hubert howe bancroft - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History ...

U CEREAU3 ASD OTHER PRODUCTS.
The sericultural babble was followed by an equally
costly, though less wide-epread fiasco in tobacco. Its
cultivation had early commended itself to in wandering
southerners, but the diy climate was found to be detrimental
to the quality. J. D. Culp sought a remedy
for the defect in a patent process for curing the leaf
which was claimed by the inventor to be economic as
well as improving to the flavor. A company undertook
in 1872 to cany out the idea on a large scale without
due preliminary experiments. The process proved
less satisfactory than expected, and reckless management
assisted to bring about failure and discouragement,
so that production fell from 1,240,000 pounds
in 1874 to 73,000 in 1879, yet not without the prospect
of a gradual revival under growing experience. 10
latter part of the seventies led MrsT. HitteU in 1890 to organise the Silk Coltare
Association, and to give fresh impulse to the industry, especially among
women. Within a brief period more than half of the counties in the state
gave evidence of participation on a small scale, the state created a board of
silk culture, with an appropriation of $5,000 toward establishing a filature.
A school was establish**!, in which young women were tanght reeling and
other arts, and two factories arranged to offer them employment. Greater
attention is given to cultivating the superior moms alba tree for annual
cocoons, so that the CaL silk by 18*8 was rising in favor, and the prospects
for an expansion of the industry was promising. Hoag states that in 1868 be
cleared $3,920 from Z\ acres, while the expense amounted to only $472. The
receipts came mainly from eggs sold at $4 per ounce. He i*»lmli» ird that even
the low Japanese silk would at $7 per Ib. yield $4,480 per acre, less an expense
of $2,140, of which $800 was for cultivating land and feeding, $50 for rent of
land and cocoonery, and $1,290 for reeling 640 lbs. of silk by girls or Chinamen
at $1 a day. A yard of silk dress goods weighing 3 ounces costs the
European manufacturer $2.15; import duty and freight brings the price in
8. F. to over $4, leaving a wide margin for higher wages. CaL SL Agric
8oc9 Tram*, 1866; p. 452; 1S68-9, p. 231-6. The California £ift-?rotrcrv*
Mammal, 14 et seq., states that 5 acres may be safely calculated to yield 4,000
lbs. of cocoons, worth $1,400, and that the profit cannot fall below $425. For
extent of culture and methods, see, further, Sac Umom, Jan. 1, 1884; 8. F.
CaU. Apr. 21, 1883; Nov. 9, Dec 9, 1884; S. F. BmlMm, Jan. 20, 1882; 8. F.
Ckrtm., Feb. 8, June 4, 1881; Col. Be*., March 1881: Cnmm CaL, 3S&-5; CaL
Farmer, Dec 9, 1868; Sept. 16, 1869; May 19, 1870, etc, See also under
manufactures, this history.
19 As early as 1854 a number of planters were raising the leaf. The rise
in prices with the outbreak of the union war in 1861 gave a stimulus which
blinded farmers to the mediocrity of results so far, and opened a large area
to the plant, notably in the Napa and Russian River regions. See county
histories for Mmdodwa, Bmttc Sta Barbara, Lot AwjdtM; Alia CaL, June £
1854; Oct. 28, 1857; Feb. 1, 1859; March 11, July 17, Sept. 22, 1861; Aug.
2, 20, 1862; Feb. 14-15, May, 3» June 22, 1863; Jan. 2, March 13, 1872;
8ept. 7, 1873, etc; Sac Umiom, Feb. 22, Apr. 3, May 18, June 6, Sept. 13,
Oct. 31, 1855; Feb. 13, 1856; Apr. 22, 1858; Nov. 12, 1861; Sept. 17, 1863*
etc Unfortunately the dryness of the climate proved detrimental to th*