New-York tribune., 1883-12-10
INDUSTRIAL FRANCE
NV ROBERT P. PORTER, MEMBER OF THE LATE
W TARIFF COMMISSION.
VII.
.,,rropY 0R SILK MANUFACTURE.


.ovv.s iArdeebel France Oct Elm former
,.ttsr ponted out the Importance OF this pictnr.
80 old Mace with its Gothic castle, its fendai
I. ia trufes its ortoans, its vines It's hg tIees
;ts mulberry groves it's rich chestnut forests anu
its surrounding mountains. For my present pun
nose will regard 1t as the centre OF the
&c and tbread-mapufaeturing region OF France IL
:. Situated in the greatest silk-producing depart
ment and q fair idea of the present conoiIon "
branch of the silk industry may be ootaineu W w.
iting the important places OF TINS anu Wv Car1
surrounding depaTtments-the proih0' -, t IN
and the yaucuse. The impression prevaie"C ~
tbe limited States. that silk is produced In lyons
tbot s reeled from the cocoons is Incorrect Lyons
:. tbe greatest and most artistic SILK manulac.oiy
NJ the world but she procures her thread 1ro otnei
Iooos The silk manufacture Of France ls u'lu0"
into FIVE branches: ,,;
First land most mportantl, the IeeiinS' ..
caoond the throwing; that is to say, the cleaning
aontl;,o and twisting of the threads ana the manu-
facture of the gr6ges" into trans and organsnes'
Third. the dying.
Fourth, the weaving.
Fifth the finishing .u
ST.. General T find that in France each Of these
,'roncbes form a distinct industry, though nave
,;sted few establishments las for exampe'
porpetsl in which the silk arrives in the COCOON Is
Yeeed. thrown, dyed, woven and finished out even
in this instance the work is not all oone III 'n0
same town. Dyeing weaving and hnishhg are
specialties of Lyons. The establishment III Lyons
does nothing but black dyeing, and mas lor us
clients very nearly all the famous makers Oh oidcA
silk in France. After having been received iloi"
the Overs the silk is given out by contract q" 0
mucb per ward to be woven in the small WORKSHOPS
80 .ho tbonsonds of weavers who nhabn La CroiA
Rousse at Lyons ...o.uoo,,,,
m
.alad raw silk or the first process OF reellng'
40. i The result of the dstinctIvcy French part oi
A. ministry and the excellence of the frehch
gr6ge" resulting from its caretul mahuiac'ulo'
has contributed perhaps more powerfully thah any
other one thing TO the greatness ana sucVeSS Vi
Irors II is true that Lyons has become the
market for the silk of Italy OF China ana Oh all 'ho
rest of the world but this has been because oi CIT
ounlstances adverse TO the prosperity oil inc CITY
itself and the consequences have been such "S "
mt the whole of the Lyonnais industry into a most
deplorable condition. Lyonnais manufacturers
rnard with extreme jealousy every ponnd oi SILK
which comes from their best 6latuTes lTeehDg mlsl'
and il is because of the necessity of sustaining these
6latnres in the evil times which have come upon
them. that many of the manufacturers have become
interested in them.
In order properly to explore the hlatnTe region
left LYONS on the Paris Lyons and Mediterranean
Railway the 2. l.. NJ" as 1t is called. THIS road
rms on both sides of the RhOne. Passing down The
left or east bank of the Rhone mulberry trees are
encountered In large numbers for the drSt time in
the vicinity of ancient Venne, which was Hour
ishing place before Lyons existed Passing Vienne
+be Mulberry trees become the characteristic feat
ure of the landscape They are not graceful trees
because of the method of pruning. They are about
thirty feet apart eaoh way, and every two or three
years the branohss are cut back to the trunk ana
from one short branch Of the tree grows out mass
of long. slender twigs radating from crown at
distance of six or eight feet from the ground The
presence of these mulberry trees everywhere Ill
dicates the importance of the silk industry to the
country yet it is with surprise one learns that theie
are not so many now as formerly
At Tournon are distinctly III the SILK country
and here the words in immense letters painted on
the retaining WALL " "DErmiiGge," reminds one OF
that once famous vineyard, named from ruined
hermts cell on the summit of the hill. Above the
wall rises high, gradually slopng hill OF fyeiiowsh
red earth where once the grapes for this vintage
grew but the phylloxera has destroyed all the
vines, and the hill is now ploughed ground
The ancient town of Valences, erected into
dukedom by Louis XII. for the infamous Caesar
Borga is the next important place. aud here IT IS
better to leave the railway and to pass generally
into the country. Throughout the district, owing
undoubtedly TO the octroi taxes the factory oper
atious are carried on outside the towns. The
country is thickly settled, and labor is abundant
aud cheaper than in town. To realize fully The
importance of the manufacture OF raw sllk one has
to take horse and wagon and drive to points remote
from large towns and in many cases from railway
communication. The country Is picturesque, ana
riding about made comfortable by the excellence
of the roads and the good cheer OF the village mhs
The growing of silk and its reeng is an industry 50
II a. nd itnnn tO he
it in the important centre, as have done ia
other industries more centralized, and let that
suffice for the country. ! tarry, therefore. at
Aubenas on tbs banks of the muddy Ardeche, be-
eanse long array of silk mills line its banks, and
because the manufacturers from Lyons. ST. Etlenne,
Tarare etc. come here to purchase the qualities OF
silk suited to their various fabrics.
Here too, overlooking the valley which lies at
the base of the rock which Aubcnas is built.
stands the statue Of Olivier de Series. who, pOpu-
larly speaking introduced the culture of silk into
France Efforts had been made before Scrrcs's time,
but they had failed through lack of organization.
The trees had even been torn mp by ignorant people,
who supposed the introduction of silk culture II
trick of the nobility Series thoroughly organized
the industry separated the true from the false and
showed clearly that if properly pursued, serculture
would bring riches to the country lie worked
with the ardOr of an enthusiast and tenacity of "a
bulldog aud toward the close OF hs life had the
satisfaction Of seeing the industry taking root per-
Inanently. His statue was erected two or three
years ago. and had the space, much Of interest
might be SAID over again which was brought out by
that occasion as to the Importance and reality Of
his services Few names are held III greater ruvcr-
ence and few men remembered with more affection,
by his countrynen. tllan Olivier de Series.
From his timo mp 10 the beginning of the present
century sericulturo increased III France slowly but
surely. IL was practised iD primitive way on Il
small scale in nearly every country house of the
silk district No regular plantation of mulberry