FINDING that a laudable design is in agitation amongst your people, to pro­mote the culture of silk, I was willing to throw in my mite by giving some directi­ons how to proceed in that undertaking, having for several years been superintendent to the fila­ture here; and it may be necessary, to premise that the following rules are calculated for the meridian of this place.

The obstacles to the culture of silk in Georgia are many and great, but Pennsylvania, I am in­formed, is more fortunate in this respect, and as her inhabitants are numerous, every incentive to promote industry amongst them must be praise-worthy. Any essay to introduce new ma­nufactures, cannot fail becoming of public uti­lity; for thereby the drone is excited to labour, and new vigour is added to the industrious. The prospect of gain carries along with it a stimulating energy, and it must be a dull soul indeed that is not influenced by it. It is to be ardently wished, that the public would on all such occa­sions, support every well weighed new enter­prize. And as I hope that the scheme for intro­ducing the silk culture in the middle colonies will prove highly beneficial, to the inhabitants, as well as to Great-Britain; I shall therefore proceed to lay down such rules as I practised while retained in the service of the filature. [Page 4] But before I enter upon this subject, I must observe, that although I have read a good many books that treat upon the silk culture, I have found that most of them, in proportion as they deviated from nature and experience, have be­come blind guides. Should we, in Georgia, take Miller to conduct our gardens, and Morti­mer our husbandry, and implicitly follow their rules (tho' both men of good sense, and whose labours are very useful to the climate for which they are calculated) we should find ourselves egregiously disappointed.

But, to proceed—

The first thing necessary to be provided, for carrying on this valuable culture, is food. The leaves of the Italian mulberry tree are what they are the fondest of, and produces the best silk. These trees are, with us, of a quick growth, neither delighting in swamps, or rank ground; the town of Savannah is built upon an heap of sand, and yet they thrive very well.

The next thing to be provided, is good eggs. I have ever preferred those from Portugal to the Italian seed. They produce a ball like a ground-nut, well coverrd with silk. It is true, that this sort, as well as the rest, will, in a few years, degenerate and become, in a little time, very bad; but this is easily prevented by ex­changing the seed with a somewhat distant place every year.

For hatching the eggs, take the following simple method, which has seldom failed us. So soon as the weather begins to grow warm, (which generally happens sometime in Februa­ry ^* or March) and the buds of the mulberry tree are observed to put forth, the eggs should [Page 5] be exposed to the air^†, which, by its effect, pro­motes their hatching. When they begin to hatch (which will be soon after sun-rising, and for three or four hours after) some of the ten­der leaves or buds of the mulberry, plucked with the stems, should be lightly scatter'd upon the eggs which in a little time will be covered with the infant brood. As soon as the leaves are well [...]arged with worms, they should be re­moved by the stem, to a paper with the edges turned up; then the eggs should be supplied with fresh leaves; which, as they are covered, are to be removed as before, until the hatching is over. They will at first require but a small space; but as they increase in growth, their lodgments must be enlarged; and therefore af­ter the casting off their skins, or moulting^‡, they should be removed to a larger lodging, if the first is too confined.

Cleanliness is the delight of this valuable in­sect; therefore, care should be taken to have their dung removed from under them, as soon as a quantity appears. The method practised in removing them from the eggs, may still be con­tinued (in removing them from their litter) un­till [Page 6] after the third or fourth stage or moulting, when they may be conveniently removed with the fingers. All noxious smells should be kept distant from them: severe cold and intense hot weather are equally hurtful: fire in the room will remedy the one, and air will relieve the other. Care should be taken to preserve them from rats, mice, pismires, spiders, cock­roaches, &c. which are their natural enemies.

Their food should be given to them free from wet, otherwise it will destroy them. In time of heavy rains, or even moderate showers, the leaves should be dried between two linen cloths, before they are given to the worms. The proper time for gathering the leaves, is between sun-rising and setting, that they may be free from dews.

With respect to houses for raising these crea­tures, 'tis not necessary to be very particular. Some of our people have had very good success in hutch, some in rooms which serve them for kitchen, parlour, and bed-chamber; others raise them in garrets, either upon boards raised from the floor, or even upon the bare floor. I have observed, that a very little nicety and care, has sometimes obtained the desired end.

With respect to feeding the worms; their food should be administered to them early in the morning, and as often as they have finished their former food.

I repeat it — Unclean food, bad air, heavy rains or great heats, and offensive smells, are the causes that bring destruction upon them; and, therefore, whatever of these can, should be pre­vented.

When the worms become transparent, for­sake their food, and keep their now bright heads constantly erected, bushes should be placed among [Page 7] them, ^* (having been cut some time before, that the leaves might have time to shrivel) observ­ing to give the worms sufficient room to work, for if too many are crouded together, then two, three, and sometimes four, will club together to make a cone, and will produce bad silk, and of course of an inferior price.

In three days they will have finished their ball; in which they remain, and undergoe a kind of temporary death, for the space of four­teen days, if the weather does not prove too hot, for in that case they will change to a moth fly in ten, and eat their way through the cone; therefore care should be taken to prevent it.— There are three different methods in practice for killing the worm in the ball; the most simple and easy is, by the heat of the sun, provided the weather is favourable; to accomplish which spread your cocoons on dishes or boards, not very thick, and expose them to the strongest heat of the sun for two or three days, which seldom fails to kill the worm; but if the weather should prove cloudy or very cool, the heat of the sun may not be sufficient; in that case the most eli­gible way is, by baking them in an oven, after the bread is drawn, in dishes, or baskets, tak­ing care that the oven be not so hot as to burn or scorch the silk; after which spread them on a dry cool floor until it is convenient to wind off the silk.

[Page 8]If any cocoons are to be saved for seed against the next season, as many males as females should be chosen. The male is known by making its ball sharp-pointed at one end, and the female round at each end^*. The cocoons for seed should be spread thin in some convenient place, out of the reach of rats, mice, &c. meanwhile a linen cloth should be nail'd against the wall or wainscot, to place the moths upon, which will daily come out of their cones some time after sun-rising, the male will join the female, and ought to remain undisturbed in that state until evening, when they should be separated.

When all the females have finished depositing their eggs upon the cloth^†, they will shortly die. The colour of their eggs at first is a pale yellow: within five or six days after they are laid, this colour changes by degrees to a darker; and then those eggs are said to be of the best sort, which are of a grey ash-colour, inclining to a tarnished purple. If the first colour continues unchanged, it is a certain mark that the eggs are unimpreg­nated and barren. So soon as the eggs have changed to the grey ash-colour, or tarnished pur­ple above described (which is a convincing mark of their being good) the cloth ought to be taken down, folded together, and wrapped in some coarse cloth, to prevent rats and other vermin coming to the eggs, which now must be be put at the bottom of a drawer or box, free from damps and where clean linen is kept, in the coolest part of the house, there to remain un­touched, never to be exposed to the open air until the ensuing season for hatching.