The Red Cloud chief., 1884-10-31

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TIE writer has had sofne experience
IN IA stns silk worms. aDsi has iss.st.
from ihc CO To ID. moth. abaaiant
Iood for curiosity aud nstrnciiou. sui
uouii AID testimony e. that 81 O Der.
that this worm Is wonderfully izshion~t.
and that the Impress. Sizing On. who
discovered is use. shoald DO, g !orss:-
ten by mankind
The white mulberry. or mOrus AHA
il the proper food for p~roiueing n.
best silk and light. !osmy s1il on .bc-
waited land Is favorable 10 the gru~ Ia Of
the tree.
Seven or eight hundred trees mas grow
upon one acre OF land. and in ihrc-
years. single tree will yield ten or
twelve pounds OF leaves
The cocoonery. or !eeding-roon. shonld
be free from ants. spiders. or other
in urious insects. and should b- provid-
Ell Nth ventilation. and mean. for Keep
Ing the temperature between siv;y-hys
aud seyents-hyc degrees.
For mere experiment. . lorg table.
with strips around the ed.-- to keep he
worms from falling 20 the roor. j. sun
cientiy large for two or three hundred
worms.
Tie eggs arc Of agrayish color and
about the size Of mustard seeds. The
worms. which generally come from the
e,gs early In the morning. arc small
black spe ks. and al first need tender
leaves To feed upon. that are free from
dust and moisture.
About the fifth day after Matching.
the worms stop eating md. with heals
raised ar ar. sleep Ior Il nv hour, Or
more. during which time they should
not b. disturbed. On a~sking. they
leave behind on the dry leaves. Their
first black skins or coats. and come out
in lighter Colored garments.
They have become larger than before
sleeping. and their appetite has in
creased so that they make larger open
ms in the leaves.
ihe silk-worm, have four such mouli-
iny sleeps. with n week or more be-
tween them. during their short lives.
and at last they ar OF q pcarly white
color.
After the four, sleep the worms will
eat constantly night and day Tor about
len days. ami should Dc constantly sup
piled with leaves. Icing !td SIX or e ght
times during twcnty-four hours with
fresh caves aud small branches.
The period for feeding j. usually
about thirty or thirty-tive days; aud ~
length the worm is seen to look up.
crawl AROUND from place To placA aud
is evidently hunting for a spot 10 spin
lis silk cocoon.
Sometimes. branches of oak. rye or
wheat straw will serve their purpos';
but in our w experience n preference
was shown by them for little round
cells made of pasteboard.
When ready for spinning tho worm is
three or three and 4 hali inches in
length. showing a very rapid growth for
the i've or six weeks Of its life.
After the worm ha, fastened itself to
the branch or cell by n loose texture of
silk. it begins TO make its silk co Don
around itself. There are two duets.
near each other, in the head of the
worm. from which il elected the silkcn
thread. BY the Migratory motions of the
head these unite into one. and the silk
cocoon is "A continuous thread from ten
TO twelve hundred feet in length.
1t is from three to live day, in spin
ming its nest. which is. when finished,
an inch or more in length, and imper-
vious To water on account OF a Cummy
substance with which the silk is covered.
The shape Of its nest is much like n
peanut. There. CURED up in the CO.
coon. the curious worm again sheds its
outer coat and assumes the crystals
state for about three weeks. Then the
cram -colored moth energies from one
end of the cocoon, lays about four hun
dred eggs. lives for a few days. and.
its life work being done. il dies of old
age at the end of three months from its
birth.
But the moths are not all allowed TO
come out Of o In doing this
they break many threads and destroy
the coconns for reeling. Therefore it is
necessary in some way TO Kill the
chrysajides.
This is generally done by heating
them in an oven or ~smOthering them by
steam. The oven heating Injuries the
gloss of the silk; therefore. the better
way is to place the cocoons in a close
covered basket over the steam of boil
ing water for an hours time. After
spreading the out To dry they
may be gathered into a bag. and are
ready for reeling.-N. j. hnicpendsW.