of the insect which some of the best authors have given us, can be no sure guide, even with a regulated atmos- phere; the progress, space, and time, and proportion of food which will be required for the forty thousand silk- worms, hatched from one ounce of eggs, from their birth, till the time they begm to spin, has been given by Mr. Bonafoux. I will here state in the abstract, that in the first age, seven pounds of leaves are con- SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 211 sumed ; in the second, twenty-one pounds ; in the third, sixty-nine pounds and twelve ounces; in the fourth, two hundred and ten pounds; and in the fifth, or after the fourth moulting, one thousand two hundred and eighty-one pounds. In the consumption of their food, their progress, though irregular in the detail, is uniform on the whole. On the third day from their birth, they consume three pounds of leaves ; on the fourth, but one pound and six ounces; on the jifth day, they begin to cast off their skins, and being sick and torpid, they con- sume but six ounces; in their second age, and on the first day, they consume four pounds eight ounces, thus atoning for previous abstinence; on the third day, seven and one-half pounds; but on the fourth day, comes on the moulting sickness, and they eat no more than two and one-half pounds; in the third age, and first day, they consume six and three-fourths pounds ; on the second day, twenty-one and one-half pounds ; on the third day, twenty-two and one-half pounds; on the fourth, twelve and one-half pounds; and but six and one-half pounds on the fifth day; on the sixth day they become sick, and take no food, this being a critical period. They cast their skins for the third time. On the first day of the fowrth age, twenty- three and one-fourth pounds are consumed; but on the seventh day they eat absolutely nothing, and are again torpid, this being the critical period. They cast off their skins for the fourth time. In the fifth age and first day, they consume forty-two pounds; on the sixth day, they become most of all voracious and con- 212 ' THE CALIFORNIA sume two hundred and twenty-three pounds; from this time, their appetites daily lessen, until the tenth day, when they consume only fifty-six pounds. The silk- worms, which at their time of birth occupied but nine feet of the hurdles, now require two hundred and thirty- nine feet of space, and the whole quantity of food con- sumed is about sixteen hundred pounds. According to another account of Mr. Bonafoux, two hundred thousand silkworms were sustained on seventy- two hundred pounds of leaves; but it is admitted that a certain quantity of leaves were given in the inter- mediate meals, which were not reckoned in the account ; also, that in the first stages, the leaves were chopped, which enables the silkworms to consume them without waste. Other and authentic accounts make the amount of food consumed even less than five thousand pounds. We will admit nine thousand pounds; but much must necessarily depend on care, and economy in feeding. The quantity of food consumed, depends also in some measure on the season; if that be moist, the leaves will contain less nourishment, and consequently more weight of food will be required; but if, on the contrary, the season be dry, less quantities will be required, as the leaves contain much more nourishment. Something also depends on the species or variety of mulberry which is used. The Morus multicaulis has no gross or coarse fibers. It is found that a less quantity of food of this species will suffice for the precious insects. The same may be said of the Morus moretti, which’ con- tains In proportion more nourishment. SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 218 CHAPTER XIV. OBSERVATIONS ON THE FEEDING AND QUALITY OF FOOD. The quantity of silk which the insect affords, is in proportion to the amount of food consumed; the dura- tion of the silkworm is prolonged by a cool season; or by scanty, or irregular supplies of food ; in this case, the amount of silk is greatly diminished. When a crop of silkworms lingers, either through cold or fam- ine, for forty days, the amount of silk which they can afford is not considerable ; while the bounteous harvest afforded by a crop of silkworms fully fed and well attended, which in a warm temperature finish their labors in twenty-four days, will produce more than double the amount of silk. The silkworm feeds night and day, and the more they are fed, the faster they grow, and the sooner they will come to maturity; and in proportion to the dimensions of the insect, will be the size of the cocoons, and the amount of silk pro- duced. ; A certain quantity of food being indispensable to sustain life, and the amount of silk which is afforded being of itself wholly the production of the excess of the food consumed, it follows as a consequence that to feed them profitably, they must be fed well. Feeding with branches I consider the most economical mode for a warm and dry climate like ours in California, as the 10* 214 THE CALIFORNIA leaves retain their freshness and flavor for a longer time, and in that case are devoured with less waste. The Itahans insist on cutting the leaves fine for young worms; I did so the last season, but have observed that under our dry atmosphere we should not do it, as they get dried up, immediately, and the little ones have hardly time to eat anything before they are too hard; on that subject I am just reading now, that Mr. Smith, and some others of America, have rejected this mode, after trial, as the silkworms tread down the cut leaves, passing over them and causing waste. The young worms prefer twigs, or small branches, as the leaves keep longer in this state, or until consumed, and are more consonant to the natural habits of the worms. It has also been noticed, that the worms avoid the cut edges, and attack the leaf m any other part in preference. A dozen leaves torn in pieces at each feeding will support a great many worms during the first, second, third and fourth days, and but a very few leaves will suffice during the first ten days. Con- stant attention will soon enable the intelligent attend- ant to discover the quantity of food necessary, and to avoid, on one hand, stinting them in the needful quan- tity, or on the other hand, a needless waste by over supplies of food. The young leaves being replete with moisture, and very tender, are the only suitable food for the young silkworms, because their bodies perspire largely ; and as the mature leaves contain a greater proportion of en SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 215 solid and nutritive food, so they are the only suitable food for the silkworms of a more advanced age. Leaves of a crnde and watery consistence, like wet leaves, are sour, and occasion disease; leaves which contain more nourishment, grown in the sun, being alone the more suitable. The best quality of leaves are produced, (as it is generally admitted) in dry sea- sons, and on dry soils, and particularly on trees little advanced in growth. In our