Huntsville gazette., 1881-08-06
Silk Culture.
Views of an Experienced Silk-Grow-
er. An Industry for the South.
How to Make it Success.

To tile Editor of Huntsville Casefts:
From a favorable notice in one of
your papers of the effort making in
your neighborhood to introduce the cul-
ture of silk, am encouraged to address
you on the subject believing that my
experience in this industry enables me
to give you some advice in reference to
| it; and at the same time to urg9 its
adoption upon all those living in sec
ton of country, where the climate is of
sufficiently uniform temperature to rem
der the rearing Of silk worms a practi-
cal success.
After saying SO much it will be right
for me to inform you that l have been
engaged in the manufacture of silk for
more than half century and [ have
a distinct recollection Of the attempt
made to grow silk in this country some
forty years ago. The result of this at
tempt, there can be no question about
the result, was a complete failure, we
should rather say a failure in specula-
ton in mulberry trees rather than a
failure to grow silk. II is at this poin t
that many persons make mistake in
| reference to the result Of that attempt,
some believing that neither the climate
| nor the proper growth of the mulberry,
or the rates for labor are able to COM
pete with the same industry in Asia.
1t is true, that while some phases of the
result Of the speculation from 1889 to
IS4l may reasonbly be matters Of opin-
ion, yet the facts, the truths of nature
are just as ready OF proof to-day as they
| were then. Ii the attempt is made to
rear silk worms in section of country
subject to sudden changes of temperture
IA variation perhaps of orty to fifty de-
grees in Il few hours, such attempt
will be failure and the worms will
die no matter what is urged to the con-
trary. If the culture of silk is attempted
IN part of the country where the
change OF seasons aretOo rapid where the
worms would be likely to progress fas-
ter than the trees would develop leaves
to feed them. and where the sudden
advent of hot weather might produce
disease among the worms, in that case
the culture of silk would be failure
now. just as it was forty year; ago.
The failure of the former attempt at
silk culture resulted from causes differ
ing materially from those generally sup
posed. One cause was the want of infor-
nation on the subject by the people
engaged in it, another cause was that at
rempts were made in sections of the
country where 10 conditions were fav-
Orable to the production of silk. Per-
haps the main cause was, that people at
that time attempted too much. The
culture of silk has alw.ys been intro
duced into country's by slow degrees,
one stage after another and even then
no. too rapidly. The climate and soil
must be favorable to the healthy pro-
duction of the worm and the production
OF leaves, and the temperature sufficient
ly uniform that 1t can be depended on,
that it will remain within give range
atany rate for several d,ys. Ihe lesson
we shoula learn from all past eXper-
ience would enable us to avoid the er-
rors of former efforts The greatest was
perhaps tina. Of trying to grow silk in
sections nature never designed it should
This is not the case with the Southern
States, they are we'll adapted to its sue
cessful production. Another error we
should avoid, we should not undert ke
TOO much. Let us begin by raising CO.
cOons and eggs, the cocoons to be ssld
to our manufactures OF ''>pun silk" and
The eggs to France. A year or two
would bring purchasers for both CO.
coOns and eggs into the Scntii. and then
the highest prices could be Obtained.
This is the best mode of introducing the
culture OF silk IN this country and the
one that will result in perfect success
IL dttSlIG ttplC IIldiI tHio NOttfd OtifA
be illustrated by the early grower. of
cotton, saying that they could only be
satisfied with its perfect success when
they could spin the fibre into 800 yarn
Had they Insisted on this as condi-
ton, India and Egypt would have sup
piled the world with cotton to day. If
the people OF the Southern States would
cultivate the mulberry trre, ana begin
the culture of silk by raising few
worms at first, and so increase the
quantity by degrees the permanent sue
cess Of new and profitable industry
for their section would be assur-
ed.
JOHN RYLE
PATERSON, New JERsY, July 26, 1881.