Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-04-24
LETTER FL N TROY.
Troy, April Goth 1880.

hO1, apAAl %Oah AO|o'
Editor Sentinel-Your readers and your
self will excuse me for my neglect, hope,
when YOU will know that for two or
three weeks was sick and quite dis
rusted with any kind Of work. In Lou
isiana, the silkworm business is over.
We receive now from different quarters
of the State quite encouraging accounts
about this interesting culture. MIR. L.
Pinekard. writes fIon Alabama, 9th OF
April, 1880. "My worms have just COM
menced to spin, they have been very
healthy indeed, having not lost single
one. was well provided with the kind
of food that they require, and hope you
will find my cocoons good. will build
up a good trade for you in trees and eggs
next year, ETC." ;.
His sample was composed fthree vari-
cites of tho best breeds had which is
very beautiful. A lady from New Or
leans writes, II sent you few day ago
a few of my average quality of silk. l
have produced cocoons large and fine,
some small but prettily shaped, rather
long with deep ring round the middle
did not see any symptoms of disease
among them" This sample formed with
fine Turkish white, green japanese and
Frenh yellow is first rate one, and SO
much more encouraging as the young
widow, Mrs. E. 3. Johnson, quite unac-
uuaintei with the business, was directed
only by one of our books, MIR. Virgins,
agricultural editor of the Times, lent her.
A remarkable popularity of this crop is
that the cocoons were larger and finer
than the original ones which furnished
the eggs, brought from Kansas.
From Mr.. James Duvall, of West Bat
on Rouge, l receive also god news.
There the breeding has been more extern
siye, and directed by Mr.. Leonard, a
French silk-culturist, who is quite salts
fed with the success Many other let
tiers and samples come to band by every
mail, confirming our assertion that the
silk crop can he raised without interfer-
ing with cotton or sugar cane. would
be glad to add our success q strong proof
of the adaptability of tho silk culture IN
this region, but by mere accident we
have lost almost all our worms before
they were ready to spin, and this only for
want of food. A quantity Of eggs in
tended for sale Matched out on our han dis
in sufficient quantity to consume all the
mulberry leaves we could rely upon in a
few days. I tried to save them all hop
ing that nice avenue of mac1ura or
Usage orange would grow while the
worms were feeding upon the NORTH
previously planted by heirs of DR.. Ball,
but tho mulberry stock was completely
devoured before any leaf appeared upon
the Usage orange trees. Then we had no
other way but to feed them with the 10
digestib1e leaves OF the native mulberry,
or let them starve. It was better to try
au expe1 iment, so we did and after 10 to
~ meals of this kind of food, our worms
go healthy, some of which were ready to
spin, some others on the I'd, Sd or 4th
mott all died at the same time telling
once more: shave the proper kind OF
silk culture at ALL"
The American luze1ne and clover we
sowed in March is now 3 to inches high
very thick and thrifty in spite of the CO.
co and other kind of wild grasses which
the harrow could not destroy completely.
Part of it in another field has not been
narrowed at all. We sowed it on Friday
I'd of April. It rained on Saturday and
IN Monday next when we went to har-
ow it, every seed had got or 3 leaves,
II were started out and we LETT nature
do the work. It grows quite
ell amongst the weeds and
raises and does not seem dis
,sed to leave the field to its first occu-
.nts without fighting. The last field
, sowed the 18th of April has been har-
wed three times. twice before sowing,
ce for burying the seeds. A part oft
/ received French Luzerne, said Luz
10 de provence, the best variety of tho
1 ze1ne or Alfalfa family, another small
p t grows the French real clover, called
Il lie incarnate, one Of our richest varie-
ii !, and the last and larger part was
ot cred with thymothy seeds. Two days
al r sowing the Luzerne and red clover
". g seen, and this morning tho thym-
OF begins to make its appear
an amidst the coco alone, all
thu other weeds having been
ca. fully destroyed by three strong har-
roy .ngs, and this way is tho best one to
be Ire. The area of these three fields is
abb, to to 10 acres, and could give two
to rec good harvest this year, or one
ant about two thousand pounds of seeds
five devote the second cut to it. Win
beet to pay seriously only next year and
foil wing for ten to fifteeu years tor the
LUIS ne and but three for the clover.
T seeds of the mulberry trees of diff