State, the whole summer season is continually dry, and being entirely without rain, most all of our soils are dry; this is why our leaves are of the first quality for the worms. In the early or first ages of the silkworms the amount of. food consumed is very small; but the amount is very great in the last age, as their dimensions and bulk are wonderfully increased. If the longitudinal dimensions of the insect be com- pared during the different ages, and their length at hatching being unit, or one, then at the end of the sec- ond age, six; at the end of the third age, twelve; at the end of the fourth age, twenty; at the end of the fifth age, forty. ? I have shown before that the duration of the imsect is prolonged by cold, or for want of proper feeding ; while on the contrary, the vital functions of the worms are accelerated by warmth, and also by the degree of attention which is bestowed on them. To show that their life is prolonged, when not prop- erly fed, a very remarkable fact occurred here last 216 THE CALIFORNIA summer. Harly in the season, I gave to Col. Warren, of the ‘‘ California Farmer,” a lot of young silkworms ; and for many reasons it was impossible for him to feed them properly, and indeed they have been very badly fed, bemg often several days without food at all; and often, having no other, he had to feed them with faded, hard, dry leaves, that was impossible for them to eat. Under such treatment they lived mostly all the time in a torpid state, but remained small for three months. At that time the Colonel sent them to me; I then fed them well, and in a few days they got fat, and of pretty good size, and made their cocoons, although - not very good ones. I do not know, but think that anywhere else they would not have lived such a long time. | In a regulated temperature, or such a temperature as Count Dandolo has prescribed, and where the heat indicated by the thermometer is gradually reduced from seventy-five degrees on the first day, to sixty- eight degrees on the last, though the weather is con- stantly growing warmer; in a temperature thus regu. lated, their various changes, or moultings, usually occur on the fifth, ninth, fifteenth and twenty-second days ; and they generally will quit feeding on the thirty-sec- ond day; but in warm climates, as I have shown, the various mutations or changes are hastened ; but it seems agreed, that the amount of food consumed is the same ; it is evident that the diary, which I shall omit, is only for the regulated temperature, and we have it natur- ally pretty well regulated here, during the feeding time. a | SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 21 CHAPTER XV. TREATMENT OF SILKWORMS, ACCORDING TO OUR CLIMATE. What I have previously said in the different sections is in order to familiarize my readers with the nature and treatment of the silkworms, that they may be able to know what is best to do, and then be competent judges to appreciate the advantages of our California silk culture, which is so simplified that it gives usa great advantage over other silk countries. Count Dandolo is considered the best writer on silk- worms, and the best authority; this explains to you, how a book on the silk raising cannot be written without referring to him often; but to give you an idea of the immense work that the climate in Italy forces them to do, compared with the simple and economical mode of feeding, etc., that our fine silk climate allows us to use here, I only have to say to you that Dandolo’s work on the treatment of the silkworm is a book of large size, containing three hundred and eighty-four pages, and a great number of plates; giving, first, a plan of the complicated and expensive cocoonery which must be built there, with also the figures of a great number of different apparatus that are needed there, which are very costly, and of which we have no need here. They have been obliged to feed there with leaves up to the present day, while here we feed our worms with branches. I have explained in my letters in the be- 218 THE CALIFORNIA ginning of this book, how I came to that; it was in order to curtail the labor. With the exception of Dan- dolo’s work, that I have in French, I never had in Cali- fornia, any other book on silk, till September last, when at Sacramento, my old friend Mr. A. P. Smith of that place, presented me two; one, the“ American Silk Grower’s Guide,” by Wilham Kenrick; with whom about the year 1838, I was acquainted. The second book is ‘‘ Mulberry Tree and Silk Worm,” by Mr. Samuel Whitemarsh. Both books were written in 1839. In regard to the feeding with branches I have just read in Mr. Whitemarsh’s book an article that pleased me very much, as it coincides with my ideas, and so well with all I have said before about it, that I cannot help giving it to you here; it reads thus: “When the mulberry branches cease to be worth sz cents an inch, I propose to feed with branches as they come from the tree. Iam persuaded that this practice will be generally adopted in this country, as it has many advantages, some of which I will enumerate. “< Jn the first place, the foliage may be gathered in much less time; it will keep better till consumed; the same saving of time is gained in feeding, and much ~ more in cleaning off the frames; the worms mount the twigs while feeding, and remain afterwards, having more advantage of the air, and more space than on a flat surface ; the leaf will be entirely consumed, leay- ing nothing but dry branches to remove; the ordure of the worms will fall through to the shelf, themselves - se © PRIS Ta SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 219 entirely free from it; on the branches they will have a better chance to be equally fed, and if this be not attended to, the ill fed ones will lag behind. But the greatest advantage of all is, that they need not to be removed from the frame, from the time they are put on it, till they mount to wind the cocoon; this will be a vast saving of labor, and prevent the handling of the worms, which is.always to be avoided. As the branches are laid on, they should be laid first crosswise; and then lengthwise with the frame; making thus a sort of net-work which can be easily separated in layers when you clean them off; the worms will be more healthy, particularly in moulting time, as in the usual way of feeding with leaves; they retire under the litter, and remain there till they change, where they must breathe a bad air, and in many cases be smothered by the accu- mulation of matter. 