The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-08-05
THE M~ULTICAULIS MANIA.
RISE AND FALL OF THE GREAT
SlLK-CuLTURE CRAZE.

Agar when Mulberry Trccs Were
Planted In Every State-Burstfns
of tho Bubble.
The year 1926 marked the origin of
the Morus multicaulls mania, which ragged
as a fever from 1880 until it eliminated
and collapsed in 1889. Congress had re-
ferrcd 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 1925 were nearly
double the exports of breadstutfs-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 provided
manual on silk culture, and the famous
crush Letter" was accordingly issued in
1923, together with several other treatl.
ses, and circulated broadcast. In 1880
an article bya DR.. Pascalis, on the Morus
m%ulticaulis, III the american Journal y
Science, directly started the mulberry
fever. The Massachusetts, Legislature, In
1881, provided for u manual of silk
culture, which was made by a manufac.
turer of Dedham, Mr.. Cobb. and most OF
the States began to offer bountics n
premiums ON trees, cocoons and reeled
silk-commonly ten cents a pound on
cocoons and fifty on silk. \ report to
Congress in 1880 proposed a grant of
$40, 600 to one NJ. DlIomerguc for the
establishment of q normal school Of tia
turc at Philadelphia, where sixty young
men might have gratuitous instruction
for two years, and for travelling about
the country to teach ~silk-growing to far
mers; and this "silk BILL" though de-
fcated in 1882, and reported against as
unconstitutional in,1S35, would not down
till 1887, when still another committee
reported rs a substitute a scheme to lease
public lands without rent for cultivation
of the mulbcrry-trec or the sugar-bcct:
The whole country now went wild.
The fever seemed only to get fresh fuel
of excitement from the panic of 1887. Or
chards OF the multicaulis were planted in
every State; farmers everywhere set
their wives and children to feeding
worms; multitudinous books, public doc
umcuts, periodicals on silk culture, consti-
tutcd the bulk of the reading of the day
stock companies for raising and manu-
featuring silk spraug up like pull balls:
silk conventions were held, and q
United States silk society was organ
lied.
A thrifty nurscryman on Long lslaud
rave help to the excitement by a canny
plan. After scllirga considerable sup
ply of trees to New England dealers. he
started oil one night by the Providence
boat, and with great pretensc of eager
ness made the rounds of all his custom
crs, cxcitedly Offering fifty cents apiece
for trees. OF course he didn't get them,
but he presently was able to sell all he
had for a dollar instead of fifty cents
apiece.
In Burlington, New Jersey, over 800,
900 trees were raised; in December,
1888, offerings at one dollar per tree or per
twig were refused at Boston sales, and
five dollars was sometimes got for trees
one season old. 1t was satisfactorily
proved-again on paper-that an acre
of trees was good for $1,000 worth OF
silk, but the price of trees had no re-
lation to figures, even the most rose
colored. One farmer sold SC, 900 worth
of trees from three quarters of an acre.
In q single week in Pennsylvania $500,
900 worth were sold.
In 1889 the bubble burst, and the BIZ
tiers were bitten. Among them was the
speculative Long Islander. lie had
caught the disease by which he had
protited, and had sent ar agent to France
with $50, OCO to buy q million more trees.
When they came, they were worth a part
of a cent apiece for p~ea-brush. Some
spectators ]cndcavorcd to get even with
fate by shipping a cargo from the East
to Indiana by way of New Orleans in an
unscaworthy ship heavily insured, but
the goods unfortunately reached thcil
destination. Multitudes Of men were
ruined by the crash. But Americans
have a faculty of falling on their feet,
and some of the unhappy mulberry-grow.
crs of the thirties became the successful
manufacturers of later days.-Nuptr''
Magazine.