The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-06-20
A Successful Silk Club.

"The Boys Silk CULTURE Association
Of America" has a large room over a
corner store in Philadelphia. You
might suppose it to be a large COM
pany. But it has only five members.
When we called at their office we
were fortunate enough to Sc" the pres
ident of the association himself, a
bright-looking boy of about fourteen
years, who explained everything very
politely.
The center of the room was occu-
pied by a large stand of about five
tiers of trays, made of light wooden
frames, with a network of Irvine on
each.
Here lay sheets of parer covered
with the little grayish egg, not as big
as a pin-head. Gin some the eggs were
Matched, and the little brown worms
were already feeding IN the finely
chopped leaves.
This is a very late BROOD ex.
planned the young silk-culturist. cit
is Il lot of eggs we sent to Paris for,
because we had more orders for eggs
than we could fill, and they were de-
layed."
Then he showed us his jars Of
cocoons, looking like fresh peanuts,
and the twists of reeled silk, softer,
finer and more shining than the most
beautiful golden hair, and a piece Of
satin, with the initials "B. S. c. A."
embroidered on it in silk of "our own
make"
1t was interesting to watch the cater
pillars feeding. In the last stage they
are smooth and whitish, and two or
tire inches long. We fancied we
could actually hear them chewing, they
ate so greedily.
"Do they we sleep?' we asked.
"Inever saw them at it. And, by
the way the leaves disappear during
the night, I don't think they take
much time for sleep even then"
Here a worm in the center of the
tray stood up on its tail and waved its
head from side to side.
what does that mean?" we asked
"Is lie tired of eating at last"
Eyes; he is really to spin now" and
the boy carefully dropped the worm
into a paper core, where 1t at once
began to spin its delicate threads and
fasten them on the paper. "Some peo-
pie let them spin on twigs," he added,
"but we like the cones better. We
male them in the evenings last win
ter"
At one side of the room stood the
reel which the boys had invented and
made themselves.
"You won't find a reel like that
anywhere ell e." said the president.
with pardonal lie pride. when I
| planned that l had never seen a silk
reel"
Then he showed us the very first
silk they had reeled, and Il specimen of
the later Feelings, which an expert had
pronounced equal to the best.
The boys had also experimental
with chemicals. and Lad dyed some of
| their silk in bright colors.
In the corner stood what looked like
an old spinning-wheel.
"That's a twisting machine" he ex-
planned. "a gentleman who visited
our place gave it to us to twist our
silk on"
"Why, really, you do everything
here but weave" we could not help re-
marking. ,
Yes" said lie, "and we are not
going to stop till we learn weaving,
too"
"How long have you been interested
| in silkwormsT" we next asked.
About three years." he replied.
"Do you find your interest in your
| silkworms interferes with your
studies?" we asked.
Il never let it, was his reply.
When I'm in school, I attend to my
lessons; anil when l am here, I attend
to my silkworms. l always keep them
separate. We give the worms
| enough leaves in the morning to keep
them busy till we get back
Who could Eelp a,'miring such a
| spirit ST.. Nicholas.