Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-06-05
THE MULBERRYCRAzE
How It Swept This Country Early
In Inc Last Century.
EVERYBODY WENT SILK MAD.
Nm insane Passion TO Raise Mr berry
Trees Seized Upon All Classes Of
Peopls-The Crzeh That cauae When
the Bubble Was Prickcd.

tf~~@ Oci@(~ upon All (lS&Sec or
Peopls-The Crash Thst Came When
the Bubble Was PricI<cd.
James l., who almost insaneIy hated
tobacco. was determined that silk
worms should ie reared I'm virginia
mainly becarse he thought be could
thus destro. the tcbac.e coliure. which
he ordered 10 he asaa,% "a.
For a tisae Silk G, o. met with
great Success ia (;e.. 49, In 1873
10000 pounds of raN silk TeTe thence
exported TO England. Connecticut was,
however. The center OF the industry.
AS late as 1926 the culture OF silk was
very general there and also fourished
in Massachusetts.
Silkworns were fed on the white
mulberry Ciorus alba until 1890. when
there appeared the Chinese mulberry.
or Morus muiticaulis- II was predict
cd tnat by rs culture two crops OF silk
could lie raised annually. Soon all the
agricultural literature and the newspa-
pers OF the country became surfeited
with descriptions Of this wonderful
tree
Many documents relating to sericul-
ture were puh he'd By congress. The
legislature % nearly every state pro-
vided for the Payment OF liberal boun-
ties for Planting mulberry trees and
raising cocccas.
THUS Il was that a speculative Juror.
a verita,le madness. seized upon all
classes ca people AMI particularly upon
the shrewd. calculating Yankee. 1t
COL lilo 80
,culturiSts, but doctors - divinity. law
ana medicine. scholars. tradesmen and
mechanics, men and women. old and
young. were infected with an insane
passion 10 raise mulberry trees.
Every one thought the glorious day
was dawning when each farm would
be a nursery for the young trees and
every house have its cocooneries and
its silk worms yielding two or more
crops Of cocoOns yearly The farmers
wives and daughters when not feeding
the worms We're 20 reel the silk. which
would become IS cheap as cotton. ev-
cry woman having at least a dozen sill,
dresses.
The large profits anticipated ia pro
ducins silk were insignificant compar-
ed with the fortunes that all expected
10 make by raising the new mulberry
tree. II 1884 trees OF 4 seasons growth
were sold ro- s. 10 s. Il hundred. but
they soon sold 1T so. SO S1O0. 500
and 500 4 hundred and sometimes s
apiece.
There is recorded an instance OF TIVE
trees OF one seasons growth. raised by
one Elder Sharp in North Windham
Conn. which were sold at auction TIL,
first brought SlO6 and the second SI0o
Further sales were then withheld be
cause the bidding was not considered
to be sufficiently spirited.
When the craze reached its heirh
but little silk was produced. Tor ever,
one was busy raising the new mulberr-
tree. Men expected 20 make fortune.
In few months buying land ant
planting mulberry slips. and the sill
companies almost without exception
sank their capital in this way. many
! fuily equipped mills being closed.
one farmer planted $1,000 worth o.
trees In three-quarters Of an acre an,
sold them the next year for S6.Oco.
In 1880. just before the people cam,
TO their senses, nurseryman sent n
agent 10 France 10 purchase severa
millions OF young trees. He carrie,
$4,000 in cash rs 4 first payment
When the trees arrived the inevitabl,
crash had come. and the nurseryrnal
failed for SO large an amount that n,
could never reckon up his Indebted
ness. His trees were offered in vain n
81 hundred for pea brush.
When the fever was over and m,
people realized that their capital stool
was suddenly worthless they pulled III
all the mulberry trees in rage anC
burned them as bruShwood.
In 1874 4 violent storm. following ,
general blight destroyed most of th,
remaining Morus multicaulis trees and
even the more hardy white mulberry
variety. This was the finishing blow
and thus silk culture in America prac
ideally ceased 10 exist. No industry
ever in this country received such .
crushing misunderstanding American