Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-11-03
THE SILK INDUSTRY IN
Il MERICA.
BY $. J. BARRows.

To most OF the children OF the pres
ent generation in Massachusetts, silk
cocoonery would be novel sight; but
there are many older persons who re-
member the time when numerous farm
ers and several enterprising clergymen
throughout the State had few silk
worms in their houses or barns, whose
care was sometimes iEtrusted to the
women and children of the family. For
although at the beginning of this centu-
ry the silk culture in this country had
almost died out, yet strong efforts were
made to revive it, Indeed, for two hum
dred and fifty years this branch of in
dustry has been seeking foothold in
America through series of periodical
and enthusiastic revivals, each of which
has been followed by re-active fail
ure Such revival took place some
ffty years ago. 1t extended over all
tie Eastern and Middle States Con-
rress even was affected by it, and ap-
pointed a committee to report on the
culture of the mulberry with reference
to the silk-worm. Massachusetts, took
fire. It's legislation in 1881 appropri-
ated $500 for the publication and dis
tribution of a manual on silk, which
was prepared by Jonathan H. Cobb,
of Dedham, who was one Of the most
earnest silk culturist in the State. We
are reminded of the enthusiasm of the
author of the Virginia Silk-Worm
when he read in the report of the leg
islative committee that they were "sat-
isfied beyond a doubt that we have
power to produce and manufacture SILK
in this commonwealth to an immense
extent, and that no difficulty is to be
encountered either from soil or eli
mate.n The argument for the culti-
vation of silk was enforced by the
alarming fact that about this time,
1925, the export of breadstuffs was
only about one-half the value of the
silk imported.
Silk culture soon took the form OF
a feverish speculation, and grew into
a surprisingly large bubble. This in
fation was brought about through the
purported discovery that the Morus
multicaulis, or many-branched null
berry, was the best of all trees for silk
worms. An intense rage for this tree
sprang up. The most extravagant
prices were demanded. Dr. Brockett
tells us, in bis Centennial History of
the Silk Trade, that young trees or
cuttings came to be worth twenty
five, fifty, one hundred two hundred,
and even five hundred dollars hun
dred. Immense numbers were i'm
ported from France. But suddenly, in
1889, the bubble burst Not few
nursery-men were utterly ruined, and
the next spring "multicaulis trees were
offered in vain to the neighboring
farmers at dollar hundred, for pea
brush" This branch of industry has
never recovered from that disaster, and
to-day there is less silk raised in all
the United States than there was in
Georgia one hundred and twenty years
ago.
The result of many experiments in
silk culture in this country has been to
prove that as fine quality of silk can
be raised in the United States as in any
part of the world. But it has also as
positively proven that the silk cannot
be raised here and reeled as cheaply as
the raw silk can be imported from Chi
ma and japan. 1t may be done in
ultimate America" but with the
present relations of labor and capital
it cannot easily be done now. Silk
raising must preferably be confined to
countries where there is dense popu-
lation. In the feeding season it re-
quires an immense amount of labor,
which comes all at once. To give
wages for feeding silk-worms, any
thing like the wages that are given for
work in our mills, would not pay any
more than it would to set men to feed
ing chickens. Wherever the expert
ment of raising silk-worms on large
scale has been tried, it has failed They
are too liable to get diseased. They
do better in isolated communities or
families. The only way in which silk
raising can be carried on without loss
in this country is for each farmer,
where the climate will permit, to raise
q moderate quantity of cocoons yearly,
sending them to large filatures, where
they may be successfully reeled Years
ago, reeling was done in the family
where the silk was raised. 1t is now,
fortunately, separate branch of the
business Even in China and Japan
this has come to be the case the large
failures, with improved machinery,
doing the work better than it could be