Synopsis
A Manual Containing Information Respecting The Growth Of The Mulberry Tree: With Suitable Directions For The Culture Of Silk. In Three Parts — Jonathan Holmes Cobb. This volume surveys practical methods for cultivating silkworms and producing silk in early America, combining agricultural instruction with policy context. Part I covers the mulberry tree, its varieties, propagation (by seed, cuttings, and layers), soil and nursery management, hedges, standard trees, pruning, grafting, and transplanting, with historical notes on European and Chinese varieties. Part II details rearing silk worms, including eggs, hatching, feeding regimens, moult cycles, disease prevention, cocoon preparation, and the economics of leaves and labor, offering yield calculations and management strategies. Part III discusses reeling and manufacturing silk, detailing reels, throwsting, dyeing, and the prospects for a national silk industry, including early American filature efforts and advocacy for governmental support. The text blends hands?on cultivation with broader economic and policy considerations of silk in the United States.
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