foe
young’s travels in francs.
congrefs in the thirteenth century; it was then the moft celebrated tree for fize andage in the Milanefe, and mult therefore be immenfely old at prefent. It is now in goodhealth, except a few branches that have fuffered a little towards the top ; it is ninebraccia in circumference.
Nice.-*- Eight roups of cocoons, or eighty-four pounds, make twenty-four pounds offilk (eleven ounces and a half), which fells at 10 livres $f. the pound ; a roup of leavesfells at 20 J. and two hundred and fifty roup are neceffary for eight ounces of grain(eggs).
Coni. —The whole country, after afeending the Alps, is planted with mulberriesaround every field, and if large, in lines acrofs. I remarked great numbers from tento fifteen years old.
To Chentale, one ounce of grain requires three hundred and fixty roup of leaves ;each roup twenty-five pounds, and yields four or five roups of bozzoli or cacata (cocoons),and one roup of cockoons makes three pounds of filk. The price of organzine 20livres to 24 livres per pound; the offal pays the fpinning. Gathering the leaves cofts2 f to 2 >f the roup.
Chentale. —The feed of the mulberry is fown in nurferies, and the trees commonlyplanted out at four years old. The firft, fecond, and third year, they are pruned, forgiving the branches the right form ; the fourth, they begin to gather leaves. Somewhich were fhewn me by the Count de Bonaventa, of eighteen years old, give fix, feven,and to eight rubbii of leaves each. One old tree, a very extraordinary one, has givenfifty-three roups. A large tree, of fifty or fixty years, commonly yields twenty-fiverubbii. They never dig around them, nor wafh the Items, as in Dauphine ; but theyhave a practice, not of equal merit, which is to twift ftraw-bands around the Items, todefend them againft the fun. For one ounce of grain fixty-five to eighty rubbii ofleaves are neceffary, which give two and a half rubbii of cocoons, and fometimes fofar as four. One rubbio of cocoons yields twenty to twenty-one ounces of filk organ-zine, of the price of 18 livres per pound. For gathering the leaves, from 1 /. 8 den.to 2 f the rubbio is given. The offal [jnorefca and, chocata) pays the winding and fpin-ning. They never hatch the worms by artificial heat, ufing that of the fun, or of thehuman body. The common method of carrying on the bufinefs is to provide, as inFrance , grain and mulberries, and to receive half the cocoons. The cultivation is foprofitable, that there are many lands to which mulberries add a value of 200 livres,or 300 livres, more than they would fell for if they contained none ; and it is fartherthought, that they are little injurious to corn, the fhade not being fo prejudicial as thatof the walnut, and of fome other trees. The common efiimation of profit is, that treesof all ages yield from the time of beginning to bear, from 30^ to 4 livres each, nett tothe landlord for his half produce.
Turin . —One ounce of grain gives two to four rubbii of cocoons, and demands onehundred and twenty rubbii of leaves; one rubbio of cocoons will give twenty-two ounces ofcommonly well fpun filk. The price of grain 12 livres the ounce when very fcarce, butin common 30/; that of leaves 7 or 8/ per rubbio. Cocoons, 21 livres per rubbio. WhenI afked the price of the filk, the anfiwer was, Oh! for that, it is the price the Englifh choofeto pay for it. 1 h^ common price of organzine, 16 to 20 livres, firft quality; raw,. 2 livres.For gathering the leaves, 2 Jf. per rubbio is given. Of the different forts of mulberry, thewild is the beft, in point of quality of filk. A tree of twenty years will give twenty-four
or