Mulberry Trees and Silk in the South
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Honoring this year's theme of celebrating a bit of Provence in the American South, let's talk about mulberry trees and their by-product, silk. Yes, they have delicious berries, which we discussed a while ago, but mulberry trees were mainly grown in hopes of establishing a thriving industry centered upon sericulture (growing silk).
Which "South" are we talking about? First, let's discuss the silk industry in the South of France, Provence. Then, we will talk about attempts at a silk industry in the other South of the United States.
Sericulture in the South of France
Lyon tends to get the lion's share of attention when it comes to historical silk production. While it is technically in the upper southeastern/central part of France, there were numerous early silk-producers along the Rhone River. Their efforts were encouraged by the likes of King Henri IV and famed agriculturist Olivier de Serres during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Interestingly, the historical name for the silkworm in Provence was "magnan" which means being a glutton! That is because the silkworms eat an enormous amount of mulberry leaves, day and night. The silkworms were raised by women known as "magnanarelles." They passed on their skills to other girls, providing a source of income in villages with few resources. The industry thrived until the late 1800's, but it eventually diminished. For example, only two silk weavers were left in Avignon in 1912. More details can be found in a book entitled Les Tissus de Provence by Roseline Boucher. It was published in 1999, and it continues to be an excellent source.
Reading further about silk production in Provence, the author describes the demise of the industry when aeration issues caused disease and decline in the silkworm population. Drastic measures were taken, such as importing more mulberry tree seeds. Louis Pasteur, the well-known microbiologist, was consulted. Even "la baronne de Pagès" attempted to help. Not only was she a baroness, but she was the great-niece of a another well-known inventor named Philippe de Girard. She introduced more disease-resistant silkworms, but they produced rather coarse silk. Eventually, the United States would catch up to these attempts, becoming a leader in raw silk production.
Sericulture in the Southern United States
According to this article by North Carolina State University, James I of England tried to coerce 17th-century Virginia settlers to raise mulberry trees. Fines were even stipulated if settlers refused to grow a specified number of trees for making silk. However, it was considered too labor-intensive, and tobacco remained the most popular crop to raise. Further attempts to grow the trees in Georgia and South Carolina were also disappointing. Cotton and rice, respectively, were popular crops at the time. Despite expertise from Huguenot settlers, silk was not produced on a large-enough scale to justify investments in mulberry trees. Just as one would expect from a country getting ready to celebrate its 250th birthday, not everyone was so easily deterred, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries.
There is another interesting article describing the history of silk production by Gabriel Morbeck for Philadelphia's Bartram Garden. Apparently, making silk was all the rage during Revolutionary times in the United States. William Bartram, one of the famous Bartrams associated with Bartram Garden, stumbled upon a large mulberry tree farm while exploring the southeastern part of the country. Native and cultivated varieties were grafted together. Not everyone was as optimistic as this farmer. The likes of Benjamin Franklin noted that special expertise and labor would be needed to sustain the silk industry in the fledgling country. Despite the odds, the United States eventually found success many years later.
Now you know part of the reason why high-quality silk commands high prices, even today. Let's not forget the taste of mulberries, either, as briefly discussed in the article Les Mûriers, which is the French word for mulberries. If you decide to plant a mulberry tree, just know that you may not get a chance to enjoy the fruit, because the birds always seem to get the delicious morsels first!
