Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-05-10
SILK-We saw, few days since, quaint

S1LK.-We saw, a few days since, quaint
~ of most beautiful cocoons, made by worms
fed this spring by Capt. Charles Vanderford
of our town. They are of snow whteness,
bril';an, lustre and very large. Three of
those made by worms Of the first Gays hatch
ing weighed 30 grains, being an average of 30
Grains eaco, floss of. But those from the Sc
cond and third days hatching (no' gathered
when we saw them) are considerably larger.
The worms began to spin on the Both April,
81 days after they were hatchcd.
Now from the lst of May. when the feeding
of second set of worms might commence, to
the 9th. October, beyond which time the mo-
rous multicauls affords tender and succnlent
leaves, there are l62, or six times 81 days. IT.
therefore, eggs kept on ice can be made 10
hatch at any time during summer and autumn,
as experience seems to prove, six additional
crops of silk might be made by Capt. Wander.
ford, or seven in all, if he had the eggs and the
ice house, by the 9th of October provided the
worms s-ould always commence spinning in
81 days after Matching and it has been found
that they commence in a shorter time during
the heat of summer, than in the cool weather OF
spring. What Capt. Vanderford could do, any
one else could DO with the same care. AS it
requires more hands to attend the worms for
the first two o. .hree weeks, than for the re-
mainder offeeding time, some of the hands
might then be employed, after the first crop OF
the season, in gathering and reeling the CO.
coons. 1t requires, at mos, not over three
hands to attend worms enough to make a
crop of 100 lb. of reeled silk. If then these
three hands could make seven, or even six crops
in sseason, it would be 200 ID. to the hand
which at S. per hand would be $1,000.
We would advise no one to give up or neg.
lect other business for the purpose of commen-
cling the TX culture, with an expectation OF
realizing $1,000. or even $500 to the hand, an
nually. Ifthe data before US would seem to
warrant such An expectation, still the thing has
never been done ; and it is possible 1t never
may. Our wish is only to induce men to ex-
pertinent for themselves, and that with proper
caution. Many will do it. aud the result will
teach others as well as themselves what can
be done. But do not the facts before the pub.
lie render it probable that those who enter
earliest upon the experiment will be most rich"
ly as we'll as soonest rewarded! For if the
profits may be made as great as s supposed or
any thing like it the rush into the business
must, after time, reduce them.
The expense of making an experiment need
not be great. The business ought to be con"
Quoted on small scale at first, BY persons
unacquainted with it. Otherwise disappoint
rnent and failure would most probably be the
result of the errors into which they would be
likely to fall.
Morus Multicaulis buds for an acre, (say
1900 even at the last springs prices. would
cost only $45. The mex. spring, they may
moi cost the third gift Let every person not
satisfied with the income from his present
agricultural products, plant few acres, or
one acre, or the half or fourth, or tenth ofan
acre, in morus multicaulis, and procure teU
silk worm eggs of the white mammoth variety.
and let him 60 to work, first on a small scale,
and then on larger, as he gains experience.
The expense in this way will be small, and
the profit may eventually be great. The
present is not the season ofthc year for p ant
ING the multicaulis but it is suitable sea.
son to look out for the eggs. The worms, the
first year, may be fed on the leaves of the ma
tive mulberry, if no better can be had.