Wichita eagle., 1889-05-12
A NEW DISCOVERY.
Second Weekly Report OF the Silk Ex-
perimental Station.

| To the Editor Of the Eagle.
We have on exhibition at the station
eggs with worms in different stations of
| growth stifed and pieced cocoons,
miIlers. reeled silk and simple reel in
operation, sewing silk and knit silk nit
| tens and woven cloth-all Kansas pro-
| auctions, perhaps the forerunners Of
what may make Kansas a great and
prosperous silk state.
OF the many visitors to the station
some very curious questions are asked,
sometimes with valuable suggestions,
like the following: ''How do the eggs
become fastened to the papers," They
were intended to be fastened on limbs of
trees to remain until the following
spring and are provided with glue to
fasten them and protect them from the
weather. We allow the eggs to be laid
on papers to preserve them against hatch
ing on the following spring by
keeping them in cool place, TO be re-
moved and Matched out when needed.
The eggs | have hibernated at the ice
factory at 40 10 90 degrees +. Matched
out in seven to ten days after removing
them into temperature of 60 to 50 de-
grees.
am often asked if I chop the leaves
to feed the young worms, as recommend
ed by some. Answer: do not find 1t
necessary in feeding Usage. The new
shoots are always tender. This was the
first objection raised to my plan of feed
ing all summer, to-wit: that the leaves
would be tough, but there Is nothing IN
it. A lady asked me yesterday if l was
not afraid the new plan of making silk
by extracting the fibre from the null
berry leaf would interfere with the silk
worm culture. I do not see how: woody
fibre will fade, decay and wash to pices:
spun silk is more imperishable. Bury
a spool of silk thread in the
found and the spool will decay and the
thread remain intact.
The people here are very much inter
ested in silk culture. have distributed
$4,000 eggs-could one million
if l had them. Every one here believes
my silk experiment will prove success
full. 1 hope they will not be disap-
pointed.
April 90, Hon. P. B. Plumb wrote: 81
hope you will go ahead with your ex-
periments and l shall be glad OF any sue
cess which you may attain and hope you
will be successful"
What have l learned the past week? l
have tried to unlearn what l read in
books on silk culture, that the proper
temperature to grow 81 TX in is 70 10 50
degree. I know from last weeks exper-
iment that the range of vital tempera-
ment of the silk worm is greater
than ever thought of and
may perhaps go to 100 degrees
in the other limit. My experiments of
last summer indicated it. If so what
capacity of latitude it must cover. No
wonder it has stood the abuse of cenuu-
ries. No wonder they are susceptible of
improvement.
Here is the discovery have made:
found on the tray Of cocoons left with
the board of trade last winter that
number were twice as large as the aver
age and some twice as small, and in reel
ing the silk as great difference is found.
| infer from that we can sort out and
inbred and increase the size and value
of the race What broad field Is here
open for the individual or state. The
wonder of the twentieth century may
be Kansas growing silk cocoons as large
as hens eggs. II. L. BIDWELL.
Nav IL 1889