Page:The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous substances 2.djvu/252



feed. I have supplied an order of the peanut variety of eggs, to go to Guatemala; and Canton seed, of my own raising, to go to Rio; and now have an order for a number of the genuine Canton mulberry trees, roots, or cuttings, to go to Lima, where the applicant went on business, a few years since, taking with him a few multicaules, at $2 each—now multiplied to 50,000; who, without any practical knowledge of raising trees, reeling and manufacturing silk, or having seen a silk-worm or reel until he introduced them in 1843, has now presented me with beautiful samples of floss cocoons, reeled and sewing silk, done by ladies as a diversion, without any assistance, and very little instruction from him. The silk is of good quality. Samples had been sent by a mercantile house in Lima to England, for an opinion of the quality; but no return had been received when he came away. He has come to this place with a native Spaniard, to obtain more perfect information in all the branches of reeling, twisting, coloring(!), &c.; to procure machinery, with a view of enlarging operations, so that he might turn off twenty-five pounds per day of sewings, cords, braids, &c. He represents the climate and soil as adapted to the culture of silk, and could feed every month in the year; that the necessaries of living are procured with but little labor; that the laboring population are indolent, the wealthy classes too proud to labor. He feels confident of success, and that he can introduce habits of industry by silk culture, that would counteract their natural indolence; and he will inform me of his success in due time, that may be more interesting than speculations upon what he intends doing. He has engaged several to perfect themselves in reeling, &c., to accompany him when he returns to Lima with his machinery. He has become so satisfied with the superiority of the genuine Canton mulberry, that he has engaged to take it on with him for propagation and use.

"I have letters from widely different locations, rendering favorable accounts of this year's success in growing silk, and in corroboration of the prevalent opinion that the silk cause will finally prevail. I have several letters on this subject—one from a gentleman presiding over one of our most eminent liter