Wichita eagle., 1889-01-15

side of the line, if any, remains to b
seen. While there has been no outspo
ken opposition SO far expressed, to speal
of, there cannot be said to be anything
like strong sentiment in favor Of an
nexation at this time.
SILK CULTURE AN OCCUPATION Fol
WOMEN.
To the Editor OF the EAGLE.
There is no home employment which
costs SO little outlay Of capital and bring
its returns so quickly. The life Of the
silk worm from the Matching of the egg
to the completion of the cocoon is fire.
quently less than five weeks, the time
Of It's maturing depends not so much IL
the length of time as the number OF
meals eaten. If well fed and cared fol
some Of the more advanced ones viii
commence to weave their cocoons in
! from twenty-one to twenty-five days
In four days each Individual has wound
| himself up in his tomb awaiting the
wonderful transformation into beauti-
full silvery moth. This transformation
occurs in about twelve days, when the
moth emerges from the cocoon and de-
posts its eggs for the future generations.
It's mission being ended it lives but a
short time and requires no care, as Its
life is of no value, it has no need of food
and entomologists say it is not provided
with jaws, hence it cannot eat,
but l have known them to live
from six to eight days. They usually
appear or emerge from the cocoon from
5 to o'clock in the morning. There is
not the least doubt but that in the near
future we shall take an honorable place
among the silk producing nations. We
have the best climate for the health of
the silk worm; it is attracting the atten-
ton of France and Italy, and there are
already colonies located in Florida which
have set out large mulberry orchards
and are making preparations to manu-
facture the silk raised. In the short
space of twenty-five years we have
attained the third rank as a silk manu-
featuring nation, our manufacturers
have attained such excellence that their
goods will compare with the finest
grades of French and Italian looms, and
we excel the world in the manufacture
of sewing silk, once accorded to the
Italians. Bedding Bros. & Co. shipped
in one day, from their mills in Rockville,
Conn.,, over forty tons of sewing silk.
Think of this vast amount in one day.
1t goes to all parts of the world. 1t is
only since the advent of the sewing
machine that spooling silk has been in
xra11taH cold ClynIpc
and from this small beginning our
present unexampled silk manufacturing
is dated. 1t is said we produce the finest
The production Of this article in Patter-
son, n. j., the Lyons of America, is
equivalent to "a, 615, 900 yards. 1t is safe
to say that thirty thousand miles of rib
bon are manufactured yearly on Ameri-
can looms, enough to make a silken zone
around the globe. A manufacturer,
however, writes me that the jobbers in
sist on having foreign labels placed on
the goods. our people not yet being
educated up to using our own produc
tons.
Now a word about the essential
requirements for silk production,
plenty Of food, good eggs, cleanliness
and an equal temperature. Usage
orange leaves are extensively used, by
those whose farms are surrounded by
this hedge. Some of the best cocoons
sent TO the government flature was the
product Of Usage.
Many persons object to its use on &C
count of its spines or throws, but these
give ventilation to the feeding worms,
while if fed with only leaves taken from
the branches they are apt to be smoth-
cred, they like to climb on the branches
and feed on the leaves.
1t would be an advantage to every
farmer to plant a mulberry orchard of
the best varieties; Morris Alba and Morris
Gapomsa are the hardest, but in this
section Of the country the Russian null
berry is extensively raised and proves
as a hedge, from which the
leaves or branches can be easily taken.
The profits of silk culture are variouslv
a lady living in the vicinity
of Chicago last season raised her first
crop of silk the product of one ounce of
eggs (36 to 10000 worms) she
gave it as her opinion,
that it was as profitable
as any. crop raised on the farm, the work
was mostly done by the children, super
by her aged father, she sold the
cocoons TO the government filature at
81 per pound, amounting to $36. A
lady wrote me that she had with the |
help of her 8-year-old daughter, raised
l25 pounds of cocoons, weight when |
cured from thirty-six to forty pounds. |
which at 81 per pound, the average
price would be $40, this she considered |
tha ,rAr1- r
n their own homes Many instances
Gould be cited but this is enough to show |
hat it is a remunerative home industry. /
md will be a blessing to young girls |
iving in the agriculture districts, by |
'aising one crop OF cocoons in the spring, |
hey will have more clear money than |
she who works in the shop or factory. |
st the end of the year after all the ex-
1enses are paid, she has escaped the evil |
Influences of the shop and factory and |
heap boarding houses, whose evils are /
lntold. She has remained at home, |
/ JOY To her father, a help |
o her mother in the household and /
raining of her younger brothers and |
sisters, they have all learned beautiful |
essen in entomology, which has educated |
heart and hands.
We have now failures where every
pound of cocoon can be sold and reeled, |
he advance in this part of the industry
n the past five years has exceeded the
of the most sanguine: pre-
-iously we had no assured market for
he product.
The imports of raw silk at the ports Of
New York and the Pacific coast. in the
month of October, 1888 were 5.337 bales
633, $40 lbs.) valued at 1851, 599. Why
hould not this sum be in the pockets
If our farmers, wives and daughters? 1t