7 “¢ T may as well mention here the system of cutting the branches. Cut your trees within three or four feet of the ground, making clean work as you go, cutting the branches within two or three inches of the body. ‘The trees thus trimmed will produce a head to be taken off at the feeding time ; they will be thus kept within reach, and always handsomer and better than when stripped of their leaves. The branches when cut should be laid in the cellar, when if wet, they will soon dry; after being fed from, they may be planted in furrows, and will many of them grow.” Though I have never seen the above article before to-day, December 22d, 1866, it seems to me curious 290 THE CALIFORNIA that Mr. Whitemarsh proposed in 1839 what I have been doing here in California for six years without knowing of the existence of Mr. Whitemarsh’s book; but I feel really happy to find that good article and to lay it before you, as it corresponds entirely with my views on that subject; it is also an approval and a proof that what I said about the feeding with branches is true, ac- cording to that authority. Mr. Whitemarsh values very highly this mode of foed- 3 ing when he says: ‘ When the mulberry branches cease to be worth siz cents an inch ;’’ but here we don’t want to create any mulberry fever, and my principal. object in publishing the Manual is to prevent it, by giving every farmer and planter the means of propagating his own mulberry trees; in that way, within a short time, we will have millions of them, and they will be the cheapest of all the trees produced, as it is my aim that we should be able to raise the best silk and produce it cheaper than in any other silk countries. But I must go on with the treatment of silkworms in California. I will just take the eggs, go through the whole process, and leave them when they are eggs again. First, Hatching. The eggs of the silkworms are of a pale slate or dark lilac color, and of the size of a pin’s head; those of a yellow color are imperfect. The eggs are generally on paper or on cloth, and kept in a cool, dry place in the cellar, to prevent them from hatching ; but to hatch them, they must be put to the heat. In Europe they have to use artificial heat for their hatch- SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 291 ings, but here in California we have no need of it, as when I want to hatch mine, I simply take the papers on which my eggs are, from the cellar and carry them to my garret, and there the heat caused by the sun through the roof makes them hatch promptly, which they generally begin to do on the third day and con- tinue for a few days, permitting them generally to hatch for four days; the balance not hatched, which are few, I throw away, Conend gens that these late ones are not very. good. It is very wnportant that those that hatch the first day and those that hatch the second day, etc., should be kept by themselves, and not mixed together. This is very easy by marking with your pencil the papers on which you put your young worms, with ‘* No. 1”— 2,” etc. This is necessary, because when they are moult- ing, being of the same age, they are all moulting at the same time, and if they were the different days or ages mixed together, some would be moulting when others want to eat, and those eating would be very in- jurious to those in the critical function of casting off their skins: they need at that moment to remain undisturbed. First Age. When the silkworms are hatched, they are of a black color, one-twelfth of an mech in length; those of a red color may be thrown away, if there are any. As soon as they are hatched they need to be fed ; put on them then young and very tender leaves; they crawl on them, and then they are easily removed to the papers and placed on the shelves by taking the leaves on which they are. After, you feed them with 229, THE CALIFORNIA very tender leaves for that first age, but they prefer young twigs, as I have said before, and with twigs they are easier to remove from one paper to the other; give them small quantities at the time, but often, at least six times or more during the twenty-four hours. When the young brood are piled too closely, a part can be removed on the young twigs or branches. They eat well for about three days, after which they grow torpid, and must not then be disturbed till awakened. You need not remove the litter during this stage, but remove them afterwards by putting fresh twigs two or three times, so as to cover all the worms or nearly so, after which you throw the litter away. After each and every successive change, their appe- tite increases daily more and more, but gradually dimin- ishes as their change approaches. Second Age. The silkworm now awakes hungry, but let those which awake too soon still hunger till all are awakened, that all may be equal; they have now be- come of a dark ash color. Feed them for two or three days with branches containing young and tender leaves, and afterwards with branches having young leaves and some older, but when they will grow torpid they must not be disturbed. The litter during this stage is to be often removed, and you may lure the silkworms to any corner of the shelf by a few twigs, when you choose, for the purpose of sweeping the litter, or you may re- move them to other shelves on branches. Third Age. ‘Then you begin to place your branches as represented in the engraving, (see frontispiece) and _ SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 223 from this time continue feeding the silkworms with full- grown leaves; and their mouths, with which they saw their food, is changed in color, originally white and soft, but soon becoming hard and black, continually growing harder with every successive change. Fourth Age. When they wake up in this age, the silkworms are of a whitish flesh color, except the spot- ted species, called tigres ; their head and body has be- come enlarged, their appetite becomes voracious, and they can now devour all the coarse leaves. Fifth Age. Their color has now become of a dark gray with a reddish hue ; they continue, however, grow- ing whiter for about seven days, when they generally become of a yellow color, their backs becoming shining and their mouths of a red color. A great quantity of food is now needed, and the branches must be brought by wagon loads and distrib- uted to them. It is curious to see the incredible quan- tities of full-grown leaves that they devour at present ; even the coarsest leaves are equally valuable, and night and day they must be fully fed. Their time now being short, must be improved continually and to the utmost, for now they hunger incessantly, and the more they eat and the faster they feed the more abundant will be the produce of silk. If you find that your heaps of branches are too high, like coming eight or ten inches from the shelf above, you take the whole top with all the worms on; see that you hold it up carefully, so as not to hurt the worms, during which time another person takes off all the branches from beneath, and sweeps 224 THE CALIFORNIA from the papers the ordures of the worms; after which you replace your top where it was; this is easily done, and it would take but a short time to cleanse in that way the whole room, if it was necessary. It is never needed more than once during the whole feeding. When the warmth of the atmosphere will admit, as in the former ages, the numerous windows in the roof and on the sides must be opened to preserve a pure at- mosphere. They delight, in all the latter days, in a cool, fresh, and pure atmosphere; then when the weather is parching, hot, and dry, sprinkle