The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1882. SERICICULTURE.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 577, 24 January 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1882. SERICICULTURE.

Mr Piter could not have s.-iid a wiser thin.?, though ho might have said a newer, when he stated at Mr Williams' dinner on Friday that we should not put all our eggs into one basket. The misfortunes that befell livland from her devotion to potatoes were terrible indeed, and a fall in the price of cheese has a really disastrous effect on the Peninsula, and caused no little trouble la t year. As Mr Piper, however, still farther remarked, depression has many and great me , for it tea. lies us to loo;< round and devise new menus of prosperity, or, in other words, to [nit our eggs in a greater v.iriety of baskets. One of the new baskets that appears to us to promise best is sericiculture, that is, the growing of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkwo ms, for which this warm, sheltered nook of New Zealand appears to be specially adapted. One of its most important features is that it interferes with no established industry. A farnici* need not keep a cow, or a sheep, or a pig the less, but only a few silkworms more. The trees, which are raised easily from seed, and can bo propagated by cuttings like willows, will flourish in most situations. They can be planted round a boundary fence or paddock, like a gum or poplar, and, like them, be useful both as shade for all stock in the heal of summer, and rubbing posts for the cattle all the year round. In Italy they grow along th: sides of tho roads, in the gardens, in plantations-—everywhere. When planted in garden?*, they allow of cultivation under them to a greater extent than other trees, their roots appearing to take little nourishment from the sin face soil, and their leaves being stripped from the trees in ihe spring and early summer for tho worms.

It ther fore follows that the first task, that of cultivating ford for 'he silkworms, is an easy one, and wo now come to the rearing of the insects themselves Here, again, the industry appears peculiarly suited to our req/iiremcnts. The eggs are hatched about October, and the last of the cocoons arc all spun, the grain deposited, and the work cf the year completed, early in December, that is, before the busy grass-seed time com-' nionees. Again, it is work that a child can undertake, the system ia so simple, requiring no skilled labor. The worms have to bo fed five times a day, that i.s all, ami the feeding times can be so arranged that tiie children doing it need not stop away a day from school. Another great point in it is, that the woi-a is light and easy, requiring no strength, and therefore having no ill effects on growing children. L, is, in fact, a most healthful, interesting occupation, only exacting ordinary care.

The next thing is, what is the profit likely to accrue if the industry is established ? There appears to b •■ a u;ost satisfactory answer to be made to this question. Mr Fedcrli's figures are as follows for one acre of ground .-—GOO mulbei-'-y trees, at Gd each, £15 ; preparing- ground, £2 ; planting, £o ; gi-itin, 2oz, £1 12s ; trays. £3 ; wage,; for v/uuinn for five weeks, £5 ; lor man for two weeks, £-1 ; other small item:, say, £1 10s. It will in; seen, therefore, that the first expense el' plaining an acre, supposing lab--,;- to Ire empioyod, is £20 ; but of course ;i i'-ini'ier on a small ipbicc of his own could do it at odd times, aud there would tii'.-n Ire only tiie trees to pay for. Thu current expends, for the silkworm-*' eggs*, tray-, wages, o:<:. ; are calculated to cod. .:,:eait £15 ];«<• annum; but ef :h-.*s- iUms, agaui. £1. 12s for tho grain is oil that need absolutely be laid mi. It is <■■'■* Lim;t!.«d that the" worms from iln-- two ounces of seed will produce IG'.H'ts of cocoon:* (Mr Federli says in this part of Ihe Colony they will yield 2001b-;), wide;., vi lis per lb, will viv'c a total of £G I- I thus leaving an enormous profit. Nothing has been said of erecting bin Mings for th-.- worms, which can, for the fir.-t few years, at any rut.-, he kept in tie kit..-: ■-.■;; or euyrooni. j without being any incouvv-mi-'uee, for j they are of sloliwul habitf;, and never i str'.ry from iheir food. At the same j time we may mention that "die boxes in j which they are pla-ced can. be made of j the roughest materials, the only ins- | pwttant point being that the trays should be perforated at the bottom to allow I iiioistui" to escape, j

But tiiere is another way of making (hem even more protitnuie ihun this, and that is, by saving the grain, nnd making the silk a secondary consideration. The raising of healthy silkworms has become

impossible in Europe, owing to a prevailing disease, and the consequence is, they have yearly to import the whole of their grain from Japan, and even there an epidemic is said to bo spreading. In New Zealand, however, they seem to be perfectly healthy, and, like all newly acclimatised animals, will probably remain free Ironi disease for some years to come, and if so, there is an opportunity for a grear, harvest to be reaped, for we understand' the grain is at least fout times as profitable as the silk. There is no limit 10 the demand, nnd whon we state that the proceeds of the silk grown in Italy alone during one year exceeded £18,000,000, we have said enough. | What we advocate i**, a fair and impartial trial on a small scale. We are not anxious to see cows and sheep sold, and mulberry trees planted in thousands. What we want to see is, a few trees planted by each farmer, and a few worms raised. If year by year this g»cs on, and is found profitable, we shall gradually found an md istry destined, we believe, to eventually assume great importance. Our farms are so close and so fully stocked, that at present many ot the sons and daughters bom to ris have to leave us to seek their fortunes elsewhere, and this industry should find a warm advocate in the hearts of the mothers and fathers of the county, from the one fact that if established,'it will enable them to keep many of their dear ones from straying away into the world. It is only possible, in the limits of an article like the present, to superficially glance at the subject, but we are so much interested in it that we intend returning to it again and again. We sincerely hope that Mr Federh's advertisement, appearing elsewhere, will be warmly responded to, so that many may acquire thoroughly the requisite knowledge for raising from the tiny Japanese eggs v great source of wealth and prosperity for the county of Akaroa.