New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-19
INDUSTRIES THAT FAILED.
THEY DID NOT REvOLUTIoNIzE THE
COUNTRY's PURSUITS. AFTER ALL

tablished beet sugar making seems TO De ehJpy
ing prosperity. The wave of enthusiasm winch
started 1t and has kept it going has not yet
dashed against any breakwater OF discou'a6c
r.scnt and many confident predictions have peeh
unae which. il fulfilled insure for the new oc-
cupation n remarkable wealth producing carcci'
And vet the whole proceeding. with its enthu-
siasm preparations and forecasts. recalls 10 the
minds OF those whose memories reach back haii
n century more or less many similar attempts
that are recorded now under the head or PROV
ects which failed. New industries when were
to rcvolutionize the countrys pursuits nave
been started in high hopes. over and over as''"'
only to drop quietly out Ce sight after a il'''e'
aforementioned except by those who lost money
In the unsuccessful ventures. one OF the '"o''
ancient and persistent OF these ENTERPRISES
which has been revived often enough 10 finger
still in the memory OF mddle-aged persons. Is
the raising OF silkworms and the making oI sim
Ii Is over two hundred years since this ihuuS'ry
first tried to naturalize itself on American SOIL
and Il is further from prosperity TO-DAY than 1t
was In Colonial times
1t is first mentioned as being pursued in this
country about the middle Of the seventeenth
century. At that time it was confined to VIZ
pInia and tradition has it thai the raw silk Tor
the coronation robes Of Charles II. in 1860. was
Gent 70 England from that colony. Apparently
This effort was too much for the Nir6inians or
which Is probably the true explanation, To-
bacco-raslng proved more profitable thah si'N
worm culture, for there is no mrther tec"ru "a
silk from the Old Dominion. In l'"- inc IN
dustry took another lease Of life IN georgia
,,boro extensive grants Of land were made on
the condition that one hundred white mulberry
trees should be planted to every ten acres %
cleared ground The silkworinS throN" ald''
for many years and it Is worth noting ina
Georgia marked the high tide oil prosperity III
the industry in this country. In i''' It." wv"
Sand mounds OF raw silk were exported to Eng
land and il is stated that nearly doupc 'n'9
ouanti,y WAS sent over in one year shortly
afterward Then began the reign OF h"'s
Cotton. and the poor skworm CURED up ana
died IN his shrivelled mulberry leaf inc
iaet silk exportation from Georgia " as maj" III
17gD and IT was about that time that the ID"
"0I,tilrc' in Savannah (which IN lis latter years
had indeed been used AS a hot,D. vas torn down
SENTIMENT AID SILK CULTURE.
A few years bcfor. this several enthusiastic
pcrs us in New England mad" determined "'''iN
TO establish silk culture here Among ils ad''-
Gates Wa Or Jared Eliot Of Conn"c Uou; who.
however arpc.rcd u Ice chiefly concerned IN pro
noting the planting of groves II mulberry trees.
Pcsilcs the various utilitariIa reasons III favor
OF the trees he added this unique rccpmmcnla-
ton:
"Such groves are proper places for retirement
study and meditation. This will hav" weight
with those who low" contemplation. those who
are wise and good"
whether under Dr Elots patronage or under
that Of some one else. the trees wer" planted
and the worms raised in Connecticut. beginning
about the year 400 Those cngag i in the occu-
patton stuck to II with commcud1blc Yankee
persistence. but after thr.e-quart"rs Of "A cen
fury Of existence IL IL. d a natural death Penn
sylvaEia and Ncw-Jersey began the culture q!
silk in lI1l. but ii was INTERRUPTED BY the Rev
olution" and never resumed.
1t was about the year 1880 that the great silk
worm fever Of this century started. one Of It's
first manifestations was the boom mat AZ ono"
took place in the mulberry tree business Spec
ulators imagining that the raising Of sHAworms
was to De the leading industry Of tn country.
imported the tree known as MoruS muliCaulis
from France in immense numbers. Certain per
CONS obtained monopoly OF the trees. and they
were sold to The skwOrn raisers at prices
ranging from $25 TO 500 hundred. But the
new occupation failed. as il had Invariably done
before and in 1889 there was sudden collapse
OF the mulberry boom. The one" priced trees
were offered to the farmers at 81 a hundred TOR
pea-brush" and did not always find takers at
that.
There have been protests ever since at inter
walls against the neglect of silk culture In 1871
an Italian named Tincli spoke in favor Of It at
the American Institute Fair OF that year He
said it had been proved with almost mathe-
NAUTICAL precision" that America could not only
dispense with foreign silk. but could supply
European markets. and that the production Of