Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-10


and protesting that luxury should be re-
pressed instead of encouraged But the
king did not look as his first minister
did at the introduction of silk culture as
a luxury, but his aim was to prevent the
sending of the French money to foreign
lands for the raw silk product. And wise
ly the king took the advice Of Oliver De
Series, whom the French people call the
Father of Agriculture" who urged and
advised the king to establish silk cul-
ture, and the industry was finally intro
duced in France under the great assist
ance of the kings nobility. And now 1t
is a common thing for great men of
France TO refer that silk culture and silk
manufacture is what has made the great
France of today.
England, like France. has become jeal-
Gus, and desires to introduce silk culture
in her domain.
It is a fact that James l., in the 18th
century, planted a mulberry tree orchard
where the present palace of Buckingham
now stands and he made Lord Goring
keeper of the royal mulberry gardens.
However, England never could and never
will be a silk growing country, for she
has not the soil nor the climate.
With that great desire on the part Of
James I. to produce silk by his people, so
when he established the colony of James
berry trees with full instructions to the
colonists urging them to enter into silk
culture.
Later, George H., In 1892. through the
noble General Oglethorpe. established the
colony of Georgia on the southern coast
of America. Discovering the mulberry tree
growing as a native on the banks of the
Savannah, General Oglethorpe made the
new settlers OF the colony raise silk. As
ID ~ to- 4avaf he anl
ony successfully raised silk and exported
to England. Especially was this done
by the Salzbergers in the settlement of
Ebenezer.
Rules were laid down by the trustees of
the colony binding the land holder to
plant a certain number of trees in pro-
portion to the land he acquired or held.
It was one hundred trees to each ten
acres. The object of the trustees in Eng
land who made those binding obligations
on the part of the colonists was to pre-
vent the great howage Of English money
into foreign lands for the raw silk for
which they were so much in need and con-
sumed, and they rather preferred to have
this beautiful fibre produced in the prov
inces belonging to England.
When the colony became royal prov
ince in 1884, more stringent rules were laid
down, binding the delegates to the then
in Savannah. To make delegates eligible
to present the credentials at the meeting
from their respective districts. it was
necessary for them to bring a certificate
setting forth that a female member in
their immediate family Is educated and
understands the unwinding Of cocoons and
that fifteen pounds of silk was raised and
sold by each representatives family. All
those binding obligations on the part OF
Il .sea mf1
and supply their mother country, Eng
land.
The industry of silk raising In the states
continued during different periods of the
18th and 18th centuries. Many states Of
the north and south produced silk, but
were compelled under great difficulties to
export the raw material to the continent
Of Europe. Many failures were operated
Savannah. Philadelphia and Charleston
controlled the trade. Then came inter-
ruptions and a final destruction OF the
home silk raising industry.
1t is not the place here to point out just
what caused it, but the fact is, neither
the soil refused to produce mulberry
trees nor has the climate changed to
make the silk worm Improbable. In
general we can make or sum up the rea-
sons as follows: The wars, introduction
OF slavery, the invention of Eli Whit
ney's cotton gin and the severe weather
Of 1SS9-40 in the north, which has killed
all or most of the mulberry orchards in
the New England states. This is the
prime reason for not having silk culture
in the United States today. But it re-
mains a fact that silk raising can be had
In our country.
In the first place / wish to make 1t ,un-
derstood that silk culture Is a branch of
and belongs to agriculture. And right
here it is important to remove an impress
sion now existing in the minds of the
American people; that Is. which Is COM
monty referred to, that the United States
of America can never become a silk grow
ing country because America has not
as cheap labor in the reintroduction of
silk raising in the states. Is IL not a
fact that we have farm labor in the Unit
ed States that produces crops not only for
all domestic uses, but we feed today the
world with our farm products for man and
beast. We also clothe many nations with
our cotton staple, which comes from the
farms OF the southern states. Why is it
possible for us to do those things If we
have not cheap labor when we compete
and lead other nations who have been en-
gagged in agriculture for centuries before
the United States was ever born? But
the fact remains that we have a country
sublime and superior to any spot in the
world. A soil rich and ready to produce
everything that soil can produce. Climate
of all kinds that enables and assists us
in getting all there is and can be made in
agriculture. However, We have neglect
ed one of the most important branches of
agriculture. and that is the raising of our
own raw silk. The United States today
imports and consumes more than one-half
of the worlds raw silk production at an
annual cost in good American gold
amounting in round numbers to SIS, 000, 900.
We have two-thirds of territory in the
United States that is suitable and which
has geological and climatical conditions
for the production of raw silk. What we
do lack is the knowledge thereof. 1t is
stated that we have one farm to every fif-
teen persons in the United States, and
the total number Of farms is estimated at
100000. Since we have two-thirds OF
territory in the United States that is
suitable for silk culture. which would give
US roughly speaking four million farms,
silk raising can and should be
added to the already introduced products,
because a silk crop, If made at all,
can be accomplished in six weeks.
The raising of silk invites the attention
and care of our women and children, ow-
ing to its light, interesting and fascinat-
occupation. If it is possible for every
person in Italy who gives attention
in feeding the silk worm to earn from
$50 to $50 in the short period Of six weeks,
why is it impossible for the American