Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-06-29
silk Authorizations.

Every woman who wears silk knows
that its enduring qualities does not equa
those of the silks worn by her mother
or grandmother. In the good old DAYS
silk dress was thing of time, which
1T was not necessary to replace every
few months. Consequently it was p
matter of moment to make up the silk
in such 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 n silk dress was
not an oft-repeated luxury. There has
been of late no such necessity. II i
pretty well understood that the fabric
will not often outlast the most fleetino
fashion, hence no hesitation is felt in
cutting it in shapes to suit the humoI
of the hour. Why do silks not wea1
rs well as formerly? For quarter OF
n century the silk-worms of Europe
have been attacked with variety of dis.
eases which have killed them bv millions
annually. The quality of the fiber pro.
duced by them is as good rs ever, but
the quantity has gradually fallen tc
about one-Sixth of what it attained at
the stage of its highest prosperity. The
demand in the meantime constantly
increased. Flimsy silks would moi
satisfy. Cheapness and weight were
clamored for. Science came TO the
assistance of the manufacturers, and
numerous devices have resulted tc
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 foreign Jour
nal. One of the frauds which he thinks
should meet with no quarter is enlarged
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 pei
cent of dye. Another more reprehen.
slble process, which was protected by
patent ut the time of its introduction,
was that of soaking the silk thread OF
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, i'm
parting n ''sense of substance, an air OF
strength, and a 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 test-tube or clear
glass vial; moisten with water acidu.
lated with few drops of strong vinegar
or acetic acid, and add a driblet OF
iodide of potassium. Should lead be
present, n golden-colored deposit OF
iodide of lead will Immediately betray
the sophistication.
The natural colors of the raw silk
are white, gray, and the various shades
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
| ROuilin, Frenchman, in 1876, resulted
in the production of pale blue silk
cocOons through the administration oil
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 inquired
has produced a ruby-tinted cocoon, by
feeding for time on variety of vine,
and deep green by the partial use oil
| 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 owr
| dyer, tolerable freedom from adulter-
ated silks will be assured. Philadelphia
| Record