Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-06-28
Silk Authorizations.


that its enduring qualities does not equa
those of the silks worn by her mothe
or grandmother. In the good old day!
a silk dress was a thing of time. which
it was not necessary to replace ever,
few months. Consequently it was /;
matter of moment to make up the sill
in such a manner that it might be re
modelled to suit the prevailing fashion
for series of years. Much thought
and care were expended in this direc.
ton by those to whom a silk dress was
not an oft-repeated luxury. There has
been of late no such necessity. 1t is
pretty well understood that the fabric
will not often outlast the most fieetino
fashion, hence no hesitation is felt in
cutting it in shapes to suit the humol
of the hour. Why do silks not wear
as well as formerly? For quarter OF
a century the silk-worms of Europe
have been attacked with variety of dis.
eases which have killed them by millions
annually. The quality of the fiber pro-
duced 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
clamored for. Science came to the
assistance of the manufacturers, and
numerous devices have resulted to
spread the small proportion of raw ma
terial over six times the space before
covered. In what manner this adul-
iteration has been and is still carried on
is shown by writer in a 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 as
tringents which enable it to retain and
hold often as much as three hundred per
cent. of dye. Another more reprel:en-
sible process, which was protected by
patent at the time of its introduction,
was that of soaking the silk thread or
yarn in bath of acetate of lead, and,
when dry, treating it with hydro-sul-
phuric acid. Sulphuret of lead, to the
extent of twenty-three per cent, was
sometimes found to be deposited, inn
parting ''sense of substance, an air of
strength, and look of superiority
wholly fictitious Fortunately. the
means of detecting this particular fraud
are easy and inexpensive 1t is only
necessary to place fragment of the
suspected silk in a test-tube or cleay
glass vial; moisten with water acidu,
lated with a few drops of strong vinegar
or acetic acid, and add a driblet q
iodide of potassium. Should lead De
present. a golden-colored deposit O.
iodide of lead viii Immediately betray
the sophistication.
The natural colors of the raw silk
are white, gray, and the various shade.
of yellow; hence, the necessity of ex
tensive dyeing, and hence one of the
openings for fraud. However, accord.
ing to our authority, a new era is
dawning. The silk-worm is to be
coaxed to become its own dyer. A
series OF experiments, conducted by NJ.
Kouilin, Frenchman, in 1876, resulted
in the production of pale blue silk
cocoons through the administration OF
indigo with their mulberry food before
they began to spin. Since then he has |
obtained red cOcOons by feeding with |
the leaves of the trumpet flower of the |
Orinoco: Another ingenious inquirer
has produced ruby-tinted cocoon, by
feedlng for time on variety of vine,
and deep green by the partial use o,
lettuce leaves. 1t is to be hoped that
these experiments will assume. prac-
teal form. The maladies which have
for SO many years wrought havoc with
the silk-worm are nearly stamped out,
and now. if he can be made his OWE
dyer, tolersble freedom from adul.er.
ated silks will be assured.-Philadelphic
PecnrJ 4