The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-05-11
a SILK WORMS THREAD.
Tho Wonderful Creation of u Still Moro
Wonderful insect,

Tho Wonderful Creation of n Still Moro
Wonderful insect.
Silk! What wonderful product it is
and what marvellous trade has sprung
out Of it'll One of the astonishing facts
IN tho history of the human raco is the
way in which great results are attained
for it out of little causes It is conceive
bio that the food of man might have
been derived from some Of the largest
fruits or nuts or roots which grow upon
the earth The bulk Of the bread Of man
hnd-"the staff of hfe'-is, however,
drawn, as all know, not from the heavy
bread fruit or big tubers, but from the
comparatively minute grains Of wheat,
barley and rye, millet and rioe. In like
manner the larger portion Of the gar
ments Of human beings is obtained from
tho short wool on the backs Of sheep and
goats or from the small pod Of the cot
ton plant, which hides it's seeds I'm ball
Of white fluff from which we spin the
cotton Silk is an especially notable In
stance Of the way In which our race
makes much out of little for its needs.
Here is an insignificant worm which
feeds upon the glutinous leaves Of the
mulberry and gradually fills itself with
q sticky compound which has for Its d.
rect purpose to compose the cocoon.
When the time comes for the worm to
undergo that strange metamorphosis
into tho chrysalis, it ceases to eat and
slowly weaves round itself O casing
composed entirely of one long thread
Its spinning finished, the attenuated
creature takes the intermediate form
preparatory to its winged state as o
moth, nor is anything In nature more
full OF creative mystery and design.
What tho worm does for its own lonely
ends man undoes for objects of beauty,
fashion and comfort The silk grower
patiently unwinds tho lustrous thread
from tho point where the silkwor1n be-
gan to that where it's filn1y house wus
finished, and from this tiny plumber
springs the whole vast cdifioe Of the silk
industry. To the small pale worm beau
ty owes her most lovely and differing
raiment, nor has art anything moro ex-
quislto to fashion, to embroider, to bo-
stow in splendid folds or to initiate In
painting than the soft shining web
which is made from the poor worm g
patient labor.
Extraordinary is tho difference be-
tween tho minute cocoon and tho great
bale of Lyons or china satin-tho IN
conscious toll Of the caterpillar and the
looms that in thousand factories and
workshops interlace tho thin fiber into
such superb and dazzling patterns.
Nothing can initiate, nothing excel the
charm of that fine microscopic tissue
drawn by tho worms magic from the
mulberry leaf 1t possesses a natural
glitter which is shared by nothing else
III tho world and which makes it ,Ascn-
bio under the microscope waving Gsires
of gold Manufactured into cloth, 1t
gives us n substance Mt once light and
warm, durable and freely taking all
sorts Of dyes, each creature contributing
in his COCOON about /, 900 feet of tho
thin thread The west knew nothing Of
silk at oil before the reign of Augustus,
though the Chinese had woven 1t ever
since 300 B. c. Some Persian monks
first brought eggs Of the silkworm In o
hollow cane to Constantinople, a D.
5b2. The Emperor Justinian took tho
business up, and 80 1t spread to Italy,
Spain and southern France, although
China was still the chief source Of sup
ply.-London Telegraph