SERICULTURE. Autograph manuscript by Fortuné BRÈS... Lot 397

SERICULTURE. Autograph manuscript by Fortuné BRÈS fils in Peipin (Basses-Alpes), [circa 1900]; 24 pages in-8 (enclosed a sheet of Fortuné Brès Fils letterhead). Manuscript on silkworm cultivation by a "silkworm seed" merchant. In his Preface, Brès states that he wishes to "demonstrate how favorable a good rearing process has been to the educators of the Alps; and how a well-preserved seed can influence good success". 5 chapters follow. The first recalls the scourges that befell sericulture until Pasteur's work... Chap. 2 is entitled: How the old breed has been preserved in the Alps. In chap. 4, the "Brès fils de Peipin breeding method" is explained: preparation of the workshop, incubation, space to be given to the worms, and so on.