Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1888-12-08
AMONG THE SILK WORMS.
MANY of Them in a wild state III
Brooklyn.

Brooklyn.
How many Brooklynites are aware
that within walking distance OF Their
homes live and thrive one or more o.
The most powerful branches OF the
moth familyP Who has not seen the
yellow backed caterpillar glidln@
across the sidewalks, under the stoops
of houses OF making its way up the
fow trees left standing in our streetsF
This Industrious and. to some minus
destructive little worm has been the
plaything OF our boyhood. In the
cruelty of CHI ldhood we loved to pun
ont its silken whiskers and match one
against another in race across the
pavement. The caterpillar IS one OF
the tribe of worms which by some
mysterious process of nature evolve
into a moth. He is interesting III MS
wav, being known to the world OF
science as the orgyia leucostigma' yet
he has no place in this art cie 1t Is
of his more pretentious and certainly
more useful neighbor. tho attacus
CYNTHIA silk worm, that / propose to
treat. Every one, no matter how
little he or she knows of the science
of entomology. is aware that the coffin
shapcd substances clinging TO the
trees in the late fall and winter
contain life. Here the knowledge
of the casual observer ceases.
III ... &c a,,Itivotiou sill worue
is an old and honored one and
has doue service for hundreds OF news
paper and magazine articles. The
cultivated worm is the dude member
of the bombyx or silk worm family.
and owing TO his blue blood looks
down upon others OF his kind not so
ortunate as to have food and she tier.
provided for him. / refer to the silk
worm in its wild state when it is not
watched, from the depos ting of the
egg to its transformation into butter
fiy Oh moth. Nature wild can in no
way be compared to nature cultivated
at least from picturesque stand
point. 1t is the Wilderness the uu-
trammeled. that pleaseS the eye in
landscape. The same can be said of the
silkworm. In his cultivated state the
silk worm wears dignified air entire
" different from that carried b. his I'M
cultivated brother He appears to
know he is under the eye of the silk -
culturst and carries himself according
". Not so his untutored relative. Tile
natural condition is always the BEST
whether in animal or human life, and
for this reason between the two studies,
that of the silk worm in its wild or
cultivated state, the former is the more
interesting. That Brooklyn was one
of the first places of residence in this
country favored by the attacus
cynthia silk worm l will proceed to
show.
Mr.. John Dean is a sharp-a sharp
in silk worms. | mean. He has been
engaged in the cultivation of these GU
rious creatures since 1852. Mr.. Dean
is favored in many ways, but particu-
larry by being a resident of Brooklyn.
To him readers of the Eagle are in
debted for the interesting treatise =
which follows. When he said that the
silk worm flourished in a wild state
under our noses L was skeptical and
thought he was jok ne. 1 had always
associated silk and worms with the
warm climate of Franco or the Orient.
Never d d it enter my mind that in
Brooklyn OF all places a seaboard
c tY. subject to the many changes of
wind and storm, together with her Sc
we're winters. could be found the deli
cate worm 10 whose wonderful forma-
ton and industry our wives and sweet
hearts owe so much. Mr. Dean said
SO, however, and his word on bis life
long study cannot be gainsaid. Did /
want to sec worms in the various stages
of Development Was l DESTROYS OF"
delving into the mysteries of one OF
the most interesting studies in ento'
mology? Ii SO. Mr.. Dean promised me
l might accompany him on one OF his -
rounds.
A recent Saturday was selected for
the purpose. All day long the clouds
did their best to rain, but the sun prov
ed the stronger and the afternoon
broke clear and cool. Our outfit was
8 mple and consisted of an ordinary
pruning knife attached to pole
eighteen long, done up IN sections
small handbag, which l was permitted q
to carry pair of very sharp SCISSORS
Within twenty minutes ride OF the CITY
hall is a vacant lot-Mr. Dean does
not want its exact location made known
for fear that others may poach on DIE
which thousands on
thousands of the attacns cynthia
the wild species of silk worm, make
their home. The let is in densely
settled part of the city, running from
block to block, and. owing to its loca-
ton. is very valuable. Dir. Dean has
received permission to carry on Dis
studies within its confines. We enter
ed by brake in the fence. carefully
concealed from view of passers by, anu
found ourselves surrounded By DEBRIS
IF Iron railo in hUl0lQE