The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-10
A Consignment of Silk. Worms.

A consignment of silk-worm's eggs,
believed to be one of the largest that
has ever passed through this city, ar
rived by the way of the Pennsylvania
Railroad on Friday night from Yoko-
hama, Japan, UtG San Francisco, and
will be transferred to the outgoing
steamer for Havre, the Amerique, in
time for shipment at two p. m. on We'd
nesday. The cargo filled six cars, and
its value is stated by the agent who re-
ceived it as about $850,000. The eggs
are all products of Japanese nurseries
situated in the vicinity of Yokohama,
and have been collected and consigned
to silk-growers in France and Italy by
agents of theirs stationed at that point.
The use of the route ola San Francisco
and New York, in preference to that
by way of the Indian Ocean, the Suez
Canal, and the Mediterranean Sea, is
comparatively so experimental that the
agent opened several of the cases yes
terday after the unloading and hand
ling had commenced, and inspected
their contents with some curiosity. The
Larvae were in excellent condition in
every instance, and silk men who in
spected them pronounced the expert
ment success and the route practical
BILE, Notwithstanding the necessity for
unloading and handling at San Fran
cisco and New York.
The mode of packing these delicate
objects is so simple as to be worth de-
scribing. The cases employed are
about three feet long by little more
than one foot in width and rather less
than one foot in height, leaving a Gu
bical capacity of about dozen feet.
One of these cases is capable of con-
tanning 100000 eggs. Parallelograms
of cardboard are cut so as to fit the
cases, and coated with gum to render
the eggs adherent. They are minute
bodies just visible to the unaided eye,
and bearing vague resemblance to
specks of dust. When thus coated with
adherent eggs, the strips of cardboard
are carefully packed, with layers of It's
sue paper between them, to prevent in
jury to their precious contents, by OBJ
Waiting the pressure and jar which may
prove fatal to the life of the embryo in
sect. From twenty to twenty-five
strips are placed in each case, each
strip containing from 10000 to $4,000
eggs. With this simple packing, and
with due precautions against moisture
and high temperature, these delicate
structures are transported three-fourths
OF the distance round the earth in per-
feet safety, provided always that a
moderately cold fresh air is given free
access to the quarters in which they are
stored. Heat, it is stated, produces an
immediate effect upon the development
OF the Larvae, thus rendering it impossi-
BILE to deliver them in good condition
for growing, unless all the scientific
requisites are observed. The difficulty
of securing these conditions, as respects
temperature particularly, by the Indian
Ocean and Suez Canal route, has led
shippers TO test the route by way of San
Francisco and New York with good re-
suits thus far. Necessity for low tenn
perature also prevents shipping during
the summer months. Silk men say the
partial failure of the crop in France
and Italy during the season Just ended
has given an impulse to shipment from
Japan and other producing tracts in
Eastern Asia, which will cause an i'm
mense and unprecedented movement of
eggs ora San Francisco and New York
to Havre this winter. Great care has
always been necessary by the Indian
Ocean route, and, even when that was
exercised, consignments were often
spoiled by the high temperature in
doubling the southern points of Hin
dustan. The increased number of
transfers slightly Injuries the eggs, but
the aggregate damage is considerably
less by way of New York than by way
OF the Suez Canal. Another immense
shipment is expected from San Fran
cisco this week in time for the France,
which sails Jan. IN. Y. Times.