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unhappy economic predicament .
During the next few months the paper
pressed the industry strongly in numerous articles , taking its information
from a pamph let pub lished in Victoria. ''The Silkworm - its Advantages
and how it can be introduced into Australia" by Nevery .
To the Mercurv· ' s
chagrin , however, the idea caught on very slowly ; Hall, on the contrary ,
was most enthusiastic, researching every aspect of the industry relative
to Tasmania.
In late November, 1861, the Inspector of Schools , Stutzer,
in an address to the Royal Society on sericulture disclosed that about
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five hundred cuttings taken from the mulberrytree in the Botannical Gardens
by the curator, F. Abbott (Junior) , were thriving , and it was planned to
transfer them to the Orphan School grounds to establish the industry there.
Immediately a spate of articles on sericulture appeared in the press ,
including five long communications from Hall on December 17 and 28,
January 10, 1862, February 1 and March 8 respectively, embracing the
results of his research.
On March 14, his and Stutzer's efforts were
publicly recognized.
Both to Dr Hall and to Mr Stutzer the pub lic thanks are due ,
for practical efforts to promote the introduction into the
colony of this new branch of industrial enterprise and we
trus t the result of labors prompted by a generous anclunselfish
interest in the prosperity of Tasmania, will be the establishment
of a new occupation for the people, and a large and profitable
addition to the trading resources of the colony. 7
Despite further lectures by Stutzer in 1862 and a "most interesting and
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informative" presentation of all stages of silkworm culture at the Art
Treasures Exhibition in Hobart Town in January ,
1863 , by Hall's teenage
son, Leventhorpe,8 enthusiasm for sericulture slowly died, possibly due
to the failure of the young mulberry trees , or more likely still, to human
apathy .
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Mercury, March 14 , 1862 .
Mercury , January 1, 1863 .
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