The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1882-08-02
Silk Industry.

Ollh
From the Report rof the South Carolina Depart
ment Of agriculture.
Several years ago our people had
what might be termed the silk fe-
ver," which almost reached the pro.
portions of an epidemic. 1t was not
confined to the farmers, but attached
alike, without distinction, to the pro.
tessional man and the merchant. All
classes built castles in the air, and in
anticipation, realized immense for
tunes, eitLer from the sale of the Mo.
rus Multlcaulis or the proceeds OF
the silk worm itself. In a short time,
with few exceptions, the industry was
abandoned and pronounced failure.
1t seems to be generally conceded
that TO make the business profitable
the necessary work must be perform
ed by those who are incapable OF do
ing heavy manual work-the women
and children. That it can be sues
cessfully conducted by this class OF
our people, is apparently a settled
fact. 1t is probable that nice little
addition to the income of every farm
could be made il our people will en-"
gage in this business on the basis
suggested-that is, procure as many
worms as can be easily managed by
the women and children. 1t will
require very small outlay Of money,
and if judic,ously managed, can be
made to yield handsome revenue
one party estimates that zone person
can attend to silk worms that with
ordinary care, will produce silk CO..
coons worth from $500 upwards ii
season of five weeks"
e Prot. w. G. Kerr, State GeoIogist
of North Carolina, says: Gan ounce
of eggs contains 10000, and this nuns
Der OF worms will produce 100 TO 100
pounds Of fresh cocoOns, Tor ones
third OF that weight dry. An ounce
Tor even a quarter Of an ounce) is
sufficient for beginner, for an expe-
riment. They are readily sent by
mail. The cost is about So an ounce"
The National Agricultural Departs
ment has prepared an admirable work
on Silk Culture, and we advise all
who contemplate engaging in it to
apply for this report before begin-
ming. 1t gives the most correct esti-
mates OF the profit to be derived, and
furnishes full information for the
conduct Of the business. Khe trou.
BILE with our people in the past was
Y, lot !; sssaa dertak Ken pSs, too lagael
well in my absence, did it?"
"Oh, yes; as nicely as we could
have wished. We had a most de-
lightful time"
allow did the dog get down."
"The dog? Oh, l forgot to tel
you. why, when Johnny came home
he said he would get the dog down,
so he went up on the roof, through
the trap door, to where the dog
was sitting by the chimney, bowling
Johnny put one end OF the ladder OF
the ground, and thought he would
carry the dog down. The ANNA
seemed to get unreasonably excited
during the journey, for he bit Johnny
eleven times before he reached The
earth, and the dear boy has been ly'
ing i'll ever since. We are fearing
hydrophobia. But if it hadn't beer
for that. think we should have hat
the lovelest kind OF time while you
were away" u
"But the dog, was he really mad?
81 do not exactly know. Mr.
Jones, our next. door neighbor, came
in TO see him, and said he thought be
had symptoms OF hydrophobia, an(
Mr.. Jones said, if l wished, he wouC
check the disease by hypodermi'
injection of morphia said, Very
WELL and so Mr.. Jones got som.
morpha, and began TO bore hole il
the dogs shoulder with a gimlet."
/ ."Not gimlet, love-"
81 think it was a gimlet. Any
way the dog flew at Mr.. Jones anc
lacerated him terribly; and while
they were carrying him to the hos
pital ON our ironing board, The dog
bit our Aldneruey COW SO that she
died that night"
"You must have had perfectly
awful time of 1t"
"Well, l felt badly just then, o.
course; but, ta~ing it altogether, We
enjoyed 1t good deal. Everything
was SO quiet and peaceful, you know
and mother she came TO see me, Sc
that By the way. did | tell YOU
about mother"
"No."
"You know the arsenic you bought
for rats ? Well, one day mother was