The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-17
cooperative Emigration in Kansas sill,
Culture,
correspondence N. Y. Tribune.

Culture.
Correspondence n. Y Tribune
The old style of pioneering has its scat
terng representatives yet people who suua
and ilc their claims in anticipation of sell
ing out at profit and again sQuattine fur
ther west, and again selling out when set
Elements oyertake them; but this stlye i
nearly abolished, superseded by co-opera
tive purchase--organized colonization. An(
so Kansas is rapidly filling up with people
who have a competency, and who bring
with them or make on their arrival The
usual appointments of advanced life in the
older States. The school-house and church
are built and filled, store and blacksmith
shop opened, postofiice established, and all
the machinery of township and county or
ganization gets into steady operation Of it.
self apparently, by some inherent force,
without special personal effort, without
dramatic pronunciamientoes or vehement
appeals to fundamental principles or rights.
Ii Burlington wants factory or toun-
dry, some man who is master of the busi-
ness, and has part Of the required capital,
is encouraged to establish his business by
an appropriation of city bonds running Tor
a term of years if Ottowa wants an adj
ditlonal tiouring-miIl, the proposition to
vote city bonds for part of the cost is pub
licly discussed, and will be voted on in due
time, adopting in this respect the same CO.
operative plan followed in building railroads.
In fact, the settlements, the internal i'm
provement system, and some special indus
tries, III Kansas, rest more largely ON CO.
operative action than the like interests in
any other State. So we go on
planting institutions, industries, and
trees, having the largest and best
nurseries of all these-shall saw
"on the planet?" One newly-started florist.
a few miles west of us, has now seed-beds
of three acres of apple-seeds, three acres of
peach-stones, five acres Of Usage orange
seed, with due proportion of iorest-tree
seeds. Besides these, the same concern
have already planted so miles of Usage
hedge, and their plan of inclosure includes
so miles more, making altogether 100 miles
of hedge fence belonging to firm of only
two years. existence. And wagon-loads of
young trees for transplanting about the
country have been passing our place almost
daily all of which shows that the people
are awake to the want herein first indicated.
Then Kansas promises also to be silk
producing State. The sod and climate are
tlltlll
in California. The conditions required. as
stated in The Six Gro,ceas' Manual, are
light, loamy soil, and, during the period of
activity of the silk-woIms, about six weeks,
beginning in June and ending in August, an
even, warm temperature and exemption
from thunder-storms and wet or damp
weather. The yield Of silk from full crop
OF forage, from trees four years old and up
ward, is stated to be 400 lb the cost of
producing and reeling the silk is put at So
pound; the market price, So to IS pound,
according to quality, with present unlimited
sale. | suppose the average product of cot
ton is about a bale to the acre-say $50 1b;
that of silk in nearly the same quantity
while the price of the latter is half as many
dollars n pound as the former is cents
pound. Estimating the profit on cotton at
five cents pound, that on silk is S5 a
pound.
The propagation of the mulberry tree is
easy and rapid as that Of the willow; seed,
cuttings, and layers of mulberry are grown
as successfully as are those of the willow
while the management of the silk worm is
not more difficult than rearing chickens
the business throughout, from raising the
trees to reeling the. six, affords remunera-
tive employment to men, women, and chill
dren, and isss therefore well adapted to the
industrial wants of beginners in associated
life.
In view Of these ends, M. de Boissiere,
the founder of this movement, brought here
silk weayers, with couple of looms, and
mulberry seeds. We have twomore looms
now ready to set up, and more will be
brought this year. The building for these,
now ready for occupation, is Of stone, 40
feet by so. This spring, we transplanted
about s 900 yearling mulberry trees, of two
varieties, the M. Moretti being the principle
one. They are set 6xl2 feet apart, making
about 600 trees to the acre, and are to be
cut close, like hedge-plants, for the double
purpose of increasing the number of tender
leaves for forage and for the facility Of
it.
The farm consists of 3, 400 acres Of good
land. More than 100 acres are now culti-
yated and, besides the mulberry, several
hundred fruit trees, and large numbers of
locust, walnut, and other forrest trees
have been set out. About forty people are
employed on the place, at present being
hired, as the cooperative organization has
not yet been established.
M. de Boissiere has been in France for
the last five months or more. In letter
written the 18th ult., he says:
"Your appreciation of the existing demo-
ralzation in France is very true, and fear
is irremedable. The peasants arc controlled
by the moneyed men, and give the latter a
strong majority in the Government. In the
cities, the people are mainly republican,
and claim liberal institutions; and, although
they are minority, they are able, by their
situation at centers of industry, trade, and
consumption, to give trouble, if their wishes
are not needed. | would ike to spend a
few days in Paris, to make some purchases,