Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-04-05
THE PACIFIC SILK FACTORY

| luS COuF CIotllOu tOOh pistOC
''How long has your factory been
| built?" asked the reporter.
"About four years." answered Mrs
Van de Castle.
''Do you raise your own silk
worms?" he continued.
She answered, II object to the
name worm, as giving an erroneous
idea to what is, in reality kind of
caterpillar, and passes through all
the changes which an insect under
goes.
"Will you state fully what those
changes are?''
"You know, of course, that it is
hatehed from an egg the size of
rape seed; and is small, and of
dark color when first hatched. In a
few days it becomes tinged with the
color of It's food. About eight weeks
is required for the completion of its
growth. During this period it has
changed its skin four or five times
by bursting the old one near The head
and working it's way out. The length,
when fully grown, is from two and a
half to three inches. Selecting
quiet corner, it begins to spin, NOV
ing its head from side to side, and
fixing the thread at different points
so as to enclose itself completely.
After spinning about a week, during
which time it has grown shorter, 1t
takes the form of chrysalis, and
lies in a torpid state, becoming a
perfect insect at the end Of two or
three weeks"
Glow does the insect escape from
the cocoon?' the reporter asked.
Mrs. Van de Castle said, at has
the power of forming a fluid with
which it softens portion of the CO.
coon. When it first comes from the
cocoon, it is of pale, yellowish
color. After while it lays its eggs,
then dies-its life work being ended.
But | did not allow the silk insects
which | had to die a natural death.
The bursting of the cocoon Injuries
the silk. For this reason, | threw
the cocoons into hot water, or expos
ed them to heat and thus stifed the in
sect. Although the climate Of Cali
fornia is warm enough for the sue
cessful rearing of the silk insect,
there are reasons why it is not profit
able first, there are very few null
berry trees in this state; second, as
this tree is not an evergreen, It's
leaves can be procured only at GER
+ eggs mnst be hatched in those sea-
sons when the leaves can be obtain
, ed. Skilled labor is very high in Cal
l lfornia.. 1t requires much help tC
take care of the silk insects during
the feeding period, making the ex-
pense of raising them far exceed the
profit of the business"
"Do you place the eggs for hatch
ing in rooms artifcially heated?''
S II do not. | have always hatche(
y the eggs without artificial heat.
have heard that in European coun
i tries the peasants carry the egg:
in their hosoms until The
warmth matches them. In some
, places the warmth of the sun is EN-
! ployed. The Persian monks taugh
y Justlnian's subjects to place then
upon dung hills that the heat evolved
e by fermentation might be used
e GLOW can you keep the eggs from
Matching at wrong season p
''They must be carefully dried
~ placed in glass bottles, and closel
d sealed to exclude air and moisture
Prepared in this way, they can b
= sent safely all over the world. Yer
IS few silk insects are raised in tn
u United States, compared to the mum
ber raised in the southern countrle
Is of Europe
do you think the silk worm is
native of Europe;''
r. 1T was originally a native of CHI
is na. According to the best Chimes
t. authorities the raising of the silk il
sect was begun by Sizing, the wifi
of the Emperor Hoongti, 26O0 B. c.
= and the mulberry was cultivated fc
90 the purpose of feeding them, fort
1T years later. The Persians had me
nopolized the supply of raw mater
at al and guarded their trade with s
g much jealousy, both by land and b
p sea, that travellers from or to Chin
were not allowed to cross the Persia
dominion. In consequence of SON
interference with the trade, they ha
II stopped the importation of sill
IT Trade was in this condition in th
IS. time of Justinian. Two Persia
r. monks, missionaries, had travelIa
IN as far as China. They had We've
IS with great interest the silk dresse
TO of the Chinese, and watched care
~ fully the manufacture. They wei
to Constantinople and told the En-
. peror about it. He promised them
d. reward If they succeeded in introdu
A ing the manufacture into Europ,
Ut They went to China, secured som
eggs of the silk insect, conceale
ne them in a hollow cane, brought the
to Constantinople, and hatched then
~ ~ They tended the insect with gre:
in care and in A. D. 552 instructed tt
Romans in the art of manufacture
silk. In the 18th century the a