Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-08
AMONG CHINA'S SILK WORMS.
Little Girls Story of the Great
Oriental Industry


Jcsette Hilda Beebe in Central China Sunbeam
SILK worm eggs are about as large and
as round as a pins head. Some are black
and some are white, with a yelIowish tint
in them. A little moth lays these eggs in
the spring, and they will hatch the rext
spring, when the mulberry leaves are just
coming out. When it is time to hatch
them. the Chinese Put them on their bodies
10 keep them warm, but We keep ours in a
cupboard in a warm place. When the silk
worms come out they are about an eight h
OF an inch long and are dark brown and
their heads a shiny black
We gather tender mulberry leaves and
cut them up fine and give it to them. They
eat all the time day and night, and do not
rest until they shed their skin four times
AT these times they do not eat but are
quiet and hold up their heads. AS they
grow larger, their color grows lighter, and
Ten dark rings appear on their bodies
ihey have fourteen legs, four pairs in the
back and three pairs in the front When
they are small, We can put a good many
into one small basket. When they are
large. We must put them into several
large baskets. They eat a good deal, and
must have fresh leaves all the time. They
have to be fed in the night.
When they are full-grown they are about
two and half inches long, and then they
begin ID spin. We know when they want
10 spin' because they stop eating. and are
clear and shiny, and a thread Of silk is
coming from their mouths and thew keep
crawling up all the time
When We see this We know they are try
ing 10 md good place to make their
cocoons, and We put them bundles of
straw. They crawl around until they find
place that suits them. and then they
stand upon their hind legs and wave their
heads very slowly back and FORTH and
fine thread of silk comes from their
mouths.
They keep working very busly until the
cocoon is made. Mother dissected a silk
worm and saw the two silk glands coiled
alorg each side of TIE body. These glands
lead TO the spinneret that is In the mouth
The cocOonS oval.
Some are white and some are yellow and
some are cream-color. Inside the cocoon
there Is q change in the worm. 1t becomes
a pupa. 1t comes out as moth.
II we paste a piece of paper over the top
of cup and put silk worm on it, 1t will
spin mat instead of cocoon.
Some are not willing to spin a mat and
crawl off and spin a cocoon. The Chinese
embroider the mats and use them for the
ends of pillows and for powder puffs. Last
year we called man to wind off the silk
from our cocOons. He put handful of
cocoons into boiling water.
This kills the pupae in an instant He
stirred them with chop-sticks until the
threads were loosened from the cocoons
He then lifted up few threads and pu.
them over wheel and wound off all the
itN .'ii'ii Incl was IiothiHS Dut tne pupae
left IN the bottom of the water. The Chi
nese save all these to eat. We saved few
cocoons for moths to come out and lay
some eggs for next year.
They lay several hundred eggs and then
die without ever eating anything. l think
that silk worms are busy, patient, wonder
full little creatures.
The Chinese have many superstitions
about them. They do not dare to call them
worms, but say the precious ones" or
Miss Caterpillar" They do not allow us
to go into their houses while the silk worms
are at work, because they are afraid it will
lessen their crop of silk.
When they are winding the silk. they boil
eggs in the pan, and they say that If they
eat those eggs they will not have sore eyes
or headache for year.
There are many other things about silk
worms which l cannot tell about this time