Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-11-19
SILK CULTURE.
Successes and Failures I'm 1.-THE Causes
No Necessity for ExasgerattOn
Either Way.


To the Editors of the Appeal:
As The time of year for purchasing silk
worm eggs has come again, / think that a
few words on the suf ject may be interesting,
as well as Instructive, to the large number of
bo,h sexes (for it is not ladies only that raise
silk) who are interested in this industry.
As near IS the professional culturists can
estimate, there were about $500 people en-
gagtd in the business last season, and from
tue increasing interest everywhere manifest
ed, and The large demand we are having for
eggs, think it safe TO say that number will
BE- doubled this year. But it is not of the
g. eat advancement our industry is making
that wish 10 speak; il is of The failures that
were made and they were many, and their
causes In the irst place, two! birds of The peo-
pie in every profession in life ill in degree,
and some of he remainder slide down good
many times before they reach the summit of
the hill OF success. The industry should
not be blamed for this any more than o;her
Industries are blamed for the failures that
occur in them. There will always be some
people that will not make m oney, because
they expect TO make it without working for il.
Because some people have failed to make
money by raising silk, is that any reason
there is no money in il? The greatest trouble
with the M sjoriiy who embark in the silk
business seems 10 be that they expect to
fairly jump iuto fortune and make inn
meme Gums off the first crop, which will only
take six weets 10 mature. OF course they
do not do it, and then they go about aud say
"Oh, there's no money in silk culture, be-
cause tried IT," And 10 their opinion that
settles the whole business; and when tod
others succeeded they cannot believe il.
Many of these belong TO that class
of people who know everything, conse-
quently cannot be taught. They have their
own peculiar ideas about the business,
Il IL. a. II
the siikworm, and they cannot, for the lie
OF them, see why they are not as good as any
bodys. Now there is but one way TO raise
silkworms, and if one is not going to raise |
them the right way ii does not pay to have |
them. The argument that ;h,y do Just as |
we'll in cold temperature, provided IL Is
an even one, is great mistake, and one thst
is sure 10 bring failure, or else very near |
failure, in the shape of coc0ons thst are net |
worth reeling, f1r when they are reeled they |
make such poor elk there is no NJ arket for |
il. Many such cocoons were produced in
thispart OF III country last seasou, and there |
was much talk about there beipg no market |
for them. Some people, for reasons best
known to themselves, had led ralsers to be-
lieve thai cocoons were worth about double |
what their real value was, consequently |
when they csme to sell they were not willing
10 take the regular market price. TheE sent |
samples 10 the various markets and were in
djgnaut at The prices offered them. Toe
real truth was that the eocoons were not
worth reeling. Il requires goodly amount |
of both skill and time TO reel silk, and reel- |
ers must be paid for both. Keeling, al
though the most difficult, is the most profit |
able branch OF ths industry, and this being
the case there s-littls danger thai there wall
be no home market for cocoons. There is too
much money in reeiing for cuhurists not
10 be glad TO buy all the cocoons !