The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-06
A SILK CULTURE EXHIBIT.
Al INTERESTING EXPERIMENT N 4
NEW INDUSTRY FOR SAVANNAH.


Mr.. AdoIph Jerger Intends to show
That SILK Can Be Successfully Pro-
duced in This LOcaIisy-He Gives
an Interesting Account OF the SILK
Worms and the Manner in Which
They DO Their Work.
There is very interesting exhibit Of
silk culture in the window OF W. F. Reds
drug store at East Broad and South
Broad streets. About 200 silk worms are
10 be seen there in the various stages OF
development.
The worms are the property Of Mr..
AdOph Jerger, one Of the clerks I'm the
store Mr.. Jerger has taken a great deal
Of interest ina the subject and is well post
ed on the habits and needs OF the silk
worm Last February he procured one
sixteenth OF an ounce Of eggs. or seed" as
the eggs are called. from b. Vaccarino of
Iorintn, Miss An ounce Of eggs sells for
-FOUR dollars. and an ounce VIII produce
all the way from 5000 TO 5000 eggs The
eggs began 20 hatch the first week in
April and were all Matched in four or i've
Nays- ms Is one or the Things, Aif
Jcrger says. that make this climate es-
Ieciaily suited 10 silk culture. No arti-
ncial heat is required 10 hatch the eggs
and they begin to come naturally on the
approach of the warm weather and just
az the same time when their natural food,
the leaves or the mulberry tree ana lte
Usage orange nave begun 10 put forth. 50
10 seems that nature has especially fitted
TINS climate for the production of silk.
Ihls is one OF the industries toward
which the people OF this state who are
now looking about for new avenues of in
Vestment and employment might apply
themselves with advantage. That silk
can be produced I'm this state TO advantage
has been proven by the many successful
exhibits az the state agricultural fairs,
but the industry has never been undertaken
on a large scale. OglethOrpe, when ne
settled the colony, realized the advantages
of the climate for the conduct of this in
dustry and considerable time and money
were spent In an effort 10 develop IT sue
cesstully. Many of the colOnists We're set
70 growing silk worms and making silk.
Inc times were unfaVorable however,
and after Oglethorpe's departure the in
dustry languished and died before the
revolutionary war.
Mr.. Jerger Is engaged in an effort 10
prove in small way that silk culture can
be successfully carried on IN this local.
tty. His experiment has proceeded very
satisfactorily so far. He talked very
readily about it to a Morning News re-
porter yesterday When the worms were
Matched out they were hardly as thick as
pins, but they began to eat at once and
grew rapidly. They now vary IN size
from an inch to two inches in length ana
look very much like green caterpillars.
popularity about the silk worms is
that they. mott or shed their skins five
spinning their cocoons. They begin 10
mott within about a week after they
are Matched and the intervals of their
noting periods vary from four to eight
days, each period having a different IN
terval. For two or three days before
beginning to mott the worms
eat hardly anything. For the
last two or three days before
going into the chrysalis state they eat
ravenously, but at the same time begin
to reduce in size until they are only half
as large as they were when at their. larg-
est size. The worm is then preparing to
begin making his cocoon. Dry brush are
"A IN d iraFhl
they attach themselves and begin gradu-
ally to weave the cocoon. which first takes
the appearance of a figure 8. The cocoon
begins from the outside and the worm
slowly encloses itself in downy nest
If il Is desired to save the silk the worms
must be killed before the butterfly de-
Velops. This is done by subjecting the
cOcoons to a degree of heat which kills
the worms. Seven or eight days after the
cocoon is completed a butterfly develops
from the chrysalis, If the worm has not
been killed. the butterflies begin to lay
their eggs at once, as soon as they emerge
from the cocoon, each ny laying from 200
to 300 eggs.
Mr.. Jerger estimates that the worms
which he is now growing would make
several pounds of cocoons. which are
worth IS cents pound on the market. He
Is raising them for the seed, however
which will enable him to conduct his ex-
pertinent on a larger scale. Two or three
sets of worms can be Matched out and de-
Veloped in a season, which is another ar
gument in favor of silk culture in this
tlimdle. Inc WOTnS are very easy 10 care
for, simply requiring to be supplied with
plenty of mulberry leaves. The mulberry
tree is prolific and grows plentifully in this
county. The worms also eat the Usage or
hedge orange leaves, but the mulberry
leaves are preferred.
Many people have manifested an inter-
est in the experiment, and MIR. Jerger is
frequently called upon to explain and give
information concerning his little farm
in the window. 1t requires but little time
and the worms are easily attended TO
Many people will probably follow Mr. Jer-
gers example and begin silk culture on
small scale.