the floor with water occasionally, and keep shallow vessels filled with water to rectify the air. During every age and until the silkworm has ceased taking food, it never inclines to wander—a circumstance which has rendered this insect wonderfully easy of con- trol. In the other chapters I have already expressed my > views on frequent feedings, and also the advantage of feeding in the night, though I have not done this yet in California, as I always raised them in small quantities ; but I know that it is admitted everywhere, and that we must do it if we wish a complete success, and to obtain silk of superior quality. But before concluding the subject of feedings, I wish to say a few words more: feed the worms frequently and as regularly as possible, and as abundantly as circumstances permit; let them always have as much as they will eat with a good appe- tite, always observing that when the time of moultings ar- rives, they will cease to eatand retire among the branches ; SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 295 they must then be left quiet till they revive, which is generally in about twenty-four hours, and when well awakened, feed them again; and so on through every age; but for the last age make your arrangements for large supplies of branches, as more will be ‘required than in the whole previous ages; and then for a week or ten days you must be active, aes your own labor is nearly over and that of the worms is about to com- mence ; and you will soon see them looking about for a place to retire into, as they do not like much to be seen making their cocoons in public. You will then provide for them when you see them raising their heads from their fresh food and moving about. Formation of the Cocoons.—When the silkworms become transparent and of a pearly color, when they cease eating and are running to and fro, looking up- wards or trying to ascend, when the skin about their necks becomes wrinkled and their bodies have a soft- ness to the touch resembling soft dough, and their backs become unusually shining, when the green circles around the body contract and become of a bright gold color, these are sure indications that they are prepared for the last work of forming the cocoons; then, and not before, you must provide them with something to attach and place their cocoons in; sometimes it is made with the twigs of the oak with the leaves on, which had been before provided ; the leaf of the oak is strong, and the cocoons are separated from it without injury; they should be cut and dried some three weeks previous, preserved in readiness till required. They are placed 226 THE CALIFORNIA in the center of the heap of branches on which your worms are, upright, with the top spread, forming har- bors twenty inches or more in width, with circular heads. Some are using rye or wheat straw, after cutting the heads, tied in small bundles of the size of your arm, placing them also upright and spreading the top under the shelf above. With our mode in California of feeding with branches, if you do not give them enough twigs to place their co- coons in, they make them in the branches of the heap on which they are. The insect generally requires from three to five days to form the cocoon completely. During the first day, the insect forms a loose oval structure of thin, irregular, coarse threads, called floss. Within this structure, dur- ing the three following days, it forms the silken ball ; not, however, in concentric circles, but by irregular movements, backwards and forwards in spots. The silken fiber is covered with a gum, which contributes to exclude the water. Sometimes, even after its ascent among the branches or straw, the silkworm will look back, and descend once’ more, for the last time, to take some more food. Ventilation is very important during the period while the insects are performing their last labor; yet, in no case is a due and comfortable degree of warmth more needed than while the insect is forming its cocoon, as this enables them to draw forth and to surrender the whole amount of silk which they had laid up im store. Gathering of the Cocoons.—In about eight days after SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. Sat the cocoons are finished, they have to be gathered, and the floss silk taken off from around them, and saved, if clean; they can be reeled off at that time if you are prepared to do it; but if you are not, you must stifle the chrysalis, so as to reel them at any time after, or to sell your cocoons. In more temperate climates, as in some parts of Hurope, ovens are used for destroying the insect. he cocoons are placed in oblong shallow baskets, covered with a paper, and over it a cloth, and these are placed in an oven, the heat of which should be very nearly that of the oven after the bread is drawn; thus wrapped up and exposed during half an hour or an hour, the chrysalides taken from the centre of the basket will be found dead ; on removal from the basket, they are covered closely with blankets for a few hours, and then dried in the sun. They can also be stifled by steam and other pro- cesses, but all of them require much work and expense for artificial heat ; and besides that, nearly in every case it injures the luster of the silk, particularly that of the white variety. Stifling the Chrysalide in California.—Here, in our blessed silk climate, we have no need of all this, and we are not likely to injure the luster of our silk, as I found that the power of our solar rays is sufficient to destroy the chrysalide in the cocoon. ‘This is the best and sim- plest mode. The cocoons need only to be exposed fully to the scorching rays of the sun, from ten o’clock in the morning till four in the afternoon ; two or three days of such exposure are sufficient. But to make the work surer B23 THE CALIFORNIA and better, I would recommend to have for that purpose long boxes four feet wide, sides six inches high, to be covered with glass frames ; this will greatly increase the heat, and will have the effect of destroying the insect promptly and surely. In this way, your cocoons will also be protected against bemg destroyed by mice or rats, or otherwise, as your boxes must be made close, to afford no chance for these pests to get in, because they are immoderately fond of chrysalides. Select your Cocoons for the eggs.