Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-03-28
SNS culture yfgo,U

SU6 culture IDoto
EDITOR SATURDAY Pass. Sir. Refer
ring to my article in your issue Of the 2IN.,
find It necessary 10 write further on this i'm
porant subject as follows One gentleman
after agreeing with me in the main points o
my remarks informed me that he had thought
the thing over seriously for some time and
that like myself he felt there was little profit
in it. have found also that quite a number
Of ladies are strongly inclined to occupy their
spare moments in behalf Of this most interest.
ing industry good for the ladies, work we'll
begun is half completed.
Since my last writing have ascer,ained
tha, there are large quantities Of mulberry
trees already growing in different parts Of the
islands but these, I believe are the black
mulberry, whereas the white mulberry is the
best for silk worm food. because it has been
found by long experience that the leaves Of
this species contain more Of the glutnous
matter so important in producing a strong
healthy fibre. A, the same time, the mulberry
leaves now availablegc sufficient 10 test the all
important question as to whether silk can be
prohtnbly raised here
Now as to the negative remark Of the gen.
tlcman above alluded to, think my first letter
clearly shows tina, I have pointed out the very
place where there is a large profit to be made
and where a loss will surely follow il tha, place
| is passed. This weeks issue OF the Gazette
has an important article copied from a
Louisiana paper which is well worth reading,
bat at the same time il is more technical than
| otherwise, as ii more particularly refers to the
mode Of producing healthy eggs. While the
producing OF eggs is in itself most
profitable investment, yet it remains to be dc
monstratcd whether eggs can be produced
here which will be Of high marketable
| quality. YMty ean-and do no, doubt it
then have at once shown that silk growing
is an enormously profitable industry and is
well worth The serious consideration Of Homo.
lulu capitalists instead Of evcrlas,ingly being
dependent on sugar-,he folly of which Is now
unfortunately too clearly apparent.
Now for lew figures in support of the argu-
''N''N t''' "s"'''') SbS' ''') oe P'ouute"' IN
ounce Of eggs means abou, 1900 worms, or
$50 pounds Of cocoons. An acre Of mulberry
trees will more than supply them with food.
Now taking the very lowest possible estimate
land am quoting from indisputable anthorI
tics), suppose your i2,ooo worms give only
4, 900 or one third female moths, these will
produce about so ounces Of eggs, value, $24o
the I5o pounds Of cocoons will net SIS, or a;
total income Of $3I5 per acre. Surely these
figures ought TO satisfy the most sanguine ex-
pectations Of any capitalist, On the other
hand, suppose good healthy eggs canno, be
produced here, but tina, is only matter o
producing silk ; then the $50 pounds Of
cocoons after the chrysalis is killed are worth
per acre. When say I am convinced thai
this can be done twice year in this climate,
have clearly shown that there is sufficient in.
ducemcnt for large and important industry as
an auxiliary TO the one which, to say
the least has had very bad set back.
As regards the ladies above mentioned there
is every reason for them to prosecute their en-
deavors to the utmost and when they have
raised their cocoons and have put them into
one lot, after killing the chrysalis, they can
meet together socially and reel their silk, which
il well and evenly done will be worth SIS per
pouad but al prcsen, they will find it will be
the means Of a number Of happy meetings atten-
ded with only social profit. Their wiser aim
l.,t a., - ,,. 10
raise ooeoons oniy and then pu, all their silk
into one common fund which should supply
them viii, uii the nccessarcs Tor silk culture.
My object is not only to see this industry
made pleasureable one, but that it may be-
come profitable one which will be the means
Of raising large revenue for the countrys
good but this can only be done by looking
the matter squarcly in the face. Further, in
support OF my argument would say, that sup
pose every lady undertook to grow sugar cane
she could do il, and probably raise enough for
her own house, but she would only have
served to demonstrate the fact that sugar could
be grown, and not the fact that it could be
made The source Of great revenue as it has al.
'S'uy pce" sho""'
To give some idea Of how much silk is re.
quired in France alone quote the following
facts from the Moniteur des Soics the most
authorative paper published in Lyons on the
silk industry From the Sd Of June 10 the.
and Of July no less than 5000, 600 pounds Of
cocoons were registered as sold in the bulletins
Of the Chamber Of Commerce Of that city,
Yours obediently,
w. +. REYNOLDS.
Honolulu, March a6, 1885.
p. S.--Since writing the above | notice
with pleasure an article In one Of your contem-
poraries Beware Of Rashncss. l think both
my letters are a conclusive argument against
any rash senture--thc very thing | do not
want to see. I .uaa 10 see an taynesf sober
and posiIipx attempt to develope most
lucrative industry. Many Of the arguments
used by the correspondent in the Bulletin are
only technical and canno, in any place apply to
the question Of sericulture in the Hawaiian Is
lands. The class Ricinus communis is 10, at all
profitable article, because the silk raised from
il is only Il, for very few articles. In the first
place i, positively refuses dye stuifs I myself
have extensively experimented with H. The