Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-05-19
SILK CULTURE NOT paoHrrAsLE.
Too Much Time Required for the smal
Amount Of silk Produced.

Too Much Time Required for the Small
Amount Of Silk Produced.
"There has been a great deal OF talk
about the rearing of silkworms as an ap-
propriate occupation for women" said a
practical person who takes much interest
In the various opportunities and sugges-
tions offered to her sex for earning their
own livelihood. "And it Is Just as we'll"
she continued, that the public should un
derstand its possibilities. We tested the
subject thoroughly and practically in our
industrial school, in which was much in
terested, and short but exact and un
prejudiced account OF our experience may
be Of service TO those who have thought
vaguely that there might be something
in it.
"In the house we had leased for our in
dustrial school we devoted one room TO
this purpose, in which we put roughly
constructed wooden tables made accord
ing to the directions of the Silk Culture
association, and procuring several thou.
sand eggs from the agricultural depart
ment we Matched them according to direc-
tions. We were all delighted with the
idea, feeling that although there might
not be millions in it, it at least promised to
be remunerative industry. We also pur
chased at the same time several hundred
young mulberry trees and presented them
to the people in the village who had little
places of their own; and visions rose be-
fore us of beautiful home of industry
through which the old people and young
children might greatly add to the family
resources with very little work.
Everything succeeded admirably-the
eggs Matched successfully, the little wrig
gers seemed perfectly healthy and grew
with the most surprising rapidity, and
were transferred from sheet to sheet as
they increased in proportion until they
quite covered the tables prepared for them.
at feeding time the noise of their MUNICH
ing could be heard several rooms off. 1t
kept one of the girls so busy attending to
them, procuring food, stripping off the
leaves, keeping them clean, etc., that she
practically could do no other work. 1t
would take too long just now to describe
the method of their treatment, but if any
one feels like trying the experiment of
rearing these curious little creatures after
hearing our experiences | shall be pleased
to give any instructions desired.
Our experiment excited great interest,
and many persons came to see these vora-
cious little monsters feed, for as they in
creased in growth they had to be attended
to constantly and kept supplied with null
berry leaves, which, by the way, we found
very difficult to get. Finally, however
our trou blesome charges had eaten to re-
pletion and were content to climb up into
the dried brush prepared for them and
build their cocoons. Soon the room pre-
sented a very odd appearance with the
quantities OF yellow objects hanging like
berries on the twigs in every direction.
"These were all gathered off in due time,
treated according to directions and sent to
headquarters, while we waited with great
eagerness the result in dollars and cents.
AS soon as our consignment was received
we had most fattering letter congratu-
lating US upon the peculiarly fine appear
ance of our cocoons, which were declared
to be of the first quality. This elated us
so much that we ordered a second cohsign
ment of mulberry trees and had directions
for their planting, together with recon.
mendations in regard to silkworm culture,
printed and circulated among the poorer
people in the neighborhood.
"After about II month, however, of these
sanguine expectations our dreams were
rudely dispelled by check from the Silk
Culture association for exactly nine dol.
lars! So we came regretfully to the con-
clusion that although it might pay French
and Italian peasants to rear silkworms as
an occupation, time and labor are too valu-
able in this country for such an avocation:
and that even for very old people and young
children it would-at least in our climate
require too much space and outlay to
pay for the few dollars obtained by each
rearing. Possibly in Florida, where there
could be several matches during the year
and where they could be kept under shed,
there might be some profit in it; but even
then, unless done on large SCALE it would
appear to me doubtful 1t requires too
much work for too little result to suit
American energy."-New York Tribune.