The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-09-01
Curlosiiles Of the Cocoon and Mysteries
OF SILK Culture.

culture in all its branches, and the pro-
cess of spinning silk from the cocoon, /
is ,horoughly illustrated in the Brazilian ,
section OF Machinery Hall. Although I.
Brazil makes no specially OF the manu-
facture Of silk, the exhibit is the only |
practical illustration of the kind In the T,
Exhibition. Silk-worms, from birth 10
extreme old age, are there greedily de-
youring mulberry leaves from trees
grow ing on the grounds. They seek
this food As they are born, although
they are then only about one-seYenth OF
an inch long. Their appearance at
this stage i that Of meat "skippers'
blackened. For the first three days ot
their life they are fed with the tender
est leaves, the quantity being increased
with their growth. When twenty-five
DAYS old their length is about one and
a-half inches, and their appearance
that of caterpillar made OF white
lead. Instead of mulberry tree, the
worms are KEEP, IN an upright wooden
structure, with openings very closely
resembling holes in miniature pigeon
boxes. Each OF these openings Is intend
ed to receive a cocoon. ON the twenty
fifth day the worm, or larva, i about
two inches long and OF yellowish-
white color. At the end of the twenty
sixth its commanding Of mulberry
leaves is over forever, and II begins 10
build coffin around itself. The sub
stance forming
THE FIBER
is supplied from gland Of the insect,
lust a. the material for a SPIDERS web
is furnished. At first the worm fastens
the fibers from top 10 bottom and from
side 10 side of It's little pigeon-hole at
perceptible distances, but gradually the
web grows denser, until the worm occu-
pies y cavity only little larger than IT.
self in the middle Of the mass. II then
begins to weave around itself the cocoon
proper, which resembles 4 grOundnut
shell in both size and form, varying IN
color according to the species OF worm,
and being rs firm Is If composed OF hall
dozen thicknesses of newspaper, past
ed together. The cocoon is generally
white, or of yellowish shade. Ii Is
finished al the end OF twelve DAYS alter
the worm begins TO work. During the
next twelve DAYS the larva undergOes q
metamorphosis, and becomes a chry-
sails, remaining torpid until the end OF
this period, when il becomes a moth,
and withlits antennG breaks through the
sunlight in the form of a"miller' but
, terfiv. Male and female mate, eggs are
laid. and after a life OF twenty-eigh'
hours the s'miller" dies. These egg'
are of the size of cabbage seeds, anC
each female "miller" lays about 800 81
them. In color they are al first yellow
, ish, becoming, in turn, brown, blacl
and white, during their Matching, which
/, is effected by the sun, or moderate ar
, tiicial heat.
, THE MATCHING
= requires from ten TO twelve days, at tn
end of which time the little black worn
n mentioned at the beginning of this de
n scription appears and sets at once To de
youring the mulberry leaves. 4 cocoon
3, broken open by the "miller' is worth
e less. The moth is not allowed to Sc,
daylight unless it is needed for produc
: ton of the race. The cOcoons destine,
e for silk-making are submitted 10 a stean
e bath soon after they have formed. Thi
n kills the worm without harming the silk
= The cocoons are then ready to be spu
= into hanks Of raw silk. Each cOcoo
j. contains from three fourths Of mile Z
ID mile Of fiber The spinning operation
exhibited is a Brazilian invention, YER
II ingenious, and attracts throngs OF spec
e tators every day, Chinese and French
- men seeming To be particularly inter
ested, q Circumstance accounted for b
the fact that China and France lead i
the production and manufacture of sill
They do not seem to relish the fact tbs
ut the silk-worm in Brazil yields from II
:, to eight times a year, while in Chin
r. and Europe II yields only once or t"ic
nj in the same time.
y UNRAvELISG CoCooSs.
IN The cocoOns, containing the dea
"a chrysales, are put into metal-line
.; basin, supplied with cold water, whic
- is heated 10y steam to "a degree sutlicieI
- TO soften the gummy substance. causin
81 the iibres Of the cocoon To adhere
oI one another. The cocoon is then readil
unrayeled. The outer ends of the fibr,
are gathered 10y gently beating tf
floating mass with a stiii brush. Tw
sets, each composed of ten fibres, al
passed through two porcel lin discs, {
buttons, used as guides. Passing "a
TX ward the sets cross each other and the
{ ends are passed through two loops in
N little reel which revOlves by clock-wor
Y and then through two inches in tv
of heart-shaped glass plates, fitted in
sr loops at the end Of spiral spring
- Passing from these loops the sets aga
"a cross, run through two wire loops Sc