—For seed, the very best cocoons should be selected, that is, those which are of the largest size and feel firm, and are of a bright color ; and so far as possible, an equal number of males and females; the male cocoons are slender, depressed in the middle, and pointed at both ends; the female cocoons are of a larger size and of a rounder form, and resemble in shape a hen’s egg. If we keep selecting carefully our very best cocoons for seed, it 1s my opinion, and also that of other com- petent silk growers, that under our fine climate, so very favorable to silk culture, within a few years, we will obtain a California variety, that will surpass in size and quality all the varieties known and cultivated now. After having stripped the floss, they may be strung together by threads, being careful not to pierce the cocoon, and hung up to the wainscot in festoons; or placed in a single layer in open paper boxes, on shelves or tables, in a darkened, retired, warm and airy place ; and from ten to fifteen days from the time they com- plete spimning, according to the warmth of the season, SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 229 the -moth emerges from the cocoon, the shape of a large butterfly, of a grayish white color, with four wings, two eyes, and two feathery plumes or horns. The male usually appears first, and is known by his smaller size, and a continual flutter of his wings. The female is of a larger size, of a whiter color, and seldom moves. ‘These are to be paired, and then removed by their wings to sheets of paper spread on tables or boards, where they are to be left in darkness, as when complete, the silkworm is a night insect. They generally come out of the cocoons in the morn- ing, between seven and nine o’clock, when you have to be there, and see that they are all paired ; otherwise, your eggs would not be good for anything. ‘Those that are paired, you take by the wings, being careful not to hurt or separate them; you put them on the papers, and those that are not paired, you take them, males and females, and put them together on a separate sheet of paper, and they will soon get paired there ; and when they are, you take them and put them with the others. Sometimes, among the paired ones, a male or more gets loose; and as soon as you see it, you must take them off, because they would disturb the others, and cause many of them to get loose also; and it 1s zmport- ant that they should not be disturbed. You put these loose ones, male and female, back with the unpaired ones, so that they mayall get paired again. After they are all paired, you leave them in their dark place, till about four or five o’clock in the after- noon, when you have to separate them. For that, take ll 230 THE CALIFORNIA the wings of the male with one hand, and the wings of the female with the other; draw them apart gently, so as not to hurt them; place the males in a box, and the females on the paper or cloth, on which you wish to have them lay their eggs. Most of the females begin to lay as soon as separ- ated from the males; but be careful to leave no male among the females, that are placed to lay their eggs, and if by mistake you have thrown a female among the males, carefully place it with the others. After that operation is done, and the females com- mence laymg, you have nothing more to do with them ; cover the box which.contains the males, and keep it se until the next morning: it is what is called the reserve. The next morning, proceed the same way as I have said above; but it happens sometimes that you have more females than males, in which case, after you have all your males of the mornmg employed, you take the quantity you need from your reserve, as you must re- member that every female must be provided for produc- ing good eggs. After you have been using the males you want from your reserve, throw all the balance out, and the birds will soon eat them. Do the same thing every day, till all the moths have emerged from the cocoons. One hundred pairs of cocoons, which weigh a pound, will produce an ounce of eggs; and an ounce of eggs is considered to produce forty thousand silkworms. After your females have done laying their eggs, they will all die, and then you can roll together carefully SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. Jou the papers on which your eggs are, and place them in tin boxes. ‘Two sides or more of these tin boxes should be of perforated tin. These boxes, to be preserved, should be placed in a cool room, or dry cellar, where they will not be liable to freeze: but freezing, though it may injure by retarding the period of their hatching, yet does not destroy them. Now, we have been through the whole process, and you have your eggs again, ready for next year, which you will take care to hatch when your mulberry trees are growing finely, so you may be sure of having plenty of good food for them ; and this is, in California, usually about the tenth or twentieth day of June. CHAPTER XVI. TALK WITH THE FARMERS AND PLANTERS. Now, farmers and planters generally, in giving to you all my experience, and all I know about the raising of the mulberry trees and silk, | have proved that I am your friend—then I can have a talk with you on the subject; I will try to make it interesting and useful to you, as under that head I may say whatever comes to my memory about mulberry trees and silk raising in our silk State, ete. To farmers and planters we must look for the production of that rich article, and as a2 THE CALIFORNIA they are only those who enrich a country, then it is to the farmers and planters throughout our silk climate that I particularly address myself, and urge them to give their immediate and earnest attention to this so important a subject; to look into the matter thoroughly, and not only look, but act. They must not be alarmed with the frequent croakings about the high price of labor in this country, and the impossibility of raismg the silk - in competition with other countries. It is too late now for such arguments; they vanish completely before the face of facts, which are better than all. the theories. The silk culture has now gained too much headway in California to be checked in its speed by the fears and doubts of the timid and shortsighted—as any doubts of its full and complete success cannot be entertamed any more by any reasoning person. Then I urge you all to plant mulberries, in the full assurance that they will be wanted ; this will be a rich legacy to your children, for you may be assured that silk must and will be raised all over California, from one corner to the other, and also in several other of our States, that possess a similar climate to our own, and to which then our simplified culture can be applied: 1st. The difference in the price of labor here and in France does not hardly exist any more, as the price of labor there is double now of what it was thirty years ago ; but supposing that it is now as low as then, we could certainly obtain and raise the silk for half of the cost there, for the different reasons that I have already stated in the first chapter, in my letter. SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 233 2d. There is no other culture so rich as the culture of silk, if the farmers and planters only give their atten- tion to it; and with that culture only, we would soon be able to pay our national debt and our own. . Nothing could be so profitable to the United States, and our Congress ought to take the matter into serious consid- eration. We have in a great measure to depend on our Congressmen to see that that rich culture is established generally. They only have simply to maintain a high tariff on the article for a few years, and the culti- vation and the manufacture of silk will be established everywhere throughout the country. We trust that they will look to the general good of the country, and not to the benefit of only a few. 3d. The culture of silk-is in itself simple ; and the farmers, their wives and their children, the old and the young—all will find pleasure and profit in that culture. It is principally for them that I write this little book, in giving them facts only, and the simple culture of our silk producing country. 