Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-22
Silk-WOrms at Dinner.

Ten thousand club-shaped young silk
worms from four different corners of the
world wagged their heads Disconnected
ly yesterday in fourth-story room in
the rear tenement at No. SIG East Elev-
enth street over meal of Usage orange
leaves that had come direct from the
Department of Agriculture at Washing
ton, but that, nevertheless, were not, as
the owner disconsolately said, a s'square
meal for the worms.'' They nibbled
lazily at the limp leaves, and shifted
their tails uneasily, as if aware of the
trouble they had caused by their un.
timely appearance. The worms were
Matched about two weeks ahead of their
time, by accident, and have since kept
three or four men running about day by
day looking for mulberry leaves, upon
which they feed most readily. These
being at this season very scarce, the
tender sprouts of the ailantus tree and
lately fresh shoots from the Usage orange
have been substituted, but without much
success. On Sunday last, many hum
dreds of the young worms died for want
of food. Those that survive are not In
first-class condition, but in few days
food will be plenty, and they are then
expected to grow rapidly.
The worms were Matched by Adam
Gigrich and his wife, who owns farm
at Amityville, l.. I. They were familiar
with silk-worm culture in their Alsacian
home, and have raised large quantities
of worms on their farm for several years.
At the approaching exhibition of the
Silk Exchange in Turn Hall, which will
be opened the second week in June,
they are to exhibit some fifty thousand
worms, in all stages of development,
from the egg to the full-grown butterfly
emerging from the cocoon. When the
eggs were taken to the city and placed
In cellar that proved too warm, some
were Matched. The rest were saved for
q more advanced season by being placed
in an ice-box. OF the early corners that
gave reception to the reporter yesterday,
the Oldest were of the Japanese variety.
These were in their second week, quite
white, and fully three-quarters of an
inch long. American worms just
Matched were little over one-eighth of
an inch long, and nearly black, save a
few that had dull-brown bodies and
heads of dirty white. Turkish and
French worms of tender age resembled
them very much. All had thick, pear
shaped heads and bright, black jaws.
The worms crawled about on sheets of
paper or pasteboard, upon which their
leaves were spread. A fresh meal of
leaves was placed on top of the old, up
on sheet of perforated tissue-paper,
through which the worms worked their
way from below.
From twenty-eight to thirty-fve days
after being Matched the worm begins to
spin its cocoon; in other words, stops
feeding and goes to work. Before that
it changes its skin four times, and at
last becomes quite transparent. Some
of the worms seen yesterday were in
their first period of change. They
looked sick and refused to eat. When
full-grown the silk-worm is so tender
that if it accidentally crawls across the
head of nail in it's board it is attacked
by diarrhea and dies. Fresh air and a
temperature that must not fall below IS
or 20 degrees are required for their
healthy. Y. San.