Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-02

| meSLlc comfort, ana T6IIuneIaIiOn 10 WOulel
and children for work that can be don
around their own fresides, they have or
ganized an Association for encouraging ant
promoting the establishment of this delight
full occupation, as far as practicable, in al
American homes. More than twenty year
ago the women of Prussia had ORGANIZED
similar societies the King became greatl,
interested in their purposes, and encour
aged them with the offer of liberal prize
for marked success in silk culture in Ger
man homes. In Australia there is now
prosperous Woman's Silk Culture Associa
ton, which is already able to supply mucl
OF the demand from Italy for silk-worn
eggs. Two days before the organization
OF the society in Philadelphia, the subjec
OF Home Silk Culture" was presented
before the horticultural Society of Sar
Francisco by Mrs. 7. H. Hitteil. The in
formation contained in her paper on thai
subject created great interest, which soor
eliminated in the organization OF the
Woman's Silk Culture Association of Cali
fornia. Its success has been great. 1t ha:
opened wide correspondence with silk
growers and manufacturers IN different
countries it has awakened general inquiry.
and enlisted cooperation from many per
sons in different parts of California it has
collected vast amount of information for
the use of the masses. It's purpose is to
encourage silk culture among the farmers
until it shall become one OF the chief In
dustries of California. Ia the beginning
of their benevolent work these women con-
fidently make their appeal to wealthy and
patriotic men for such pecuniary aid as
may be needed, for the sake OF the increased
commercial power it will confer upon the
State, the increase of individual wealth,
and the manifold blessings the industry
will carry to the homes of the people.
THE FIRST STEP IN SILK CULTURE GROW
ING MULBERRY TREES.
The first step in silk culture is the plant
ing and growing of mulberry trees, whose
/ leavesiare the proper food of the silk-worm.
| On one acre 435 trees can be grown, placed
ten feet apart. The trees can be grown
from cuttings or seed They should be
planted where land is plentiful, as shade
trees around the homes of our farmers, or
the road side. In twelve months, in a
proper soil, the tree will grow to hight
OF twelve or fifteen feet, with body of
corresponding thickness. When the first
bEGGo are 1IbWA Oh 20 Gan DC Gut dEl plnuO-
ed from them. Sunny slopes are desirable
for vigorous trees. The mulberry can be
grown as well from cuttings as from roots
or seed. This, indeed, is the most common
way of propagating the tree in California.
1t grows readily and vigorously in this
State from shoots set out in winter, and
will yield considerable quantity OF leaves
suitable for feeding the young worms in
the following summer. For those who
wish to begin few trees will be enough,
as cuttings from one tree will soon suffice
for the propagation of a hundred others.
The leaves from the trees of one acre, suit
ably planted, will furnish food enough for
the worms to produce several hundred
pounds of silk.
sRCJND STEP IN SILK CULTURE GROWING
THE sILK-woRM.
The second step in the silk industry is
Matching and feeding the worms. The
best season for this, in California, is after
the rains are well over. The eggs are now
brought out from the cool places where
they have been kept, and are placed in
warm room, garnet, or a cocoonery. This
room must be so arranged as to keep bees
or other insects away from eggs and worms.
The temperature should be even, at from
70' to So. The eggs will hatch in from
three to four days, depending upon the
temperature. Those first Matched should be
Kept by themselves. all the worms hatched
on the same day should be kept and fed
apart from those Matched on another day.
When first Matched the worms are of
blackish color, and are about one-twelfth
of an inch long.
FEEDING THE sILK-woRM.
The time required for the full develop
ment of the silk-worm, after it is Matched,
is about thirty-three to forty days. The
young worms as fast as they are Matched
we placed on shelves in the feeding room,
and fed with leaves of mulberry. The
leaves must be fresh and free from Excess
slve moisture. During the feeding season
great care must be taken. The heat of
the feedingr room should be from 70' to So,
as cold retards growth. The time re-
CURED for the full growth OF the worm is
several days shorter in California than in
Europe. On the fifth or sixth day after
Matching, the worms have grown consider
ably they cease to eat and begin process
of molting-casting off their pist skin
For this purpose they fasten their hind
legs, as the Chinese say, to a branch or
leaf, with the aid OF a sort of gum or silky
matter. During this process they pass
through what is called molting sleep,
and must not be disturbed. A sudden,
loud noise, as thunder, the noise of gun,
or the violent slamming of door, would
be injurious, if not fatal. They have four
melting sleeps; after each of which they
eat with increasing greediness In large
cocoonery, during the last stages of growth,
the noise caused by the large, verticle,
saw-hke jaws of the worms, sounds like
rain falling on the roof. Great care must
be taken not to feed them with the red
and tender leaves of the young shoots.
These would sicken and injnre them. The
! second moiting occurs on the eighth or
ninth day the third on the thirteenth or
fourteenth; the fourth and last melting
occurs about the twenty-seeond day, after
which they continue eatingGbout ten DAYS,
say to the thirty-thir day after they were
first Matched. They are now full grown !;
three and one-half inches long; of pearly
color; they are translucent, and they cease
to eat.
! SPINNING THE coCooNs.
The worms are now ready to spin their
cocoons. They seek some convenient
branch or other secure spot, and then begin
their work, toiling necessarily, night and
day until the cocoons are done. The
cocoon is from an inch TO an inch and a
half long, and half as thick, oval in shape
and of a yellow or white color. 1t has a
woody covering of floss silk, which is first
spun by the worm as sort OF loose bed or
support Within is the silken cocoon proper.
| It is made of one continuous thread,
about !, 200 feet long, spun by the worm
around itself. The substance of the thread
is gummy, transparent liquid, Of white
or yellow color, contained in two separate
vessels about ten inches long, and disposed
in spiral folds, one on each side of the
worms stomach These vessels open by
two small ducts, approaching near each
other at the head of the worm. The silken
thread of the cocoon is composed OF the
two filaments, one from each duct. As
these flaments are elected the vibratory
motions of the head of the worm cause
them to unite, and they Immediately
harden into one inseparable thread. This
thread is disposed in concentric circles,
occasioned by the irregular backward and
forward movements of the worms head
The thread Ia nouerad with rv4,y, an that II