Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-19
SILK MANIFESTATIONS,
Why SILK Dresses do Not Last a. Long
: ffs. as They Used 20.

From the Philadelphia Record.
Every woman who wears silk knows that its
enduring qualities do not equal those of the
Silks worn by her mother or, grandm other. In
the good old days silk dress was thing of
time, which 1t was not necessary to replace
every few months. Consequently it was q matter
OF moment to make up the silk In such q man
ner that it might be remOdeled to suit the pre-
vailing fashion for series of years. Much
thought and care were expended In this direc-
ton by those to whom silk dress was not an
Oft repeated luxury. There has been of late no
such necessity. 1t Is pretty we'll understood
that the fabric win not often out
last the most feeting fashion, hence
no hesitation alto 4 Is felt In cutting It in
silks not wear as well as formerly For quar-
ter Of century the silk-worms of Europe have
been attacked with variety Of diseases which
have killed them by millions annually The
quality ofth fiber produced by them is as good
as ever, but the quantity has gradually fallen to
about one-sixth Of what it attained at the stage
OF its highest prosperity. The demand In the
meantime constantly increased. Flimsy silks
would not satisfy. Cheapness and weight were
OF the manufacturers, and numerous devices
have resulted to spread the small proportion
or raw material over six times the space be-
fore covered. In what manner this system
OF adulteration has been and is still carried
on is shown by writer in foreign Jour
nal. One Of the frauds which he thinks
should meet with no quarter Is charged silk"
the term applied to that material which has been
treated to certain astringents which enable it to
retain and hold often as much as 300 per cent of
dye. Another more reprehensible process which
was protected by patent at the time of Its intro
duction, was that Of soaking tho silk thread or
yarn In bath Of acetate Of lead, and when dry,
treating 1t with hydr0-sd phnric acid Sulphuret
of lead, to the extent OF % per cent, was some
times found to be deposited imparting ''sense
superiority wholly fictitious" Fortunately, the
means of detecting this particular fraud are easy
and inexpensive. It is only necessary to place
fragment Of the suspected silk in test tube
or clear glass vial; mOisten with water acidu-
lated with few drops of strong vinegar or ace
tic acid, and add driblet ofiodide of potassium.
Should lead be present, golden-colored deposit
of iodide OF lead will Immediately betray its ap-
pearance.
The natural colors Of raw silk are white, gray
and the various shades of yellow; hence the ne
cesslty OF extensive dyelng and hence one Of
the openings for fraud However, according to
our authority. new era is dawning. The silk
worm Is to be coaxed to become its own dyer
A series OF experiments, conducted by NJ. Rou-
lin, Frenchman, in 1876, resulted in the pro-
administration of indigo with their mulberry
food before they began to spin. Since then he
has obtained red cocoens by feeding with the
leaves OF the trumpet flower of the Orinoco..
Another ingenious inquirer has produced a
ruby-tinted cocoon by feeding for time on
variety Of vine. and deep green by the partial
use Of lettuce leaves. 1t is to be hoped that
these experiments will assume practical form.
The maladies which 'have for SO many years
wrought havoc with the aNkworm are nearly
stamped out, and nov, If be can be made his
own dyer, tolerable freedom from adulterated
silks will be assured. :