4th. The farmers who are blessed with a large family of children, are those that are naturally better situated to cultivate and raise the silk more profitably than others, as they are not obliged to hire any extra help at feeding time. 5th. The wife, or the eldest daughter, of the farmer can study this Manual, and then they will be able to superintend the work of feeding, etc., in showing and telling the younger ones what they have to do. 6th. I wish that each farmer would take the trouble 234 THE CALIFORNIA of counting his children, and plant one acre of mulberry trees for each one of them, in the best mulberry land of the farm ; in that way they will not cost them anything, and I think that, on the contrary, they will be a benefit to them; they will anyhow be able to support them- selves, and be independent from the product of their acre. But some have told me that the children have to go to school. J admit that, and particularly recom- mend you to send them to school. But as the whole process of feeding and cleaning the cocoons, etc., etc., does not exceed two months, then they have ten months in the year to go to school—and I suppose this is about - sufficient for them; besides that, the raising of silk is also a useful school to go to. 7th. The feeding and taking care of the worms and cocoons, the reeling of silk—all this work in silk countries is done by the ladies, of all ages: this will also be the case in California. Some say that our California ladies do not like to work. J do not believe a; if some of them do not work as they ought to do, the reason is that they have no profitable work to do that suits their delicate natures; but the moment they will have that work, I guarantee you that they will nearly all go into it, as in this kind of work a woman can do it better than a man; and they will then con- tribute to enrich the country. ‘This will certainly be a great improvement and benefit to our young ladies, who will certainly be proud to wear fine dresses from silk raised by their own hands. 8th. In France, where silk is a national culture, it is SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. ISS a part of the education of young ladies. In their schools, convents, or academies, they are to receive a small lot of silkworms’ eggs, and they have to hatch them and raise the worms. ‘Those that know all about it show the others. Thus they are educated and: familiarized with the treatment and the culture of silkworms, which may prove afterwards very useful to them. 9th. Aged persons, no more fit for hard labor, men and women, will find in the culture of silk an agreeable and profitable employment. 10th. I have many questions asked me on the sub- ject, by letters. Some ask how many trees are required to the acre. ‘'o those I would say, that in the way they have to be planted, as I have indicated for the plantation, an acre will take from six to eight hundred, according to the distance you plant them—to suit your soil. 11th. Others ask how long they will have to wait before the trees will give leaves in sufficient quantity to begin to feed the worms. We are im a country so extraordinary for bemg favorable to the growth of the mulberry trees, that we have not to wait, we can feed in the summer from trees, and even from cuttings planted in winter. This will hardly be believed in other silk countries; but 1s a fact here. If your trees or cuttings are planted in good mulberry soil, with some little care, of course, a small quantity of worms can be fed the first year. 12th. Others ask how many worms can be fed from one acre. This is very hard to tell, as it depends on a great many circumstances: Sirst, on the quality of the 236 THE CALIFORNIA soil. Second, on the amount of care given to the trees. Third, on the age of the trees, etc. So it is very diffi- cult to make an exact estimate; we have to come to a general one, and make it as near as possible. 13th. That an acre will produce from forty to four hundred pounds of silk, at a cost of not exceeding two dollars per pound, ready for market. The value of the raw silk is from six to eight dollars per pound, accord- ing to quality. The quantity must be determined by the circumstances above mentioned. 14th. But for those that are not prepared to reel their own silk, they can sell their cocoons as they are, to the manufacturer, or sell them for exportation,jif they choose. As there is, and will be a great demand for them, one of our silk merchants, in our city of San Jose, has already asked me how many thousand pounds of cocoons I had to sell, as, he said, he would find me a purchaser, who would buy them immediately. In sell- ing cocoons, in proportion to the work done, they will have pretty much the same profits. 15th. Hach cultivator may make a calculation to suit his own soil and locality, by taking one hundred pounds of leaves for one pound of reeled silk. Forty thousand worms, well fed, will give fifteen pounds of silk 5; an acre of trees, or stools, in good situations, and good soil, will certainly yield, here, at four years of age, from fifty to sixty thousand pounds of leaves, and probably more, which, at one hundred pounds per one pound of silk, will be five hundred pounds ; but we must leave a few thousand pounds for wastage, and then ‘SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. eG the quantity will be still large enough. The leaves must be of the best quality to give a pound of silk to one hundred pounds of leaves ; it would reauire much more of watery leaves, or leaves grown in the shade. 16th. Supposing, as an average, fifty-five thousand pounds of leaves to the acre, on stools four years old, this would, consequently, at one hundred pounds for each pound of silk, give five hundred and fifty pounds of silk, which, at seven dollars per pound, would be only $3,850 per acre. Now, the work to be done that year, to have the silk ready for market, accordmg to our simplified culture, which is the only one to follow under our fine and dry climate—I have tried to calculate in different ways, and I find it always $840 and $850— this would leave, then, a net profit of three thousand dollars per acre; but supposing two hundred dollars more were needed, for things that I may have forgotten, (but I think not) it would still be two thousand and eight hundred dollars net profit per acre. ‘This is about reasonable, and I would feel satisfied to have one hundred acres paying me in that proportion. 17th. The business is rather new in this country but I would recommend that all would try it. ‘This can be done with a small expense, as we ought all to help each other to go into that enterprise, as it is the surest, the best, and the only one where competition need not be feared. Then I hope that a liberal spirit will pervade all classes throughout our silk State. 