| Show esnair n t A jag from the country Gentl Gentle nan dan and cultivator SILK CULTURE IN california two kinds binds of silkworms silk blik worms are bred and fed here to some come extent the Ailant Al lanthus ailanthus hus hua silkworm of china bomby i cym cyhthia thia and the true mulberry bilk slik worm the former so far as I 1 can learn is reared only to a small extent and the ahe business is not attracting very much attention the ailanthus ilan from which this variety obtain obtains 1 its 9 food somewhat resembles the sumac in its general appearance and habits of growth flourishes on almost all boils soils even on very light sandy or gravelly ones and is easily propagated by roots or young shoots from the roots it should be planted in rowa rows six feet abart and the plants set three feet apart in the rows it may then be pruned so bo a aeto to form compact hedges of easy access to all ali an parts it needs no cultivation or care except the pruning the eg eggs ggs of the ailanthus lanthus Af Ailant hus bus worm which are about twice as large as those of the mulberry worm should be kept in an even temperature of about 60 degrees in winter and until about the first or second week in june juner junes when wb Len leb it exposed to a temperature of from 70 to 75 degrees they hatch batch in about ten days and should be placed placed upon the hedge where they will attend atten to thema elve eive with but very little aid from the breeder they eating 11 immediately after they are hatched and placed upon the hedge lag T they ey moult or change their skin four t times resting from 24 to 48 hours previous to each boulting moul moui ting after the fourth boulting moul ting they prepare their cocoons suspending them from the under side of 0 the little sprigs and branch branchless lets these vary in size eize and weight according to the circumstances of growth quality and quantity of food weather ac but afford nearly as much silk as the mulberry worm the silk however is of a coarse texture and perhaps of an inferior quality but is very strong and easily wro ight into almost any fabric leaving no waste in combing the cocoons intended for breeding may be kept as the eg egts eess s alluded to above are but should not be kept after the tenth of june when the insects in their perfect estate I 1 appear are mated and soon commence laying they lay only about half halt as many eggs as the mulberry worm does A second crop may be obtained in august it de desirable al rable rabie although the silk thus obtained obtain ea is not nearly as valuable as the beat from the mulberry worm the demand for it for cheaper fabrics is witt i perhaps as good and it may be produced with so much less labor care and expense and in ench enormous quantities that it is very far from certain that the business of growing it here may not be made very profitable further experiments cr or more light from those who have experimented la Is needed upon the subject unlike the the mulberry silkworm and true silk culture is attracting much attention in the state and very justly so I 1 think for it has now been fully demonstrated that silk of the finest and most delicate fiber of the richest and most beautiful lustre in short silk of the very best quality can be produced in california silk for which the highest prices will be paid and for which there will be a constant and constantly increasing demand some of the difficulties encountered in cultivating silk in european countries and atlantic states which serve to retard the business there and to render the opening of a new and more favorable tavo rable field for prosecuting it desirable are irregularities of climate sudden changes of weather wea lher rain storms and showers undue moisture in the atmosphere thunder and lightning diseases of the insects the high price or high rent of land diseases of the mulberry tree rendering ita its growth irregular and uncertain and im paring the quality of the insect food produced from it and the great amount and the increasing price of labor required in those countries for producing silk toese difficulties are most of them lessened many of them entirely removed here the climate in all the principal valleys where the business will be conducted 1 is 3 very regular and ver very y even there are no rain storms or even showers in the season for feeding the I 1 worms the atmosphere is sufficiently dry and continues so with great uniformity and is entirely free from injurious electric shocks no diseases of any kind hate haie yet been detected affections affect ine ins either cither the insects orabe or the plants land is abundant and cheap here it may ma y be purchased in quantities large or small smail far less than the annual rental of land of similar quality in most moat cf tb the e european silk growing regions in fact for one fourth the amount required to hire such lands in some of the best beat of those cotin countries tries for these reasons and others to be named far less labor laor is required to breed the worms and