The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-08-13
From the N. O. Commercial Bulletin.

We observe that great apathy has taken place
Of the former excitement, relative to the culture Of
American silk 1t is impossible not to lament that the
fervor upon this subject, like vaulting ambition"
overleaped itself and fell on the other side Four
years ago, there prospect, that another would
have been added TO the rich staples of this country
and that by its manufacture, increased wealth and adj
ditional independence would have been our lot. The
experiments of those days proved several things
They settled mems minds into the conviction that
soil in thousand parts of the country, s fit and pro-
per for the growth of the mulberry-tha our citizens
generally possess the ability to raise and tend the
silkworm in excellent sort-that We can produce CO.
large and perfect as france can show and
that in the process Of winding and reeling Yankee
invention has comprised improvements that may well
astonsh veterans in the culture of silk. Duponceau,
of Philadelphia of science, practical withal,
and fully acquainted with the manufacture Of silk,
from the fibre to the embroidered shawl declared
himself surprised at the inventions appropriated to
by the Messrs. Cheney, of New Jersey.
1t is unpleasant to reflect that these prospects of
success have been swept away by imprudence. In
place of large groves of mulberry and piles Of rich
cocoons, have only ragged patches of and heaps
of ruins One easily discover where the fault ex
isled 1t took its rise in avarce-increased its bulk
by folly, and fell, like most other things, into the
chasms opened by speculation. We may be aston
shed but we must pity the errors OF those who fan
ced that were TO become cultuIers OF silk, by SIM
ply setting out /" morus multicaulis." The same ma
MIA seized property holders who made towns without
houses and built edfces without lumber.
We do not know that the reaction consequent up
on wild schemes and money bubbles has been more
strkingy shown than in the stagnatOn of this culture
of silk. The very name of morus multicaulis is
term of reproach and shame and cocoons Of less
value than cucumbers Once in while though we
are cheered by some paper, printed in the back
woods far from luxury and the infection of hazard
Gus schemes which notices the successful raising OF
worms, mulberries and other appliances necessary,
and mentions that some I" guide housewife" has per-
severed unto the end of making herself pair of do
nestle silk stockings, or her husband-who should be
proud of hera full suit in silk. About the superior
strength and value of homemade silk, there can be
no doubt In Arkansas, near Little Rock, the lady
of Robert Smith, Esq. has succeeded in spinning
from cocoons of her own raising several skeins OF
finest white sewing silk Ten bushels Of these were
from worms fed on the common mulberry This
silk sustains, without breaking, double the weight
possible to imported silk, yet told that Mrs
Smith has not reel to wind it, but does all by
hand. What an example of enterprise! And what
would not such do If carried out as 1t
should be, in all parts of the country Mrs. Dawson
also, another Arkansas lady, has raised large guam
tity. The skens were reeled and spun by her on
common country spinning wheel portion of it is
for sale at Little Rock 1t is dyed beautiful blue
black, and is said to be fully even and smooth as
that for which we used to send abroad and perhaps
do now, twenty millions of dollars annually. We
are not indsposed to !" silk mania" take the
place Of " mtiticaalis fever"