18th. Now, another thing: it is well known that poorhouses and orphan asylums are public burdens 11+ 238 THE CALIFORNIA upon our towns and cities, which have to support them. These different places could be relieved from these burdens by planting with mulberry trees all the farms that are connected with many of these establishments. The gathering of the branches, the feeding of the worms, the cleaning of the cocoons, etc., would be an agreeable pastime for the children and aged persons; and this will have the advantage of learning the young a useful business for the future; and also, in doing so, it will afford the institutions an opportunity of making them com- fortable, and have them well educated, in providing them with good teachers. They will be enabled also to give - comfort to the poor.and aged persons that have been _ driven there through adverse fortune, as a last resort, and have placed themselves under the public care, but are still possessed of the finer feelings of our nature. 19th. If any of the above-named benevolent estab- lishments are still inside of the cities, and consequently not connected with any land to cultivate and work upon, it would be necessary that such establishments, for the benefit of all, should be removed to the country ; and I would suggest, in that case, that good mulberry land should be selected in a healthy locality, in view of the good health and comfort of the inmates ; such a locality will be ten times better for them, as they will have more of the pure air than they have in the cities, and the cities, at the same time, will be benefited ne: These remarks I leave for consideration. 20th. In these benevolent institutions, besides the raising of silk, that would keep them busy for about two SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 239 months only in the year, it would be easy for the young folks to-learn the reeling of the silk, particularly the young ladies, who are generally more capable for that work than the boys. ‘Then, taking cocoons in from outside, would keep them busy a great portion of the year, by having them work only one part of the day, and the other part for their education. 21st. If anything is done in these benevolent institu- tions, as I have said above, and managed right, I can - say that thus the poor will be enabled to support them- selves, and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that they are not entirely objects of charity, but earning their own living, under the direction of those that are more capa- ble of guiding the helm than themselves. Mriends of humanity, do try the experiment, and I truly and sin- cerely believe in its good results. 22nd. Besides the great profits that arise naturally from the raising of silk, those that will start in that busi- ness soon will receive the bounty from the State, which is three hundred dollars for each one hundred thousand of - cocoons, and also a bounty on their plantations ; but this will be only for three years more. Some may say, if the silk business is so profitable, why is it that the State gives bounties? The answer is simply this: we have to look to the great body of farmers to engage this business, and the farmers generally in all countries are slow to adopt improvements. But I think that owr farmers in California will differ from the general rule, as I show them how to do it, and have fully demonstrated the superiority of our climate over that of other prosper- QAO THE CALIFORNIA ous silk countries; and that particularly, also, our soil 1s so superior for the growth of the mulberry trees, - that they have not to wait for the results, and are as- sured of regular and abundant crops, they will find that it is to their interests to go at it immediately. 25rd. My object in publishing this Manual is, to be useful to all of you, in indicating how to go into the busi- ness, with or without capital, or hardly any; as the one who has no capital can put his work, (which I know is equal to capital) he then can buy the seeds, sow, and take care of them, the following year he will have young trees to plant; while those that have capital will not - have to wait, as they can buy the trees, and they will have a crop immediately. Those that have a small cap- ital can buy the cuttings, and will then have a small crop the first year, as the cuttings are more certain than the seeds, and also grow more rapidly; and, by having shown the different modes of propagating the mulberry, I expect by that to prevent its selling at high price, thus allowing every one to go into the business, according to their means. I wish also to prevent any mulberry fever, that benefits only few ; I wish to see the culture of silk, all over our silk State—that will benefit all. 24th. The culture of silk is so important for a nation, that in Germany they came to be a silk country by com- pulsion; laws have been enacted,. compelling every owner of land to plant mulberry trees and raise silk- worms: the result is known, they have become silk-pro- ducing countries. But here in California, I wish to com- pel our farmers in quite another way, and that is by SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 241 persuasion, in fully demonstrating to them that we are in the best silk country, so that before going into it, they may be fully convinced that they are going into the best and most profitable business for them and the country at large. 2oth. We are sending out about seven millions of dol- _ Jars annually to import silk for our ladies; and it is im- mense, the quantity of mzllions sent out for that article, if we take all the United States together. Every one of you understand the importance of retaming such a large amount in the country. But not only must we do all we can to raise enough for our own consumption, but also for exportation. 26th. Why I address the farmers, and tell them the importance of the silk culture for them, is because they are the men qualified for it; as, besides what I have said, there is another important poit for them, and that is, that it does not. interfere with their other crops; it - just comes at the moment they have least to do, and then, instead of interfermg with the other crops, I find that they help each other, as the building needed for the worms, is also of great importance for the other pro- ducts of the farm. 27th. The reeling of the silk will also, in future, be done by the farmers’ wives and daughters. But, being in a hurry, as it is late nm the season, I will prepare that article, and will have it in my second edition, with many other additions. 28th. Count Hazzi states that seven to ten pounds of cocoons will make a pound of raw silk. In some silk QAP, THE CALIFORNIA countries, sometimes twelve pounds are necessary, while in California, when the culture shall be well understood, I think that no more than seven or eight pounds will be required. : 29th. One pound of silk, when well reeled, is capable of beimg converted into sixteen yards of the ordinary quality of Gros de Naples, or into fourteen yards of the first quality, and worth twice its weight in silver. 