Second. The limit of the culture of the mulberry does not pass beyond that of the cultivation of the grape, and the culture of the former is possible wherever the latter will thrive.

Third. The mulberry can be raised upon the sides of the mountains of Europe up to the point where the mean temperature of the year is 49° Fahrenheit.

Fourth. Climates habitually stormy are not congenial to the breeding of the silk-worm.

Fifth. Places afflicted with fevers (proving the existence of marshy emanations) are pernicious to the silk-worm.

Sixth. This industry is to be considered rather as an adjunct to a large farm than as a chief occupation.

To these principles, given as the natural conditions necessary or hurtful to the industry of silk husbandry, are to be added the not less important questions of the price at which it returns from the hand of the workman in each locality, and of the abundance and scarcity of manual labor. We must, however, remark that the insufficiency of worms and their high price during more than ten years, in consequence of the malady of the precious grub in Europe, allow a remuneration sufficiently high to cover the expenses of the dearest hand labor, especially if we consider that the duration of care and attention which the harvesting of the worms demands does not exceed six weeks, counting from the day of hatching to a period after the warehousing of the cocoons, which latter, according to the best systems in use in Italy and France, can be reeled during the whole year.

PRODUCTION OF RAW SILK.

The production of the cocoons is essentially an agricultural industry, and the winding off the cocoons into raw silk may be considered as semimanual and in part automatic. All the other transformations of the silk, from the throwing to the making of the stuffs, are entirely mechanical. It can hardly be possible that henceforth the United States will not take a large share in the immense industrial and commercial movement to which silk has given rise in the world.

Certain countries, such as Italy and France and the oriental nations in general, employ themselves with all the transformations of silk, from the culture of the mulberry and the breeding of the worm to the manufacture of tissues.

England, (and others follow her example to a limited extent,) although not producing silk on her own soil, yet carries on a most important commerce in that article, by means of her colonies and powerful marine. She develops with equal activity the spinning or throwing of silk thread and the weaving of silk goods.

In a word, nations such as the United States, Switzerland, and. Northern Germany, which are almost exclusively manufacturers, confine themselves to the transformation of silk bought in markets more or less distant.

The aptitudes of manufacturing nations change or are materially modified from time to time. Russia, for example, could, but recently, hardly be ranked among manufacturing nations. The people of that great empire are now making not only rapid progress in the industrial arts, but they have advanced in the south of Russia, on the Caucasus, even to the breeding of silk-worms.1

The production of the silk-worm in that country, since the annexation of trans-Caucasian Asia for example, has been three-fold, though the silk is far from being worked with the requisite care; it being generally irregular and suited only to the most common productions.

In 1865 this part of Russia exported nearly 30,000 kilograms, or 66,155 pounds, representing a sum of about 1,560,000 francs, ($312,000,) that is to say, at the price of about 52 francs the kilogram, whilst that of France and Italy sold for at least double that price.

It is thought that the total silk production of Russia amounted to about 88,000 kilograms, or 194,054 pounds, estimated at a value of about 4,576,000 francs, ($915,200.) This result is far short of the limit which may be ultimately attained both in regard to quantity and price.

Germany and Switzerland have the same tendency, whilst France, the different States of Italy and Spain, in consequence of the scourge which attacked the production at its source some years ago, are becoming almost entirely manufacturing countries, and benefit India and the extreme east by their increasing wants.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain alone seems to profit by fluc tuations so unfavorable to the rest of Europe, and even to America.

English ships go to collect in China, in Japan, at Calcutta, Bombay and elsewhere, the eggs or graines, cocoons, silk, and the waste, to sell again. After having first directly supplied her own manufactories, the surplus is disposed of to her neighbors in Europe; she thus profiting by the transport, warehousing, commissions, brokerage, &c.

Silk forms one of the principal articles of commerce in the business transactions of England with the extreme east.

The following table will show, as near as can be ascertained, the value of raw silk produced annually in the various countries of the earth, and its vast importance as an element of national wealth:

Asia..
Europe.
Africa.

$141, 000, 000 73, 480,000 220,000

The culture of the mulberry tree, the introduction of which into Russia dates from the period of Peter the Great, remained without any great results up to the commencement of the present century.

2 The metrical system being in use in most of the countries from which we have derived ⚫ our information, and constantly tending to extend itself more and more, especially since the international conference at Paris, we have thought it useful and proper to retain in part, for the numbers cited, the franc as the unit of money and the kilogram as the unit of weight.

840,000

Greece, Ionian islands..

Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Mediterranean coast

Basin of the Danube, Austria, Bavaria, Servia, Hungary

India ...
America..

Total....

300,000 1,280, 000

24, 000, 000 80,000

$214, 900, 000

These figures have been greatly reduced during the last few years, as far as concerns the production in Europe. The difference, however, was made up by the quantities received from China, India, Japan, and the Levant.

But those exotic silks are far from being as highly esteemed or as valuable as those of Europe.

The modification in the relative value of silk which has taken place during a century is worthy of note.

A century ago nearly all the silk, or at least five-sixths of the quantity manufactured by French fabricants, came from foreign countries, from the Levant, from Persia, Sicily, Italy, and Spain.

