Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-04-03
THE MoRUs MuLrIcAuus MANIA.
A Day When the People Went Wild oves
the Question OF ''sllk- Culture"
tHarper's Magazine1

lHarper's Magazinel
The year 1926 marked the origin OF
the Morus Multicaulis mania, which
ragged as fever from 1880 until It cul.
minated and collapsed in 1889. Con.
gress had referred 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 OK.
ports of breadstutis-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 provide a manual on
silk-culture, and the famous "Rush Let.
ter" was accordingly issued in 1928, to.
gether with several other treatises, anG
circulated broadcast. In 1880 an arti.
Gle by a DR.. Pascalis, on the Morus
Multicauis, in The American Journal OF
Science, directly started the mulberry
fever. The Massachusetts, legislature in
1881 provided for manual of silk cult.
ure, which was made by manufact.
urer of Dedham, Mr.. Cobb, and most Of
the states began to offer bounties and
premiums on trees, coeoons and reele6
silk-commonly 10 cents a pound or
cocoons and % cents on silk.
A report to congress in 1880 proposed
grant of $40, 900 to one M. OHIO
mergue for the establishment of nor
NAL school OF filature at Philadelphia,
where sixty young men might have gra.
tuitous instruction for two years. and
for travelling about the country to teach
silk growing to farmers; and this ''silk
bill, though defeated in 1882, and re
ported against as unconstitutional il
1885, would not down till 1897, when
still another committee reported as a
substitute scheme to lease public lands
without rent for the cultivation of the
mulberry tree or the sugar beet.
The whole country now went wild
The fever seemed only to get fresh fuel
of excitement from the panic of 1887.
Orchards, of the Multicaulis were
planted in every state; farmers every.
where set their wives and children tc
feeding worms; multitudinous books,
public documents, periodicals on silk,
culture constituted the bulk of the read
ing Of the day; stock companies fol-
raising and manufacturing silk spranq
up like putf-balls; silk conventions were
held, and United States Silk society
was organized.
A thrifty nurseryman on Long Island
gave help to the excitement by canny
plan. After selling a considerable sup
| ply Of the trees to New England dealers
| he started Off one night by the Frovi
dence boat, and with great pretense Of
eagerness made the rounds of all hi;
customers, excitedly offering 90 cents
apiece for trees. Of course he didn'1
| get them, but he presently was able t
sell all he had for 81 instead of 80 cent!
apiece. In Burlington N. j., over 800,
900 trees were raised and sold; in pe
cember, 1888, offerings at 81 per tree o.
per twig were refused at Boston sales
and So was sometimes got for trees Oil,
| season old.
twas satisfactorily proved-again OF
paper-that an acre of trees was gooC
for 81, 900 worth of silk, but the pric
of trees had no relation to fig
ures, even the most rose colored
One farmer sold IS, worth of tree
from three-quarters Of an acre. In ;
single week in Pennsylvania $500, 00t
worth were sold. In 1889 the bubble
burst, and the biters were bitten
Among them was the speculative Lonl
Islander. He had caught the disease h,
which he had profted, and had sent IN
agent to France with $4,000 to by
1000, 600 more trees. When they earn,
they were worth part Of cent apiece
for pea brush.
Some spectators endeavored to &c
even with fate by shipping cargo from
the east to Indiana by way of Nov
Orleans in an unseaworthy ship heavil
insured, but the goods unfortunately
reached their destination. Multitude
of men were ruined by the crash. Blu
Americans have faculty of falling Of
their feet, and some of the unhapp,
mulberry growers of the thirties becaln
the successful manufacturers of late
days.