The sun., 1902-09-03
the stimulation of GEORGE /. used every


means in his power TO promote silk cult
ure. Rules binding the colonists to plant
100 mulberry trees 10 each ten acres ofland
they possessed were laid down. When the
colony became "A royal province, one Of
the rules making n deputy eligible to the
provincial Assembly was that female
member of his family be educated in tho
unwindinG Of the silk cocoons, and a
certificate TO the effect that fifteen pounds
of silk was so produced by his family
and actually sold" But with the incom-
ing of negro slavery the industry Ian
guiShed and died
As early as l7ls attempts were made
10 introduce silk culture into Louisiana.
French and Swiss settlers carried il on in
South Carolina But the industry was
destroyed in these colonies also by negro
slavery. At the North, silk culture was
conducted on considerable scale in
Connecticut and in Pennsylvania. In
the last century much interest in the
subject was exhibited in different parts
of this country and tho planting and
cultivation Of mulberry trees became
very frequent; for, undoubtedly, the
middle and southern parts OF the United
States seem well adapted for silk cult
ure. Mr. MAGrs assured the Nashville
convention that two-thirds Of the ter
rtory Of the United States has climatic
and geological conditions for the cultva-
ton and production of raw silk
He argued therefore, that : il is al
most committing crime 10 neglect
this beautiful industry, sending annually
more than $4,000 900 TO foreign lands
when we could produce tho silk here"
This We do, he proceeded, in spite of
the fact that so many Of our agricultural
people are "in need of some new and
simple industry to diversity their present
products of cotton and corn, which
barely give them enough to exist"
As an example Of tho possibilities Of
silk culture, he instances Georgia, and
this is the picture of them he draws:
Tner- are more than ?2i ooo farms In the State
Of Georgia, and II only one hall OF the farmer,
unc methods they could easily produce more than
they to-day get from tae'r cotton crops For
example suppose that each family In the smaller halt
OF Georg.as farmers would enter into silk culture,
and only produce $50 worth, /, would be play or a
vocation for the children nS the work Is pleasant
and IT'S interesting TO watch the little "a, the
mulberry and later imprSo1 themselves In their
own bulded coroonS and IN that way u only 10000
farmers would produce the SIX 1t would add to the
State yearly income .5,ColoJo. and II the cocoots
should be uureeled IN the State Il woIi nearly
double the value"
The conditions in the Southern States,
he argued further, are especially favor
able TO the introduction of silk culture
on IA large scale, for labor il in album
dance, in fact, unutilized and the climatic
conditions are equal 10, if not better than,
those in any other sllk-growing coun-
tries Meanwhile the inventive spirit
is 10 be counted In our favor. In 1870.
il took an American engineer, now liv-
ing in Paris, but until recently resident
Of New York, 10 invent rceling ma
chine for the unw.ndinG of coCoons.
We have built up in thirty-tve years a
great slk-mahufacturng industry, with
4S3 establishments and $1,000 workmen,
and the highest award for silk manu-
facture at the Paris Exposition of 1900
was to a Michigan manufacturer.
Mr.. MAGIs is not merely a theoretical
enthusiast on tho subject Of silk culture
he advocates in terms so glowing, but
in the Georgia county of Hahcrshaw
he is engaged in it practically and demon-
strating its advantages to the people
Of the region.