The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-10
No Humbus---A Real Source Of
Wealth to North Coroiina---
Practical Proof.

"A miiiiOu VI uOIldIS WOuIu not repay
North Carolina for the damage done by
the Mors Nulttcauds furore, :. some
twenty years ago. dear Tom, or longer.
1t created wide spread, and deep root
ed disbelief in Silk Raising at he South;
although there was really no practical
test Of the Industry. Moreover, the
times have undergone change. There
are now three Americans to one at that
period. There are now thirty Americans
who wear silk to one at that period.
There are now sixty silk mills to one at
that period. The ratio of improvement
In culture is almost as great
There are now in the United States
3S3 silk mills, employing 81, 300 hands,
whose wages alone amount to nine mil
lion dollars year. The single State of
New Jersey has "a silk firms who con
sumo 1,572,07S pounds of raw silk every
year. The demand for the raw article is
greater than can be supplied for years.
The simple demand for eggs issenor
nous. Two weeks ago, three freight
cars, loaded with 25O,OOO cards of silk
worm eggs, valued at $3.50, 900, crossed
from California to New York, to be Ship
ped to Milan, Itiay. They were in
charge of four rich Italian merchants,
who guarded them as if gold dust.
These eggs came from Japan. Now,
mark-Prof. Kerr says, as was also sug-
gested in the Farmer and Mechanic in
connection with the japanese pear and
persimmon, which DR.. E. Nye Hutchin-
son, of Charlotte, has grown to perfec-
ton, that there seems to be some sort
of similarity or relation between the pro-
duets of North Carolina and Japan.
There is the same general identity of
climate and temperature between South
Central, and South Eastern, Carolina
with the mediterranean region OF Europe,
the region which produces the best wine
in France; the best silk in Italy, etc.
Mr.. L. S. Crozier, of Kansas, gives
his experience as follows:
smallest cottage, with few acres of young
mulberry trees, the farmer putting into
usefulness the old and young, ladies and
girls, can make the first year after plant
ing $50 or 500, the second year $50 to
$500. from mulberry grove of two or
five acres of his upland soil; IN the bot
tom Of course, 1t will increase faster.
At Silkvile, Kansas, he got 5000
pounds OF cocOons out OF six and halt TO
seven acres of mulberry trees, four years
old, after planting only five from the seed.
The dried cocoons were selling at three
dollars per pound, or about eighty cents
green, making altogether 50, 400 for the
cocooDs. Mr.. Crozier says:
The silk throwsters from France, on
seeiug our silk and cocoons at Philadel-
phia, offered twelve dollars for the reeled
silk, when we refused to sell the cocoons
Not quite ten pounds of green cocoons
made one pound Of reeled silk out OF
200 pounds of cocoons we got $50
pounds Of reeled six, as beautiful and
stout as the best French silks, aud though
Yankee girl, having hardly three
months practice, did reel it, we got the
highest price in French markets that
year, say twelve dollars per pound, OF
So, go out Of our whole crop. Out OF the
litters al d wastes We paid One>thlrd OF
the expenses. The were:
First mott, %
From the first to the second molt 4 50
From second to thru mott, 90
From third to fourth molt, II 81
From fourth mott to spinning
cocoons. 80 40
Picking cocoons 1T one cent per
pound, 80 90
Picking leaves at thir cents per
100 pounds; 80, 900 pounds, 90 90
Rent ct two stables fifteen days
for use of cocoonery, 80 90
Rent ot capital used Tor shelves,
trees, and land; S400 at ten per
cent, 40 W
Overseer and other little expenses 100 90
Total expenses, S36S 90
Net profit on cocoonS only, s., O32 OC
Money left in co try for acres, 81, ,Oo2 %
This result is brought into the country
by raising the cocoons only, the reeling