Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-01

prise that we will soon be able to produce a |
variety of silk cocoons that will excel all |
others, Just as our fruits are now known |
everywhere TO be larger and more prolific, |
and our grapes more wonderful than the |
| same products elsewhere.
STOCK COMPANIES TO BE DISCOURAGED.
The disposition of some of our people to |
promote silk culture in any other way than |
as family industry should be discouraged. |
| Some of our friends have been urged to |
| join in the organization of stock companies |
and have been promised very large divi- |
| dends for their investments. ! feel certain |
| that the dividends will never come. People !
who put their money into such companies |
| will be disappointed. There would be as
much sense in organizing companies to
| make butter or raise eggs. Even if such
| companies succeeded in this new industry,
the profits would go largely to stockholders
at the expense of the real workers, the
women and children of the state. A little
patience ON the part of our State Govern
ment in providing for the reeling of the
silk, the instruction of our girls, and the
necessary fostering of the industry in its in
fancy will be fichly rewarded. When the
product reaches 100000 pounds annually,
private enterprise will then relieve the
| Legislature of the need of its present foster
| ing care and the small sum it is now CIV
ing will be returned hundredfold in the
increase of its taxable property and the en-
| larged comfort and independence Of its
| citizens.
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE.
The product for the coming year will be
| two-fold or three-fold greater than last
year. When the trees now planted begin
to be of use, the annual product should
reach quarter of a million dollars. The
industry is making fair and healthy prog
ress. In many of the counties of Cali
fornia there are persons who will make
their first experiment next season. From
all we hear il would seem To be easy for
almost any family in any part of the State
to succeed in raising good cocoons.
As an illustration of what can be done,
take two or three examples: At San
Raphael, in May last, three young ladies
made an experiment under the instruction
of the Superintendent of the State Board.
| The product was 100 ounces of silk-worm
eggs and nearly 100 pounds of cocoons.
The work was done in 4 rented house. A
large portion of the food for the worms
had 70 be purchased. But the enterprise
Melted fully 500 over all the expenses.
This is certainly fair return for the labor
bestowed Had the trees and house been
their own the amount for their work would
have been doubled.
OAKLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPERIMENT.
Another illustration is the public school
experiment in Oakland, which, by consent
of the School Board, was conducted by B.
II. Carter in the Tompkins school build
ing. 1t was this gentleman first expert
ment, in which he was aided by his family.
The pupils of the schools of Oakland also
here took their first lessons in silk culture,
and became thoroughly enlisted. Some of
them have already started trees around
their homes, in order to raise silk them
selves. Mr.. Carter spent a large sum tor
lumber, which will be useful hereafter.
He purchased his leaves and had them
sent BY rail from Antioch nearly 100 miles
distant. But, notwithstanding all disad-
vantages he raised between 100 and 200
pounds of excellent cocoons, worth from
81 to 81 25 per pound. If he had not been
obliged to buy the leaves, pay for their
being picked, and pay for freight, there
would have been a nice little sum to be
credited to his industrious girls and boys.
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS EXPERIMENT.
lady student of the State University,
at Berkeley, Mrs Louise RienM, raised
several pounds of beautiful cocoons, in
her own room in the Ladies Club House,
on the University grounds. Some of the
food had to be procured from distance.
l The attention required did not interfere
with her studies. No attempt was made
to do big thing, but the result was a COM
plete success. Several ounces of choice
eggs were obtained. for which she was
offered S. per ounce by parties wishing to
send them to Europe, where California
silk-worm eggs are highly priced.
! THOUSAND FAMILIES.
When the thousand families in our State
whose trees are now growing will be able
to begin work like that i'll these three
experiments, the sum realized will be
worth a quarter of million annu-
ally. And that time is evidently in
the near future. Then the industry will
expand TO such proportions as will make
it worth twenty millions year to Califor-
MIA, or even more. 1t is worth forty mill
ions year now to the small districts of
Piedmont and Lombardy in Italy. With
our area of land. four times greater than
that of the provinces named, it is among
the possibilities that the silk industry may
become as profitable to us as the present
entire wheat product, and twice as great as
| the present gold product of the State.
If this article awakens the desire for fur
Their information the State has provided for
! it. a letter of inquiry on the subject of
silk culture will be promptly answered, if
addressed to Mrs. $. a. Raymond, Secre-
tary of the State Board of Silk Culture,
room I, No. 40 California street, San Fran
| cisco.
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