The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-08-19
THE MULTICAULIS MANIA.
RISE AND FALL OF THE GREAT
sILK-CULTURE CRAZE.
AYear when Mulberry Trees We're
Planted In Every State-Bursting
of the Hubble.

Year when Mulberry Trees We're
Planted In Every Stato-BurstinE
of tho Bubble.
The year 1926 marked the origin of
the Morus multicaulIs mania, which ragged
as fever from 1880 until it eliminated
and collapsed in 1889. Congress had re-
/ ferred an inquiry on silk culture, in
1925, to the committee on agriculture,
which, in 1926, reported in favor of its
promotion, stating in the report that the
imports of silk goods in 1925 were nearly
double the exports of breadstuffs-a
fact scarcely credible now. The same
year Gideon b. Smith, of Baltimore,
planted there what is claimed TO have
been the first Norus multicaulis tree in
America. The secretary of the treasury,
Richard Rush, was directed to provide
manual on silk culture, and the famous
crush Letter" was accordingly issued in
1928, together with several other treati-
ses, and circulated broadcast. In 1880
an article bya DR.. Pascalis, on the Mo rus
multicaulis, in the american Journal Of
Science, directly started the mulberry
fever. The Massachusetts legislature, in
1881, provided for a manual of silk
culture, which was made by manufac-
turer of Dedham, Mr.. Cobb. and most of
the States began to offer bounties and
premiums on trees, cocoons and reeled
silk-commonly ten cents pOnnd on
cocoons ana fifty on silk. A report to
Congress in 1880 proposed a grant of
$40, 900 to one NJ. D'Homergue for the
establishment of normal school of fla
ture at Philadelphia, where sixty young
men might have gratuitous instruction
for fxun fnr
the country to teach silk growing to far
mers; and this ''silk BILL" though de-
feated in 1882, and reported against rs
till 1887, when still another committee
reported as a So bstitute q scheme to lease
public lands without rent for cultivation
of the mulberry-tree or the sugar-beet.
The whole country now went wild.
The fever seemed only to get fresh fuel
of excitement from the panic of 1887. Or
chards of the multicaulis were planted in
every State; farmers everywhere set
their wives and children to feeding
worms; multitudinous books, public doc
uments, periodicals on silk. culture, consti-
tuted the bulk of the reading of the day;
stock companies for raising and manu-
featuring silk sprang up like puff balls:
silk conventions were held, and a
United States silk society was organ
! lied.
A thrifty nurseryman on Long Island
gave help to the excitement by canny
plan. After selling considerable sup
| ply of trees to New England dealers, he
started off one night by the Providence
boat, and with great pretense of eager
ness made the rounds of all his custom
ers, excitedly offering fifty cents apiece
for trees. OF course he didn't get them,
but he presently was able to sell all he
had for dollar instead of fifty cents
apiece.
In Burlington, New Jersey, over 300,
! 600 trees were raised in December,
1888, offerings at one dollar per tree or per
twig were refused at Boston sales, and
! five dollars was sometimes got for trees
one season old. 1t was satisfactorily
! proved-again on paper-that an acre
of trees was good for 81, 900 worth of
silk, but the price of trees had no re-
lation to figures, even the most rose
colored. One farmer sold Sc worth
of trees from three quarters of an acre.
In single week in Pennsylvania $780,
900 worth were sold.
In 1889 the bubble burst, and the BIZ
ters were bitten. Among them was the
speculative Long Islander. He had
caught the disease by which he had
profted, and had sent an agent to France
with $50, 0O0 to buy million more trees.
When they came, they were worth part
! of cent apiece for pea-brush. Some
spectators endeavored to get even with
fate by shipping a cargo from the East
to Indiana by way of New Orleans in an
unseaworthy ship heavily insured, but
the goods unfortunately reached their
destination. Multitudes of men were
ruined by the crash. But Americans
have faculty of falling on their feet,
and some of the unhappy mulberry grow,
ers of the thirties became the successful
manufacturers of later days.-H0per's
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