The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-08-14
SILK-WORMS AT WORK.
What Miss Nellio Rossiter has 40
cOmplished.


cOmplished.
Miss Nellie Lincoln Rossiter, tho
'ysung silk culturist" of worldwide
fame, is now conducting operations on
. more extensive scale than ever. The
first sf this seasons crop of silkw0rmS
is at its hight. A visi. to Miss Ros-
sitsrs residence, 1854 Vine street,
West Philadelphia, will reveal TO the
inquirer the complete process of silk
culture from cocoon back TO cocoon
again. The two parlors On the first
floor OF the house are occupied by Miss
ROssiter's unique and valuable collec-
ton. The silk stock farm is spread
throughOut the second and third stories
of the house, which is so crowded with
frames, trays, and mulberry branches
that the human occupants of the build
ing are pressed for living room. Every
one Of the family-from the grand
father, aged S4, to the little brother,
aged lis actively employed in the
work, all being devoted assistants to
Miss Nellie, the business woman.
sLKWoRMs AT WORK.
The worms beneath this one roof
number hundreds of thousands, and
all are in perfectly healthy condition.
They are about the size of an ordi-
nary caterpillar, but are smooth, and in
color vary from gray to cream-white.
The feet are white, yellow, orange.
pink, sage-green, or pale brown, and
from this tint can be told the color of
the cocoon that each worm will make.
The worms creep thickly over the null
berry branches, eating greedily or pre-
pairing to spin. Cocoons of every
shade, Just begun or Just completed,
are scattered thick erywhere-among
the leaves in bundles OF straw prepar-
ed for them, or il punches of cut pa
per. The frames are kept neat by out
spread sheets of white mosquito netting
and the floors are sprinkled with water
SO that everything about the worms is
clean.
Besides the worms and scattered CO.
coons, there are moths 10 be seen. The
silkWorm moth is smooth and of a uni
form pearly tint. The male moth is
smaller than the female and may be
known by his making q slight buzzing
noise, while the female is always ST.
lent The eggs of the silkworm are
about the size Of a pins head and vary
in color from yellow to brown. In a
third-stEy back room, spread out upon
newspapers. are perhaps seven bushels
of this years cocoons, all large and
beautifully cOlored, principally snow
white, cream-white, sage-green, lemon
yellow, and golden-ycllow. Seven
natural shades have been observed in
cocoons, including q pale-pink and q
fawn- brown.
NEW EXPERIMENTS.
Miss Rossiter has made several in
teresting experiments this season,
which, il successful, will give her fame
rs m inventor as well as pioneer in
silk culture. One of these is the rear
ing of q new variety OF silkworms,
known as ''black Thibets,' recently
imported from India, and which may
be distinguished fIUIu dinaIy oills
worms by dark-gray strings upon the
body. Another is the crossing of diff
ferent color-producing worms, with the
view of obtaining new shades in CO.
coons. A deeper yellow and green
have already been produced.
Miss RosSiter also believes that the
day is not far distant when families
can manufacture their own silk from
the cocoon to tho completed fabric.
Accordingly she is experimenting in
syeing thc reeled thread, in spinning
it, and in weaving dress-pakerns. Al
ready she has added to her stock OF
implements q larger reel for unwinding
the silk from the cocoons, q spanning
wheel, and hand leom, said to be Ca
pable of giving $50 distinct effects to a
woven surface. Miss Nellie has Sc
cured the cooperation of Mr. John
Haig, an English silk weaver, residing
in Haddington, who has made her the
loom of his own invention, and is teach
ing her how to manage If.
WHAT MISS ROSSITER HAS DONE.
To Miss Nellie Lincoln Rossiter more
than to any other person living, the
United States owes the revived interest
in silk-culture. This girl of II has by
her own enterprise and intelligence ce
made Philadelphia the headquarters
OF the industry; yet, almost as might
be expected, her name is known any
where and everywhere except in Phila-
delphia. Her stock of silkworms is
considered the finest in this country,
and she controls the egg market. Her
pamphlet on silk-culture. which has
reached five editions, and which is is
sued at the rate of 5000 copies year,
is regarded as the one authority on the
subject
Miss Rossiter is also gaining literary
reputation, as she has contributed q
great number of articles, showing care
tul historic and scientific research upon
variety of subjects connected with
silk-culture, to many periodicals. She
is editor of several silk departments in
Western agricultural papers. in short,
the name OF her achievements is legion.
She has lately been instrumental in in
Producing silk-culture into mission
airy village in Turkey, ana also into
the schools of the Indian Territory,
where, it is sai.. silk-cUlture viii prove
an efficient means OF civiiizing the red
man.-PhiladciphiG Times.