The other sixth only was produced in the south of France. The mean price of French silk was 15 francs the livre, or 30 francs the kilogram, (23 pounds.) Exotic silks were much dearer. The most common foreign raw silk, that of Greece, then brought 120 francs the kilogram; China and India silks, 240 francs; and that of Italy was valued at from 500 to 600 francs.1 But by degrees French silk improved to such an extent

1 These are the prices as published in the price current of the Amsterdam market, where at that period the greatest quantity of foreign silk was sold.

that, in the early part of this century, the price advanced to 70 francs. the kilogram. This rate was maintained almost without variation up to the year 1840; while foreign products were depreciated to such a degree, that the very best quality from the Levant and from Persia sold at 40 francs and the waste at 32 francs.

Italy during this period maintained the elevation in its prices, on account of the very excellent quality of its silks. That was nevertheless surpassed by the French silks, which finally rose from the last to the first rank, which they still maintain.

The raw silks of France, of the first quality, at a later period brought 150 francs, while those of the best kind from Italy realized hardly 100 francs. These results are due entirely to the progress in French manufactures, which has hardly contributed to the extraordinary development of the silk industry that has occurred in that country.

This specialty of silk industry has given to France the importance that the cotton industry has to England.

In this connection it may be profitable to give a rapid sketch (so far as data will permit) of the progressive development of silk culture and manufacture in the principal countries of Europe and Asia. The amounts are given in round numbers, and though obtained from trustworthy sources may be liable to some corrections.

In 1789 France produced 1,000,000 pounds of raw silk. Near the close of the century she consumed about 1,200,000 pounds of silk thread, from which she manufactured from $3,000,000 to $4,000,000,1 (15,000,000 to 20,000,000 of francs.) Of this she purchased about $1,400,000 (7,000,000 of francs) from other countries. The stock of stuff goods consequently amounted to from $4,400,000 to $5,400,000, (22,000,000 to 27,000,000 francs,) of which France exported about one-half to foreign countries.

In 1812 France produced 600,000 pounds of raw silk and 340,000 pounds of organzine, valued at $5,000,000. The same year she imported 900,000 pounds, valued at $6,750,000.

In 1820 it is estimated that French manufacturers transformed $10,000,000 (50,000,000 francs) of materials, of which one-half was fur nished by the southern departments. The goods produced from these materials represented a value of more than $20,000,000, (100,000,000 francs,) of which $14,000,000 (70,000,000 francs) were consumed at home, and $6,000,000 (30,000,000 francs) were exported.

As first in importance we begin with France.

PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SILK INDUSTRY.

FRANCE.

In 1812 the silk looms in seven of the principal towns of the empire numbered 27,000. In 1824 Lyons alone had nearly 25,000. In 1839 the number in Lyons had increased to 40,000, and in the whole kingdom to

85,000, employing about 170,000 workmen. In the latter year the entire production was estimated at $46,300,000.

In 1850 the business had largely increased. The value of raw silk grown in the kingdom was $28,000,000, (140,000,000 francs.) The capital employed, $50,000,000, (250,000,000 francs,) the amount imported being $22,000,000.

The silk goods produced were valued at $75,000,000, (375,000,000 francs,) of which about one-third were consumed at home and two-thirds exported.

In 1855 the value of silk goods sold was estimated at $106,500,000, of which about $26,500,000 was imported. The home consumption was $35,000,000, and the export was about $71,500,000. The number of silk looms in the empire was about 225,000. The number of persons engaged in this industry was upwards of half a million.

In 1860 the value of French silks amounted to upwards of $140,000,000, (700,000,000 francs,) and yet this was not sufficient to supply the demand. France purchased in foreign countries $40,000,000, (200,000,000 francs,) chiefly of piece goods, velvets, and ribbons. Of this $180,000,000 France exported about $110,000,000, (550,000,000 francs.)

These totals were reduced at the outbreak of the American rebellion. France restricted to a marked degree her purchases of silks. The United States purchased from France of silk tissues alone, in 1859, $27,600,000, (138,000,000 francs;) in 1860, $20,800,000, (104,000,000 francs,) but in 1861 only $5,000,000, (25,000,000 francs.)

Subsequently the business increased, the Lyons exports of silks to the United States in 1865 amounting to $9,900,000, and in 1866 to $6,000,000. Though the rebellion has been suppressed, the fiscal measures resulting therefrom still have their effect upon the silk husbandry and manufacture of France, operating as they do at the same period with the scarcity of indigenous silk, and the prevalence of mysterious disease among the silk-worms, which has by no means disappeared, and to which special reference will be hereafter made.

GREAT BRITAIN.

When the Duke of Parma sacked the city of Antwerp, in 1585, its silk artificers fled to England, carrying with them their experience and skill in this novel branch of industry. It was encouraged by the English government, but the humid climate being unfavorable to the rearing of the grub, it was not specially successful.

On the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in 1685, some 75,000 of the most skilful artisans of France took refuge in Great Britain, among whom were a large body of silk weavers, who settled in Spitalfields, (then a London suburb,) and under the fostering care of the Crown they and their children plied their vocation with success for a century and more, some of their descendants remaining in the same locality to this day.

For 30 or 40 years after immigration England was wholly dependent