cultivate the silk here than in those countries the mulberry tree flouri ahers abers best in a deep rich ich r loam such as we have for many miles in extent in all the principal valleys here and their adjacent slopes in this soil it will throw out oat hoots shoots in all directions to the len ien length lenth th of three to five feet or more every year wh when en properly pruned the best varieties for producing silk here are those ot the white m alda particularly the morns morris moret ti the morus itic lis ils will do well for the first two aget anek of the insect but no longer as there is not nutriment enough in the leaves of this thia variety to give quality to the bilk silk these varieties a are re propagated by cuttings and seeds the latter being preferable and should be planted eight or ten feet apart according to the strength 0 of f the soil and trained about three or tour four feet high at first so as to afford easy access to the branches for feeding they m may F be used veed for this purpose the second year but bui are better the t third b ird and subsequent years it if the plants are set on dry soil they will need irrigation or constant cultivation the first year but will not need irrigation after wis these trees not only flourish well here but the soil and climate seem to impart a peculiarly rich and arid nutritive character to the leaves which in their turn give a higher finer and more delicate quality to the silk produced from them the eggs of the mulberry silkworm should be kept in a cool cellar of even temperature and may be hatched by putting them in a warm room of about 80 89 degrees of ot temperature when hatched they must be fed under cover and carefully protected from birds and ants their deadly enemies they should be fed on dry drys fresh leaves three times a day wet or wilted leaves are very ous to them producing sickness and destroying large numbers of them in these dry cli climates clinn miteb mites tea however they may be fed by carrying whole armful of toe the branches to them thern at a time with the leaves all on which will keep tresh until they are eaten ulle the worms helping themselves the worms will wiil have bare done eating and begin to make their cocoons in just six weeks after they are hatch hatched eds which is three or four days after the required heat beat is attained for the eggs in this country two crops can be obtained if the quantity and quality of leaves is sufficient the first about the of may alay and the second about the or of july wha using in the eggs of the first crop for the second when ready to spin they turn a bright yellow color and raise their heads it left to themselves they will find their own place and make malke their own cocoons when these are complete it the perfect silk is wanted the chrysalis must be destroyed by putting cutting them in a warm oven or exposing them several hours to a hot sun for breeding the hardest and best shaped cocoons should be selected the miller appears from these in about twelve da s the sexes should be put togi togo ther about 10 A it and separated sepe rated about 4 P ir toe female commences laying almost immediately and deposit about eggs elga each so that about of them are required to weigh an ounce the silk is easly easi y obtained from the cocoons by put putting tind tine them in hot water to dissolve the gum they can then be safely kept a long time me or may be easily transported can an be ent sent to europ europe packed in boxes at any time for manufacture but it is presumed that will soon be established here as it is now well known by capitalists capitali ats that the advantages for conducting the business here are immense over those of europe many blany of these facts and sentiments I 1 ab obtained from monsieur L prevost of san jose santa clara co an active earnest intelligent frenchman to whom I 1 had a letter of introduction from col warren editor of the california farmer and I 1 will here acknowledge that I 1 have bare made free use in preparing this article of one I 1 previously pre prepared ared for that journal and which was published pub published listed in it on the of january 1864 at prevost has been experimenting on this subject five yeats yearb never satisfied with present attainments he be is still progressing he said to me that he could not follow a certain course in this country with reference to any pursuit simply because his hla father fattier or his grandfather before him followed the same in france ile he is truly the tha pioneer of bilk silk culture in california and is about to publish a work on the general subjects subject which will be looked for with interest I 1 luave leave no doubt that the demand for the eggs of the silkworm silk worm will be very great for several years to come not only here but in europe as eggs exported from california are not diseased ans ani are largely sought to replace those that are so P ants of the mul mui mulberry erry will also be in great demand for some time W G WYMAN san francisco cal jan 30 1864 |
