Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-12-21
SILK CULTURE IN JAPAN.
An Important Industry-Evoiution Of
the silk Worm Egg.

the silk Worm Egg.
The silk industry is the most import
ant of all industries in Japan. The raw
silk imported into the United States and
Europe alone yearly amounts to $780,
100 or 1000. 900 pounds, or at an average
of IS per pound to sl7,5O0,OOJ or SaO.-
900. 900. The waste silk which princi-
pally finds its way to the European
markets, also amounts to nearly 30OO,'
900 pounds; the price of all grades of
this class of silk could be fairly aver
aged at 10 cents per pound. The exact
amount of home consumption has never
been ascertained, as some people raise it
for their own use. But that the quantity
must be something enormous can be
easily seen by the fact that the silk is
worn by large majority of people on
such occasions as New Years Day, we'd
ding evenings. festival of temples, and
the like. The well-to-do classes use
silks for their house-dresses. In this
country ladies and gentlemen alike wear
silk clothing, and they use it not only
for outside garments but for underwear
as well. Besides, silk clothing is here
usually lined with the same material,
unlike the practice in the United States
and Europe. where silk dresses are lined
with cotton goods l am inclined to
think that there is not single family in
Japan into whose household no silk en-
tiers. Even the country peasant who is
supposed to be the plainest and simplest
of our people, wears silk dress on the
day of a ceremonial occasion.
1t may be interesting to readers to
watch the development of the silk
worms egg into the fine material known
as raw silk, in which condition it is
placed in the markets of the United
States. The eggs are laid on sheet of
paper. Early in the month of May they
begin to hatch, and as soon as they do
so they are swept on a tray, or paper,
with feather and fed with mulberry
leaves cut up in very small pieces. These
are replaced every morning with new
ones. In the course of seven days they
grow quite rapidly, and at the end of
that period sleep for twenty-four hours.
This is called the first age. Exactly
after twenty-four hours of rest the
worms begin to feed again on the null
berry leaves cut up into pieces some
what larger than before. At the end of
a week they again sleep for twenty-four
hours. When they pass their second age
they are given their leaves without cut
ting.
They continue feeding for week and
sleeping for twenty.four hours till the
end of the fifth week, when they begin
to climb up the dried straws, cotton
plants. or bamboo pieces provided for
them, and there they build their little
nests called cocoons. They commence
their cocoons on the outside. and finish
them in a couple of days, leaving just
space enough for themselves within.
The worm stays inside Of the cococns for
two weeks from the first commencement
of building them. At the expiration Of
that time the worms pierce the cocoons
for the purpose of laying new eggs.
During these fourteen days, therefore,
the cocoons must be steamed, boiled, or
exposed to the heat of the sun in order
to kill the worm inside; otherwise the
worms will spoil the threads by break
ing out through them.
The cocoons are placed in boiling
water and the threads are reeled into
spindles; they are again re-reeled into
other spindles so as to dry the threads.
One thread as it is found in raw silk is
made up of three, four, five or more of
cocoon fibers, according to the skill OF
the reelers. The threads, when they
weigh about three ounces, are made up
into skein; twenty-f five or thirty skeins
constitute what is known as book.
The book is tied up with silk cords and
the labels of various kinds are attached
to it, and then it is wrapped up in a
sheet Of paper. One bale of raw silk,
when deposited in New York, contains
from twenty-five to thirty of such books.
The books are first put in a muslin bag
and then packed up in thick paper
and waterproof paper goes over it.
The outer covering is Of two mattings.
The worms which are not killed, as
above mentioned, pierce the cocoons,
and in the course OF day lay eggs on
the papers provided for the purpose.
The worm, when it comes out of the
cocoon, has undergone metamorphosis
into a butterfly, which, after laying
eggs, flies away.-Cor. New York Com.
mercial Advertiser.