The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-11-29
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A Chapter Oh SILK.
SILkWOENS,

Silkworms-the most precious of ill.,
sccts-whose produce holds so important
a place amongst the luxuIits Of modern
life, were first rendered Serviceable to man
Nv the Chinese, nearly five thousand
years, ago. Their most ancient authori-
ties represent the empresseS Of China as
surrounded by their women, engaged in
the occupation Of Matching and rearing
silkworms, and in weaving tissues for
their produce To the empress Selling
>hec is commonly ascribed the honor Of
having first observed the silk produced
by the worms, of unravcling their CO.
coons, and working their fine flamcnt
intr web of cloth.
From China, tEc art of rearing silk
worms passed into India and Persia
The production Of silk was unknown in
Europe, however, until the middle Of the
sixth century, when two monks who had
long resided in China, succeeded in car
ryng some of the eggs of the insect, con-
cealed in hollow cane, to Constantine
pie, where under their directions, the
eggs were hatrhed by artificial heat the
worms were fed by leaves of the mulberry
tree, and lived and labored, and by the
use of proper means. the race was prOpa-
gated and multiplied. The silk.worm in
lis caterpillar state, which may be con-
>idered as the first stage of its existence,
after acquiring its full growth-about
three inches in length-proceedS to en-.
close itself in all oval-shapcd bail or co.
coon, which is formed by an exceedingly
slender and long tiliamcnt of fine yellow
silk, emitted from the stomach Of tie in
sect preparatory to its assuming the
shapes OF the chrvsalis and moth. In
th, latter stag, after emancipating itself
from its silktn prison, it seeks its mate,
which has undergone similar tranStor-
nation; and in two or three days after
ward, the female having deposited her
cgCS-from three hundred to five hun
drcd in number both insects terminate
their existence. Twenty,four thousand OF
these eggs weigh Il quarter of an ounce ;
the worm lives from forty five to fifty
three days, increasing in weight nine
thousand five hundred fold in thirty
days, and during the last twtnty-cight
days of its life eats nothing. For seven
hundred and Thirty nine pounds of mul
berry leaves seventy pounds of cocoonS
are obtained; one hundred pounds OF
cocoons give eight and onc-half pounds OF
spun silk, and one pound of cocoons will
produce single thread Of eighty eight
thousand fathoms in length.
PECULIARITIEs OF SILK.
One circumstance distinguishes silk
from the other three great sources Of tex
tile fabrics, namely, the silk is already a
continuous tilament before it reaches the
hand Of the manufacturer, whereas, cot
ton, wool and flax are all short in the
fibre, and these tibrcs all have to be com
bincd end to end by spinning. The lit
Iie t;;t,eei- :; ocy7in, iAtS0t LpS,7, Walking q
warm habitation for himself wraps Ol
builds around him the cocoon or small
egg g-shaped hollow envelop, fabricated by
one very long and eXquisitcly fine fila
ment of silk. These tilaments the silk
growers unwind by various ingenious
means, and many tilaments are then com
bined into one, to form thread sufii
ciently strong to form into hanks oI
skeins. 1t then follows that the twisting
and spinning machinery differs from thai
employed for the other three kinds o.
fibre mentioned. The silk is transferred
Fl ON hanks to reels, round which it i.
wound, and doubled, and wound again
and transferred from one machine to ap
other, until there is sufficient thickness
to form a thread for weaving or sewing
and sufficient twist to give it strength
NJ. Nourrigat, French silk weaver
placed twenty-fuur ounces of silk-Worn
eggs under proper treatment, and found
that the worms consumed many hundred
weight of mulberry leaves, and produced
thirty.two hundred weight of cocoonS, o
the value Of some fifteen hundred dollars
From this it would appear that one ounce
weight of these little eggs has in it The
value, capable Of being developed, o
more than sixty dollars worth of silk
The quantity Of the material used in Eng
land alone, is enormous, amounting ir
each year Of more than four millions o
pounds weight; consequently, fourteen
thousand millions Of animated creature.
annually live and die to supply that lit
tie corner of the world with luxury.
DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF SILK.
All silk is essentially the same, al
though there is great difference in it.
value and quantity, even from the SAM
breed of worms. The different appear
ances which it exhibits, under vaiiOu!
forms, are owing to the processes which
it undergoes to adapt it to different pur
poses. Raw silk is produced by tho op
Grafton Of winding of, at the same tune
several Of the balls or cocoons-whicl
are e:nersed in warm water to soften tn