The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous ... - Cd3wd.com

ITS FITNESS FOR MAKING CLOTH. 215
ary institutions, under date of June, 1844. Discoursing about
the culture of silk, he writes as follows
" ' If this earnest waking up to a scientific and practical con-
sideration of the subject be not soon crowned with signal suc-
cess, it will not be for want of enterprize or skill in our country-
men, but merely from the high price of labor here, compared
with the scanty wages given in other silk-growing countries.
Even this consideration, though it may retard for a while the
complete success of tliis department of productive industry, will
not prevent its ultimate triunn'ph^
"Another gentleman, under date of August, 1844, writes
from the far West, ' that the soil and climate of the Western
and South-western States are admirably suited to the growth
of the mulberry and raising silk-worms,' and that ' eventually
the two great staples of the Western and South-western States
will be silk and wooV It is the opinion of competent skilful
silk manufacturers, who have made critical experiments upon
the Pongee-silk (so called) of foreign make, by tests which they
consider satisfactory and decisive, that it is only a vegetable
jjrodnction, and that the material was never operated upon by
the silk-woi'm[l). There can be no reasonable doubt about the
ultimate success of silk-culture in some future years ; but to
accelerate that desirable event, which may constitute an import-
ant American staple for revenue (which might not only enrich
the Government, but reward the labor of personal enterprize),
a bounty is deemed necessary to stimulate and encourage that
portion of the agricultural population whose circumstances or
health disqualifies them for the more laborious exercises of the
fields, to commence operations upon a new and untried crop.
Our extensive imports of raw and manufactured silks are encouraged
by us as consumers, instead of being producers. We
now contribute to support foreign enterprize and industry, to
produce the article of silk, which we might, with proper encour-
agement, raise ourselves, not only for our own consumption, but
for exportation."
Very respectfully, yours, &c.
Henry L. Ellsworth. Esq., Daniel Stebbins.
Commissioner of Patents.
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