Some individuals were successful in producing silk in America, as Anne Clark’s letter from September, 1833, notes (on page 90 of the New England Farmer), but they were the exception to the rule. The advice offered in this article and the bills passed in state legislatures helped promote the manufacture of silk and many New Englanders attempted to enter the industry, but a huge speculative bubble occurred in 1838-39 around the sale of mulberry trees that ruined many potential farmers in the northeast. The silk industry in America finally failed after several hard winters and a devastating blight in 1844.
Fessenden, Thomas Green. “Manufacture of Silk Not New in New England.” George C. Barrett, October 2, 1833. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l02-062/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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