The news., 1885-07-21
WILL SILK crtrrpEp.v

lCootrDuted by Nellie incoln Rsiter,
SIX Culturist, New Lisbon. III
This question is so frequently asked
that deem it important to submit a
few facts which will enable the people
TO answer it for themselves. This in
dustry relates to the rearing of silk
worms and the production of their
cocoons. In other countries where
this has become an established in
dustiy, the work is very largely done
by women, young girls, children, the
aged and the infirm. Men have little
to do with it except during the very
busy period of eight or ten days, and
then only when an unusually large
number of silk worms are raised.
Five or six boys and girls in a family
with the mothers superintendent
can raise several hundred dollars
worth of cocoons. Under very favor
able conditions, with the help of four
or five men for eight or ten days, they
could earn from five hundred to one
thousand dollars and perhaps even
more. By favorable conditions-we
mean the best mulberry trees near
the house, the best silk worm eggs, a
suitable cocoonery, knowledge of the
work required and careful attention by
all the workers. Fifty trees are enough
to begin with ten or twenty will suf-
fee for the first experiment. With
two hundred trees, from two to five
years old,a family can make a good
showing from the very first with in
telligent effort. After the trees are
sufficiently grown, any lady, with the
help of one or two children, can earn
at first, say fifty dollars, then seventy
five or one hundred, and then two or
even three hundred dollars. The
work required need not materially in
terfere with her ordinary household
duties. The husband and grown-up
sons may all the time be attending to
their regular farm or other vocations
while the wife and mother is thus
making a few hundred dollars as her
contribution to the family income.
The time required, from the Matching
of the silk worm to the completion of
their cocoons, is about six weeks.
Three weeks more may be required to
dry and fit the cocoons for the filature.
In three months the work is all done,
and The earned money is in the
mothers hand. When the industry
has been thus successfully begun it ca1
be extended within reasonable limits
without any great expense. Other
trees can be propagated from cuttings.
If the farmer can set apart five acres
for mulberry grove near the house
two thousand trees can be grown.
They will soon yield leaves enough to
produce two or three thousand pounds
of cocoons, and this is as much as any
family should attempt. If the land
cannot be spared for a mulberry grove
then the trees can be planted by the
roadside, around the house, garden or
on the line of fences between the
| fields. In the latter case thev should
be grown asa hedge. This method of
growing the mulberry tree is now very
popular in Kansas and many places in
Europe. In this way they will take
up no room that will be needed for
other purposes. Such a number of
mulberry trees $1,000 would be yalu-
able for many purposes besides silk
culture; they would beautify the home
and greatly benefit the country, where
we know there is serious lack of
really useful trees. We do not recon-
mend the farmer to give up his fruit
orchard, his vineyard or his wheat
fields in order to make silk culture his
chief industry. The experience of
eultarists in Europe, so far as we know,
is such that failure may be expected
when the work is attempted on scale
beyond the ability of the women and
young persons in the family to super
intend and perform most of the labor
required Again and again we repeat,
'let silk culture be a household in
dustry, performed mostly by women
and children" We advise no one to
attempt more than this.