Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-08-07
SILK CULTURE IN WEST FELIUIANA.
NO. g
EDITOR DAILY STATES:

A bale of reeled silk weighs
about JIG pounds, and is sold
at Yokohama for from $500 to
$1,000 The importer pays be-
sides five per cent duties. The
profits realized by the silk grow
ers have caused the japanese
to multiply to it's utmost the
culture of the mulberry tree.
They grub up the hills and
mountains to the height of 2I0G
feet above the level of the sea,
pick up for sililworm feed all
kinds OF wild mulberry trees
and tii3i- succei;2uGGus which
produce a very rough quality OF
silk, but keep the silkworms
stout and we'll fitted for repro
duction. All these mea S OF
production have reached an av-
erage of 1900 bales of silk;
and in 1876, the silk crop having
been a failure in the largest part
of the silk growing countries Of
the world, all the Japanese
stock was sold. Then there is
no doubt about this number be-
ing the maximum average Of
that production in Japan. Now,
in order to be correct we must
add to this: Exported coeoons
for about 53S,946 piastres;
waste Of silk, 1928 piastres;
weaved silks, 1860 piastries.
The reeling of the japanese. is
is very imperfect, but it prog
resses rapidly since the Europe
an process has been introduced.
In 1860 a pamphlet on the
raising and feeding OF the silk
worm was issued by the pere
d'Entrecol!es. 1t gives alb
stracts from an Old Chinese book,
and describes the different kinds
of trees on which the siIlwOrm
can be fed-s,lch as the ye-sano,
wild bushy mulberry tree -; shou-
sang, or mountain mulberry.
Then the t:lle, which don't be-
long to the mulberry kind. It's
leaves, small and rough, are
round shaped. the branches
thorny, and the fruit called kia,
small, pepper like, grows imme-
diately under the aTlnDit OF the
leaves 1t is the Iuy0l'U Ho!-
ritz Of the Hotanists, and like
the shou-sang, 1t is left to the
wild silkWorln, or used for the
tanned, for q speciality OF silk
out of which rough tonIari (silk
handkerchict) and taiittn are
made; tlis stuff is called by the
Chinese kiGn-tchevn.
The other varieties Of the
mulberry kind are the fou
morus multicau!is, originated
in the province Of Eau Klein
and the kin no-san9 from the pro-
vince OF King, old name OF
Hon-INianv. These cultivated
species produce finer silks than
the tche, and the wild but not
so superior and in so large quan-
ti:v as the sim and the lou, the
two best '. rieties Of the "mor-
us alba" This lou, in Chinese,
lou-sang, originated from the
province Lou, was Introduced
into France by Mr.. Camille
BeailvaiS: it stands in the first
rank with the rose which is the
same, l think, that the Chinese
call king and sim ; they are the
best forsilkU orln feed, and pro-
ducc the finest silk at an aver
age of Il pounds OF leaves only
for one pound OF cocoons. They
thrive nlaryelousIy well in Lou
isiana AND Mississippi.
We have, on the Troy plan
tation, cuttings planted in
April whose stems aro six feet
high in the end Of June, with
beautiful tender, green, heart
SNAPPED, leaves, six inches wide,
ten inches long. These trees
produce the far famed silks Of
the ecevennes, the pride Of Lyon'&
fabrics. and in China, the crepcs
De chine, called feou-sha, nlan-
uiactured in the cities Of Hon
tchen and Nanhin. The fruit OF
these varieties are white, gray,
red and black, sweet, OF com
mon size, but are quite distinct
varitics from the American red.
(which is Enllul only in A mnrinn