St. Landry democrat., 1882-07-08
Profits of Silk Culture.
10 the Editor Of The World.

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SIR :-One OF the peculiarities of silk
culture is that it can be divided and
subdivided indefinitely; that the poor
can reach to it as easily as the rich. Ev-
cry year, in few weeks, in the smallest
cottage, with a few acres of young
mulberry trees, the farmer putting into
usefulness the old and young members
OF his family can make the first year af-
ter planting $50 or 500, the second
year, $3.50 to $500, from a mulberry
grove OF two to five acres OF his upland
soil in the bottom of course, it will i'll
crease faster. At Silkville, Kan, in
1876, have got 3 900 pounds of cocoons
out OF the six and one-half to seven
acres OF mulberry trees four years old.
after planting only five from the seed.
The dried cocoons were selling at So
per pound, OF about eighty cents green,
making altogether $2,49o for our CO.
cOOns. Not quite ten pounds OF green
cOcoons made one pound of reeled silk;
out OF 5000 pounds OF cocOOns we got
$50 pounds of reeled silk, as beautiful
and stout as the best French silks, and
though Yankee girl, having hardly
three months practice, reeled it, got a
high price in French markets that year,
say S12 per pound. Out OF the litters
and wastes we paid one-third OF the
expenses, which were:
First mOult, at Is cents per day,
six days Zone LADY, .---.----.- $3.50
Sixty cents from the first to the
second moult, four days flour
SlTlS) 4.SO
Sixty cents from second to third
moult, four days (six girls)---- $50
Sixty cents from third to fourth
moult, six days (eight girls)--. 21.G0
Sixty cents from fourth moult to
spinning cocOons, eight days
(eight girls)- Observation-Disclosures $40
Picking cocoons, at 1 cent per
p0unu- ---.---------. 30.OO
Picking leaves, at 80 cents per
100 pounds &c, O00pOunds) - 5000
Rent OF two stables (tifteeu days.
for use of cocoonery. 5000
Rent of capital used for shelves,
trees and land-$400 at 10 per
Overseer and other little expense 10000
Total expenses S36S. 80
Net profits on cocOOns only So ,033. 90 |
This is large profit, and | must ex-
plain that we had first-rate breeds of
silk-worm eggs that made number-one
cocoons, first rate mulberry trees and a
high price paid for silk. TO doubling
'Ihomases, let me emphasize the fact
that do not raise inferior breeds OF
worms; | do not feed my worms on
Usage orange, black or red mulberry
trees, neither on the pest called here
white mulberry, which is simply the
DroussOnetla; not even on the far
famed multicaulis, whose immense
failure in France, as we'll as in the
United States, killed the silk culture,
already important in several of our
Southeastern States. We use only the
best kinds OF the Morus Alba, the Rose
and MOrretti's best varieties; then also
a new kind called Lou and Lou-Sang.
Silk culture has two limits-one eli
mate-toO far South, or too far North;
both forbid it. Another limit is the
one. 1t happens when this
culture meets with another of same i'm
portance at the same time. Here this is
not the case In early spring, while the
men ara ploughing for cotton, the lady
OF the house with her children for three
weeks, has little trouble to feed the
young silk worms. The last week,
when work needs hurrying, there are
plenty of cOlOred boys to pick the
leaves while the lady and children of
the house are attending the larvae. All
this will be done in April; then will
come. the cash money from the silk fac
tory in exchange for the cocoons, and
this will help q good deal to enlarge the
cotton and other crops, for we insist on
This point: Silk culture is only an i'm
oOrtant addition to general farming.
GOrlntn, Miss. L.. 5. CROZIER