The record-union., 1896-08-23
RAISES SILKWORMS.
A Lad Who Has Little Farm of Six
Hundred Worms.

| Many people have an idea that silk
/ grows on tree, says the New York
| World Herbert Hancock of 124 West
One Hundred and Twenty-fourth
/ street, New York, can disabuse their
minds of that idea, for he has a little
| s.lkworm farm which he boasts is his
monopoly in this city. Failing to OBJ
tain the eggs in New York, he sent to
| Europe last year and obtained a thou
sand eggs. He has hatched some 600
worms and is waiting for the develop
ment of the remainder.
| This may seem but a little enter
prise, but when one realizes that every
| worm has to be taken off one piece of
| lettuce to be transferred to a fresh piece
every morning the amount of patience
and perseverance can be realized
Young Hancock rises at o'clock
every morning and with camePs-hair
brush-for silkworms ought never to be
touched by the hand-takes every worm
off the stale piece of salad and puts it on
the new AS he has studied this Curl
Gus diversion very closely. his views on
the why and wherefore" of this indus
| try may be of interest.
! He says that a silkworm when
hatched is almost a fourth of an inch in
| length. After eight days it changes;
| that is, it refuses food and remains in a
state of lethargy for three days. Four
days after it goes through the same op-
Grafton mad in five days again and, last
~, after eight days more.
| Ten days then elapse and the cater
pillar has attained it's full size. AT the
end of this time the worms change to a
clear pink color and look semi trans
parent they refuse their food and pre-
pare to spin their cocoon.
| Then they seem to rely on the help of
man, and man has to supply them with
cornucopias if he wishes to obtain the
| silk in quantities. The caterpillar is
dropped into small bag shaped like the
lower shell of an oyster and weaves it's
| silk
| The cocoon consists of three distinct
/ layers of silk; the first is loose and
| fiossy; the second is closer, the third is
still finer and is the real silk. After
! lapse of two weeks the chrysallis forms
into a moth, but care is taken that it
does not eat it's way through, for then
the silk would be useless.
To prevent this the silk is wound off
+! chrysallis turns into moth. If the
crown is submerged in tepid water the
| silk will come off easily. There is no
| fear of drowning the chrysallis. as it
| is protected by a watertight skin. One
cocoon will yield from 600 to 1000 feet
of silk
| When the moth appears, as it does
in about twenty days. it cannot fly, al
| though it has wings. The females lay
their eggs and die and the males do not
| live long. One female moth produces
about 400 eggs.
| Silkworms are kept in a warm place.
| Absolute care and attention is, how
ever necessary to keep them alive. for
many diseases menace their short lives.
| Mulberry leaves are not a necessity
| by any means. The common garden
| lettuce will serve just as well for their
| food, although the leaves of the white
mulberry are preferred-if they can be
| obtained.
| The hobby seems to be an excellent
| idea for the cultivation of patience and
care, but the Harlem boy seems to think
there are few, if any, boys or girls in
the city who would like to spend an
hour and a half every morning on the
treatment of a worm even though it
supplies the fairer sex with their most
admired adornments and gave rise to
the saying that: THE proudest king
may thank the silkworm for his robe
of state!"