Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-07-24
Ine moRus MuLIIcAuLIs MANIA
A Day When the People Went Wild ove'
the Question of silk Culture"

the Question of silk Culture"
Harper's Magazine
The yer 1925 marked the origin oil
the Morus Multicaulis mania, which
ragged as a fever from 1880 until il cul'
minated and collapsed in 1888. Con,
gress had referred 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 lss5 were nearly double the ex.
ports of breadstuis-a fact scarcely
credible now. The same year Gideon
b. Smith, of Baltimore, planted there
what is claimed to have been the first
Morus Multicaulis tree in America. The
secretary OF the treasury, Richard Rush,
was directed to provide 4 manual on
silk-culture, and the famous "Rush Let.
ter" was accordingly issued in 1923, to,
gether with several other treatises, and
circulated broadcast. In 1880 an arti.
Gle by DR.. Pascalis, on the Morus
Multicaulis, in The American Journal OF
Science, directly started the mulberry
fever. The Massachusetts, legislature in
1881 provided for manual OF silk-cult.
ure, which was made BY manufact.
urer of Dedham, Mr. Cobb, and most OF
the states began 10 offer bounties and
premiums on trees, cocoons and reeled
silk-oommonly 10 cents pound on
cocoons and 30 cents on silk.
4 report to congress in 1880 proposed
q grant of $40, 900 TO one NJ. OHIO
mergue for the establishment of a nor.
NAL school of filature at Philadelphia,
where sixty young men might have gra.
tuitous instruction for two years. and
for travelling about the country TO teach
silk-growing to farmers; and this silk
bill, though defeated in 1892, and re.
ported against as unconstitutional liz
1885, would not down till 1887, when
still another committee reported as o
substitute a scheme 10 lease public lands
without rent for the 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.
Orchards of the Multicaulis were
planted in every state: farmers every.
where set their wives and children to
feeding worms; multitudinous books,
public documents, periodicals on silk.
culture constituted the bulk of the read
ing of the day; stock companies fol
raising and manufacturing silk sprane
up like puif-balls; silk conventions were
held, and United States Silk society
was organized.
A thrifty nurseryman on Long Island
gave help to the excitement by canny
plan. After selling a considerable sup
ply OF the trees 70 New England dealers,
he started of one night by the Proyi.
dence boat, and with great pretense OF
eagernesS made the rounds of all his
customers, excitedly offering 60 cents
apiece for trees. OF course he didn't
get them, but he presently was able &c
sell all he had for 81 instead of so cent:
apiece. In Burlington, n. j., over 300,,
900 trees we're raised and sold; in De,
cember, 1888, offerings at 81 per tree OF
per twig were refused at Roston sales
and So 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 relation to fig.
ures, even the most rose.colored.
One farmer sold 5000 worth OF trees
from three-quarters of an acre, In a
single week in PENNSYLVANIA $500, 900
worth were sold. In 1889 the bubble
burst, and the biters 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 $4,000 to buy
1000. 600 more trees When they came
they were worth part Of cent apiece
for pea-brush.
some spectators endeayored to ge
even with fate by shipping cargo from
the east TO Indiana by way Of New
rleans in an unseaworthy ship heavily
insured, Lut the goods unfortunately
reached their destination. Multitudes
of men were ruined by the crash. But
Americans have faculty of falling on
their feet, AMI some OF the unhappy
mulberry growers of the thirties became
the successful manufacturers Of latel
days.