Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-08-11
SILK WORMS AT wopv
Hundreds of Thousands
spinning silk Under O, The,

more extensive scale than evor oos
to Miss Rossiter' s residence Yin. vi,
West Philadelphia, will reveal 'a y, %eett
quirer the complete process Of sin w va. '0e u.
from cocoon back to cocoon ao,;, 'u,gn
two parlors upon the first Aoor i9
house are occupied by Miss p. y. Tie
unique and valuable silk colloct; 'os'''e1s
slsting of cocoons and skeins - zoo.
silk from every State in the M 'eel
from France, Italy, Turkey. Indio C aa5
and Japan, and of a bewiIderin-' va'aa
ment of embroideries and vario1S, 'ss'7
rative articles in silk, beside nor Neoe
Gus diplomas and testimonials tn S-'Da
lection has been described nnr,ElSVV,
times, but at present it has a new ,s5 o
ton in the form of a specimen f~1'l
draped in mosquito netting and con ,'ae
ing living worms ravenouslv IA Eau
upon green boughs, while some ~ lf' as
diapers in the front parlor are fan.' vac
cally ornamented with fresh Coz. .''
just where the industrious little cro.,.-N
have climbed and spun them. The ,5
silk stock farm, however is snr..s
throughout the second and third SIAM
of the house, which is so crowded n,g
frames, trays and mulberry brancbcs%~
the Luma2 occupants of the buildinc@.
pressed for living room. Every oSo
the family-from the grandfather ar.3
eighty-four, to the little brother. a5,5
seven-is actively employed in this w5 sS'
all being devoted assistants to Miss Nj
lie, the business woman.
The worms beneath this one roof NM.
bered hundreds of thousands. and 81
are in a perfectly healthy condidor
They are about the size of an ordir,,,
caterpillar, but are smooth, and in co,,
vary from gray to cream-white Ts
feet are white, yellow, orange pink
sage green or pale brown, and from ms,
tint can be told the color of the cocoon
that each worm will make. The wrn,
creep thickly over the mulberry brancbe,
eating greedily or preparing to spin
Cocoons of every shade, just begun O,
just completed, are scattered thick every.
where-among the leaves, in bundles Of
straw prepared for them, or in bunche,
of cut paper. The frames are kept neat
by outspread sheets of white mosquito
netting, and the floors are sprinkld
with water, so that everything about the
worms is clean. 1t is a popular error
that silk-worms diffuse an offensive d0r,
but this is only when they are not prom
erly cared for.
Beside the worms and scattered COZ
coons, there are moths to be seen. The
silk-wornl moth is smooth, and of uni,
form pearly tint. The male moth is
smaller than the female, and may be
known by his making a slight buzing
noise, while the female is always silent
The eggs of the silk-worm are about The
size of a pins head, and vary in color
from yellow to brown In third sor3
Darkroom, spread out upon newspapers
are perhaps several bushels Of this years
cocoons, all large and beautifully coIorei
principally snow-white, cream white
sage green, lemon-yellow and golden.
yellow. Seven natural shades have been
observed in cOCoOns, including a pale
pink and a wn-brown.
Miss Rossiter has made several inter
esting experiments this season, which, Il
successful, will give her fame as an limo
vator as we'll as a pioneer in silk mI-
tIre. One of these is the rearing OF o
new variety of silkworms, known as
Eblack thibets, recently imported from
India, and which may be distinguished
from ordinary sili;-worms by dark gray
strings upon the body. Another is the
crossing of different color-produc1g
worms, with the view of obtaining new
shades In cocoons. A deeper yellow and
green have already been produced.
Miss Roster also believes that the day
Is not far distant when families can
manufacture their own silk from the CO.
coon to the completed fabric. Accord
ingly she is experimenting in diving me
reeled thread, in spinning it and weaving
dress patterns Already she has added
to her stock of implements large reel
for unwinding the silk from thecocoon.4;
a spinning-wheel and a hand-Ioom saa
to be capable of giving $50 distinct e.
fects to a woven surface. Miss NeiIE
has secured the cooperation Of Mr.. Joia
Haig, an English silk-weaycr, residing
in Haddington, who has made her ID.
loom, of his own invention, and IS teacn
ing her how to manage it. Her next eA
pertinent will probably be the actual G. Gu.
tivation Of the mulberry tree, proFiosI
she can secure a suitable place.
To Miss Nellie Lincoln ROssiter' NOR
Than to any other person living the d. ,.
ted States owes the revived interest 10
silk culture. This girl of seventeen A1
by her own enterprise and intelligeno,
made Philadelphia the headquarters VI
the industry; yet, almost as might De e.
pected, her name is known any"hls.l'
and everywhere except in PhlladeiPni1
from which she derives very ilt;Ie 5 ,,p
port and receives very little credit. ~ ~.
stock of silk worms is considered ~ ~