The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-11-01

in 1876; we will put it at the cltfrent prie
Nd. 80 per pound--the figures quoted b
the Association are rs to 80 per pount
Thus, 400 pounds of cocoons picked D
four children in four weeks would give
to 40 pounds of silk, or $500.
Now these figures are placed at yer.
low estimate, and they beat cotton W.
need to diversity our industries to a greater
extent. There are to-day hundreds CT siif
operatives in the old world seeking new
fields of labor, and if it cen be proved tc
them that our own genial climate presents
laroer and better advantages than can be
found elsewhere, immigrants will come
here. We copy the following from late
COPY of the New Orleans Times on the sub
iect, which may prove interesting
1t is announced i'll recent telegram that
the silk weavers of Great Britain were seek
ing locations in other countries, and that a
party of them had already sailed Tor New
York, from Queenstown, Ireland. ms
suggests the possibility of transplantlng
this important industry to our State The
wnrm and moist air of the Gulf States is
eminentIy suited to the handling and spin.
ming of the raw silk, while our climatic and
vegetable conditions are extremely favor
able to the rearing of the worm and the
production of the glistening fibre. There
are, indeed, native varieties OF the
silk worm which spin very large cocoons,
and the development of this indigenous
product might be well worth attention,
while the cultivation of the Chinese and
Italian silk-worms would hnd most favor
able field for operation.
No branch of manufacture has prohted
SO little by the introduction OF machinery
and is so largely dependent on handwork
and skilled labor at that, as silk weaving.
For the most part, it is not carried on Ill
great factories like those in which cotton
goods are made, but is chiefly woven on
hand looms kept in the homes of the weaV-
ers, who live together in colonies, monop,,
olizing whole neighborhoods i'll towns and
villages The prospect of securing the I'M
migration to our own State of considerable
bodies of these skilled silk weavers should
stimulate the enterprising people among us
to make some exertion to accomplish SO de-
sirable an end To establish important
silk manufactures here would require no
great outlay of capital, since the principal
difficulty, which would consist in getting
the requisite supply of hand>skill, would
be solved if these emigrating silk weavers
could be induced to come here.
1t may not be generally known that IN
the days of French domination in Loulsl-
ana, the national government sent out to
the colony complete outfit for growing
and manufacturing silk, with experts to
carry on the business That the project
failed in thinly populated colony, can
have no influence in deciding the feasibility
of its profitable accomplishment Ill rich
and populous State. 4he production and
manufacture of silk has already attained
large proportions in the United States, and
those who are not familiar with the subject
will be surprised to learn that there are IN
the country, or were, according to returns
made in 1874, one hundred and eighty silk
factories. giving employment to near l5o,-
600 people; and in addition to their fabrics
which were consumed in the country, silk
goods to the amount of near twenty-five
million of dollars were imported These
silk factories were chiefly in the Middle
States and New England, with few in the
West, but not one of them is set down for
the Southern States. From sheer neglect
rather than any other reason, great lncus>
try to whicL our section is emlnently
adapted is lost to the South.