The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-04-17
SILK CULTURE.
SOME FACTS AND INSTRUCTIONS suG-
GEsTED BY QUERIES.

The capital required to start in
silk culture must be determined by
the quantity of food at command
(mulberry or Usage orange), by the
room or space that can be spared for
the worms, and by the amount of
help to be depended on when wanted,
during the last age in particular, of
the silk worms. For the first it is
hard TO make calculation. But it
is fair to say that an acre of ground
planted with the mulberry trees set
in rows six feet apart, each tree
three feet from the next, say 2,400
trees, should feed Cat their 4th or
9Th Year, 100000 silk worms (say
five ounces of eggs). These trees
are supposed to be as a hedge around
the acre of ground. Standard trees
should be set out at greater distances
apart-200 to $50 trees to the acre.
One old, full grown tree has been
known to feed 6,O00 silk worms.
This statement will give some idea
of the number Of eggs that should
be ordered for start by those hav-
ing trees from which to get the
leaves. As to the Usage orange,
where they do grow, being almost
invariably in hedges, no calculation
is necessary as to the number of eggs
that should be ordered, the leaves
being in such profusion. But
warning is necessary against hatch
ing out more worms than there
is either room or help to have them
properly attended to, for, if not pro-
perly attended to, they will not give
satisfactory returns. Space required
for 100000 worms Gone ounce of
eggs), 10x15 feet, 8 feet from floor
to ceiling; for 100000 worms Cor
two to three ounces CT eggs), 16x20
feet, 10 feet to ceiling. One person
can properly care for 10000 worms
(onc-half ounce of eggs) with
little help (boy or girl) after the
third week.
The Usage orange produces silk
equal in quality and price with that
of the mulberry. 1t is not, however,
advisable to set out the Usage ex-
prsssly for silk raising, as, besides
the thorns being a serio us objection,
it is believed that the quality of the
silk deteriorates in time from con-
slant feeding of the worms on the
leaves of that plant.
The advice so much given of late
to beginners "that it is unsafe to
start more than q thousand or two
of eggs the first season." is very I'M
wise, and would only result in dis
couraging, not only the raiser but all
interested friends. There is no rea-
son for such advice, except it may
be ''for the benefit of the egg seller
who wishes to make large profit by
selling in "small quantities at large
price. While it is true that selling a
couple of thousands of eggs for less
than one dollar or, in fact, to sell
any quantity of eggs for less than
that amount, would be Of no real
advantage or profit to the seller,
when it is considered that it costs as
much in time, labor, paper, enve-
lopes and postage, to sell one thous-
and eggs, as it does to sell an ounce.
1t is no more than fair, not to mis-
lead those anxious to engage in the
industry, to make this statement,
that for 'eXperimcnt or pastime"
silk worm eggs by the thousand will
suffice, but for profit not less than
one half ounce of eggs will be re-
CURED. Any person or family with
good eggs and reliable Instructions,
plainly given and easily understood,
can as easily raise worms from 20,-
900 as from 1000 eggs. There is
no necessity for any one to have ex-
perience to enable them to raise one
half ounce or even one ounce of
eggs, or rather the worms from that
number of eggs. The work is very
simple, but must be properly attend
ed to. 1t is not so much q practical
knowledge, but proper care and at
tention that is needed. The proofs
of this are right here before me-
both letters and specimens
showing concluSlvely that many
have raised, their first season, with
out any other instructions or know
ledge than that gained from my
book, cocoons of fine quality that
have sold for 80 cents to S1.15 per
pound dried; and that price pays
for the time employed. Take the
result of one-half ounce eggs, say
16, IS, or 20 pounds of cocoons
CATER being stiaed and dried) or OF
one ounce of eggs, say 30 to 40
pounds of cocoons, or of two ounces
of eggs, rs to so pounds of cocoons,
raised in six to seven weeks, and
selling for the prices named, and
claim that it is fair pay for the time
employed, at very pleasant labor,
and for time that may be otherwise
wasted. 1t is certainly no more
than natural that any person raising
silk worms would wish some return
for their labor, even if it only
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