Mulberry Trees and Silkworms: The Story of Sericulture in Early Virginia Which Begins at Jamestown in 1608-1609
Hatch CE. 1953. Mulberry Trees and Silkworms: The Story of Sericulture in Early Virginia Which Begins at Jamestown in 1608-1609. Cultural Landscape Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
This is a study of the attempts to establish sericulture in early Virginia, the industry which concerns itself with the raising of silkworms under domesticated conditions including the feeding and care of the worms, production of cocoons, harvesting of silk fiver, and measures necessary to insure stock for succeeding crops. The activity began at Jamestown, Virginia in 1608 and was continued experimentally for three quarters of a century. This report identified how and where sericulture was part of the agricultural and industrial beginnings of Colonial National Historical Park. The mulberry tree, essential food for the silkworm, grew here naturally in quantity and size. The attempt at sericulture represents one of the first economic efforts of settlers in the colonies. It occasionally producing measurable results, yet never succeeding commercially. The report includes information about the development of the practice, notable places and individuals, and its associated features, such as silkworm houses, mulberry trees, and equipment.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Hatch, Charles
- Date of Issue
- 1953-11
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- COLO , NER
- Keywords
- agriculture, Bellfield, colonial era, cultivation, economics, Edward Digges, George Sandys, horticulture, industry, Moore House, morus rubra, plantation, red mulberry, silk, William Berkeley, Yorktown