San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-10-19
ABOUT SILK CULTURE.
SOMETHING WHICH ATTRACTS THE
ATTENTION OF THE FAIR SEX.

n Cnat with tine Lazy at the BLK heei
The Worms voracious Appetite-Egg
and Cocoons- OF the Genera
Public-Profts.
Rambling through the exposition the othe
day, was particularly interested in the sill
weaving department, and stopped to talk
Now, here is profitable, easy, home employ
ment, which Is Just beginning to obtain the
attention it deserves among women and girls
something desirable, too, for delicate womer
who find little to do that their strength per
mits.
The placard, "Womens Silk Culture Asso
citation of the United States" is little stag
gering, but tho whole thing is very interest
Ing. 1t was only eight years ago that a few
philanthropic rfdh women of Philadelphia
incorporated 1t to assist In affording new
industry. Tbsy succeeded in obtaining from
congress 900 to help the thing on. The
association now furnishes mulberry trees free
of charge in numbers not less than twenty
five nor exceeding 100 b those intending to
begin cocoon raising. A queer thing about
mulberry tsees Is that no other insect feeds
upon them They viii thrive wherever corn
will.
The association at Philadelphia now has
twelve auxiharies In various states, mainly
In the south, all formed for the purpose Of
giving American women a chance to catch
the thousands Of dolis,s which annually rob
into Italy and other countries for our inn
ported raw silk. Why in Italy, many fam
lilies almost move OFT Of their own houses
during part of the summer TO use every
available room for the worms that spin them
their years support
EGGS, WORRIES AND Cocoows.
I got to talking with the lady at the reel
about it. YES" she said, FITS q very nice
thing for lady 10 do. You see an ounce Of
eggs is enough 10 tegin With. There are
AZ, 900 eggs in an Oanee, and the whole ont
lay is only about $50, racks and all. You
take good, bg, airy room, and spread the
eggs around it on peper. You keep the eggs
in an ice box TIL you want them to hatch
The rooms about 70 dogs, and you take 1t
to about 80 dess. for the eggs to hatch.
Then you begin - feed them fine cut leaves;
next small twiss, and no Oh. Silk worms
have bigger appeutt.s tssHl schoolboys. They
eat much more tban ttesr own weight every
day."
!" len the wofDs are ready to spin their
winding sheets they creep up on the racks.
When the cocoon Is finished the beforetime
worm is stiAed bJ being put into the sun,
otherwise bead eat hts way through the end,
cutting all the threads, and, the emblem Of
issue from his grave gorgeous
moth. The copoons look like peanuts "Peo-
pie come here every day and ask for pea
nuts" Mrs. Irving lanched = think this
must be the funniest cosRer of the ex,,osi-
ton. People show al ignorance of the whole
sub ect which Is extreme.y amusing. The
other day the Hennepin county teachers came
here. They got some circulars and cocoons
and samples of silk, and are going to do
among their pupils. Most of them
seemed posted, but one Of tbenl-a man, by
the way" and she laughed, asked where the
were grown. told him those were
raised In Philadelphia He seemed a little
surprised, but asked If 1t didn't take pretty
rich soil for them"
SOME BEAUTIFUL SPECIMENS.
We were standing near the counter where
are displayed the difRerentshades of raw silk,
which shades, she said, are produced by the
different feeds The best silk is the white,
ITOu LIE WOE Vtl
The case has some beautiful specimens which
somewhat resemble hair. As we were talk
ing two ladies were evidently arguing near.
One of.them turned with, isn't that a wig"
pointing to one Of the specimens. As they
moved off the Feeler said, ''Oh, that's moth
ing; the other day a we'll dressed lady asked
me if bought hair there, as she had some
she'd like to dispose Of. She must have
thought had a decided preference for canary
and blonde haiT"
!. aYes;" said she, there's steady demand
for coooons. There are never enough. They
bring $l.B pound usually, and we like
them fresh, they span betoer then. That re.
minds me as was rocking the other day 9
gentleman came along aud thought It WIS a
burning shame ttsase thiDGs We're hcing
roasted alive Yor see Fhe cOcoous were
bobbing up and down III the water. We
have to put them in 30 soften tie silk Soon
after a couple Of intelligent hooking l;,..cs
came along. One G ttG:H sad, is she boil
ing those worms to xii t&esuc No. sad the
other, she's Matching '4s.ui; dout yea sccF
Why, if you'd SIT beetG- s!c an hour AID hear
the comments, warrant you couldn't keep
your face straight.
"Brt here; Pm telling you nonsense instead
of giving information We bny tie coru..!N
at the association in Philadelphia il any
small Quantities, from womc!i all Cl"r t.r
country Oh, it's a great thug, "'a -
coming more popular ever yea. 4 ne
city ladies are very successful in ru.:ntS
cocoons. They buy the mtalbrrry Ic v,s
from leaf markets, where they are h:oG.,..s
by farmers. The farmers I'Unt t!.e"l for
hedges. We have large roo'a in Fairmount
park, where the as~r'i::!''n crows the
cocoons. What do we do VIII those we buya
Well, the association employs six reelers who
spin the silk, as / an doing now, into si:eins
nf IA " silk and they nra sold TO the yarinils