80th. The reeling of silk in France and Italy is per- formed almost exclusively by females. In these coun- tries there are innumerable domestic filatures, where the cocoons, raised by one or more families, are reeled by the wives and the daughters of the farmers. These em- ploy from one to five or six reels, and the art of reeling is preserved in families from generation to generation. There are also, in these countries, large establishments, or filatures, which employ from fifty to five hundred reels. These establishments have a superintendent who is thor- oughly and practically a perfect master m the business in every department ; women there work at the reeling all their days as an exclusive occupation. At these large establishments the most perfect silk is reeled, which commands the highest price. 31st. I wish to give you here a few facts that will certainly be more than sufficient to prove to you how easy the silk can be raised in California; as, besides my cocoons, we had on exhibition at our agricultural fairs, specimens of good cocoons raised by the following per- sons: Mr. J. N. Hoag, Secretary of our State Agricul- tural Society ; Capt. Haynie, of Sacramento; Mr. Tif- SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 243 foinet, of Columbia, Tuolumne County; Miss Hattie _ Isaacs, of Sacramento; Mrs. Sauffrignon, of San José ; Miss Mary Johnson, of Sacramento; Mrs. George A. Jones, Brannan Ranch, on the Feather River; Hon. Teegarden, of Marysville ; Mrs. Catharme Corbusier, of Sacramento; Mrs. Stephen Davis, of Angel’s Camp ; Mr. John Smith, of Sacramento; Mr. Oliva, of Horni- tos, Mariposa County ; and among others that have been successful in raising the silk, and have not exhibited, are Mr. Charles F. Reed, President of our State Agricul- tural Society, at his residence in Yolo County; Mr. Wilson Flint, on the Sacramento River, near the city ; Mr. A. Packard, Santa Barbara; Mr. G. Gluesing, San Joaquin Valley; Mr. EH. Goux, Santa Barbara, and many others that I have neglected to record their names. ‘I’o all these persons I sent silkworms’ eggs, or gave, to some, young worms, and all these persons suc- ceed in having the worms to perfection. ‘This tells vol- umes about our fine climate, and shows how easy we can raise silk in California, as nearly all of them never saw a silkworm before. Mr. J. Q. A. Warren exhibited very fine and good cocoons raised by him, at Honolulu, (Sandwich Islands) from eggs that I sent him there. 32nd. It was last year, 1865, that I made the first large exhibition that began to be appreciated. If we consider a moment the progress made in such a short time, we can hardly believe it ; as, besides the plantations of mulberry trees made, we have our pioneer silk man- ufactory. Mr. Joseph Newmann has exhibited at our fairs the first California manufactured silk, made by 944 THE CALIFORNIA himself and his brother, as both are practical silk weav- ers; that silk has been generally admired, and consid- ered by all of the best quality. He is now making a fine show of a large quantity of that silk m Montgomery street, San Francisco. ‘There isat that exhibition sam- ples of cocoons, as mentioned above, a lot of weavers’ tools, a miniature silk winder, to show the process of reeling ; there is raw silk, floss silk, and silk in skein as taken from the cocoons, etc. -This exhibition attracts the crowd constantly, as every one foresees in that the foundation of a great enterprise which is bound to save millions to our State. : 33rd. As at San José the first silk of the State has been raised, it was due to the place to have the pio- neer silk manufactory, and land has been given for the erection of it near the city. Besides that, it is the natural piace for such a manufactory for many reasons : the principal is, that San José is the healthiest place in California, and probably in the world, and is near San Francisco by railroad, and also that our water is so fine and soft, that it has been tried and found of first quality for the dyeing; this is very important, as one of the reasons that rials the silk of Lyons (F rance ) renowned all over the world, 1s zfs water ; and thus, we may ex- pect, that San José will eventually be the Lyons of Cal- ifornia. They have a large quantity of machinery already on the place, and some more on the way from the States, everything complete, from taking the silk from the cocoon up to manufacturing it in every style. 34th. I am receiving three different silk papers from SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. 245 Europe, that give me information about everything per- taining to silk—transactions in silk and prices—all over the different silk countries ; and as we are becoming a silk country also, I will translate, from time to time, for the benefit of our California silk growers, the articles that I may find of some interest for them, and publish them in our leading papers. doth. America, by the skill and ingenuity of her peo- ple, has been enabled to compete with India and China, and even with the world, in the culture and manufacture of cotton ; is there an American who can doubt now that we shall do the same ere long with the silk ? 36th. In all other works on silk raising, they have chapters on the diseases of the worms. We have no need in our California Silk Manual of such chapter, be- cause, as long as we shall be able to give our worms fresh food from mulberry trees that are growing under the genial rays of our sun, no disease can be expected, as the disease 1s in the food. It is my positive opinion, that these watery leaves, taken from trees, growing most the time zm the shade, in a wet, damp atmosphere, are what create the disease ; I say, from trees growing in the shade, because, as long as the sun’s rays do not strike on them, they are in the shade, no matter if it is caused by the clouds or anything else. 37th. As I have many visitors coming for infor Weer about silk, and other things to attend, I have but little time left to me: thus I have been obliged to write this Manual in a hurry, and may have omitted some points ; but of anything that shall come to my knowledge of 246 THE SILK GROWER’S MANUAL. any interest I will keep a memorandum, so as to make a more complete work of my second edition. However, I hope that I have said enough in this, my first essay, to put you on the track, and enable you to carry on the business profitably all over our silk State. But remem- ber, that I am at your service, always ready to tell you all I know, to enable you to go into this business zmme- diately, because the sooner you will do it the better. Le San Jose, December, 1866. Ne Lae ae. ieee (Ap Nae EN Fr analy Annan p AN A \ A Fee vw wip nnn Mp A A AAAAR MAAAA AN? PAM AS Mac f RIN Aaa el a en 1 OO AR, aan a> be i Nala can ears? opt KB. 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