The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-19
SILK IN KANSAS.

| in Kansas about silk and silk culture,
| though it is not plain where the word
culture comes i'll. Several causes con-
| tributed to make the people talk silk.
Mr. Boissiere. or, perhaps, De BoiSslere,
started what was called French colony
in Franklin county, and so prominent
was silk raising or making, that the set
| Element came to be called Slkville. But
| the Frenchman, while grand advertiser
| at home, is not prominent or self-aSSert-
| i've as colonlSt; he pines or plays second
| violin, or goes into retirement IN strange
| land, and beyond modestly calling atten-
| ton to the fact that silk ribbons could be
made in Kansas, and that the Kansas silk
! worm was a VOraclOuS creature and
would eat the leaves of the Usage orange,
| N. Boissiere himself did little, and 1t Is
years since | have heard OF him or even
| of Silkville. But the Silkville experiment
! helped swell the stream OF talk. The
| MennOnltes upon their arrival IN Kansas
resolved TO carry on the industries they
| had prosecuted in Russia, and so Went
| to feeding silk worms on the mulberry
| trees they, the MennoniteS, brought with
| them, and which is now prominent as q
shade and ornamental tree in Harvey
and other counties having a Mennonite
population. Then various persons cIrcu-
| lated pamphlets on the silk business and
| finally a Mr.. HOrner worked with voice
and pen to that extent that the leglsla-
ture became interested and appropriated
a certain sum to establish silk sta
ton" where the infant industry might
be fOstered Commissioners were ap-
poInted-nothing can be accomplished
without three commissiOners-and the
question of site was considered from the
''what'H YOU give" standpoint. That Is,
the location was put up TO the highest
bidder. 1t is singular fact that while
there is never any corruption about this
manner of locating public institutions,
there is always talk about 1t. To protect
good men from the possibility Of unjust
Occusation, this thing, to use form OF
double and twisted negatiOn employed
in some parts of this union, never
ought to be done no more" The Ioca-
ton fixed upon in this case was Peabody,
i Marion county, and a good location It
was and is.
Peabody is near the region of the CO.
coon producing MennoniteS, and is i'll
fertile region occupied by farmers who
always raise and ship something, deem
ing agriculture the proper pursuit OF the
farmer. On a rise just outside of Pea
body a white frame house was built and
ten acres set out, mostly in mulberrieS.
Mr.. HOrner was established as Superln-
tendent, but after row, with some rev.
Citations which had somewhat the flavor
of an abattoir, he was dismissed and
died in great poverty and suffering short
" afterward at Kansas City. In process
of time he was succeeded by gentleman
originally from Russia. whose name was
Abraham Thiessen. Mr.. Thiessen pro-
fessed to have incurred the Ill will or the
Russian government, possibly by the utter
ance of some revolutionary sentiments
about cOcOonS or silk worms, and the
fictiOns he gave about the imperial
methods were stranger than Mr.. Ken
mans truths. In time Abraham passed
away and was succeed by DR.. Buck,
resident of the locality.
The question Of raising silk in Kansas
some time since ceased 10 rouse the
public to anything like madness: in fact,
we. seldom mention it, but retaining a
memory of former interest, | went out
last week, in company with young Mr.
Joe ThobuTn, to look at the station
1t was a day to make an African leopard
seek the shade, for fear his spots might
might melt of, but a tall chimney at the
station poured out smoke, to show
that silk, like everything else, with few
exceptions, is made by steam. Ger /
man-speaking woman was found in /
charge, and five young ladies were found !
reeling silk, each with rather high |
toned looking reel, the same pattern, we
were told, being used in Germany. An !
other young person was plllng the /
cocOons into a large pan of scaldlng /
water, soon taking them out again. This /
gives the cocoOns disposition to unwind. I
The mistress Of the premises told Us /
about the difficulties of the silk business. /
The silk worm Is a nervous and capri /
ciOu5 beast, and dies Of almost anything. /.
1t gives up the ghost at the sound OF (
thunder, and goes to sleep permanently /.
if the leaves on which it feeds are too /.
large or too small. Everything that us /
uallv happens to silk worms had happen |.
ed at Peabody, but the present season !
had been a good one for worms.
The guide opened large drawer and /
showed the skeins and knots Of raw silk /
One of the most beautiful objects in the .
world of nature is raw silk. The gold in /.
it is that Of the sunlight. All that man .
NAV do tOit in the way of dressing and /
II tdu ilDl IliCtht- IL lllpit ll1NtlN
to change it seems to be to soil it, and .
vet this wonderful substance that fairies /
might spin. comes from a green, IN .
wholesome, ravenOus worm.
The most gratifying circumstance was /
the growth of the mulberTies about the T.
station. To one who remembered the .
plantation Of scraggy little bushes (
it seemed a wonderful transfer !
nation. these acres covered with q .
Jungle Of the mulberry, thick and high. /
When the Kansas soil Is called upon 10 7
aid in any enterprise it rarely fails to re- .
spond. Wherewithal the silk worm .
shall eat in Kansas. whether 1t be null /
berry or Usage orange Is settled, but the !.
mulberry is the better; the sharp thorns .
of the Usage orange are Objectionable 10 .
the leaf picker.
Silk can be made in Kansas. No better I
worm than the Kansas silk worm ever /.
laid tooth 10 mulberry. But viii the /
silk industry pay in Kansas: That IS .
one Of the dozen questions that 20 over I
under the head Of unfinished business" I
The people encouraged the state govern /
m mt 10 90 into the business: now If the /.
St tie government could get the people /.
into il. We viii see the silk business I.
along with the sorghum sugar business .
later.