The Republican., 1899-07-27
CONCERNING CLOTHES MOTHS.
Some Valuable Information as to
Protecting FUrs and WOOlens
from Their RaVages.


the depredations of the clothes moth,
that most destructive of household
pests, are chiefly 10 be dreaded. Never
safe from il, in the steam heated atmos-
phere of our city houses, the warm,
damp evenings OF the early summer,
when furs and woolens, though little
used, are still kept out in case of pos
sible need, are those in which it finds
its greatest opportunities and works its
most appalling mischief, mischief often
not discovered until months later, when
the cherished garment is found to be
CHASTITY wreck.
Entomologists tell us that this inno-
cent looking little silver gray insect,
smaller than the ordinary house fly,
lays 500 eggs: therefore it is no wonder
that the progeny of single moth
miller is sufficient to destroy a whole
garment and large one at that. Your
costly fur cape is lying on your lap in
the carriage, as you take your drive, or
tossed down on chair as you come in.
In amongst its silky hairs creeps Nine.
Tinea Microlepidoptera and deposits
her eggs where her offspring will find
comfortable quarters and abundant
food. Nature has provided her with
the means of fastening the infnitesmal
eggs securely at the very root of the
hairs. Therefore when you give your
furs a cursory examination and lay
them away until fall, alas and a-lacIl-a-
day, when the fall comes the fur flies,
and lchabOd is written above your beau
tiful wrap. SO if you wish to escape
such catastrophe, be careful. Pounds
of tar and camphoP will not preserve
your garment if the moth eggs have al
ready been deposited when they are
laid away. Practical experience proves
that while the moth miller objects to
strong odOrs of any sort, the worm
which does the mischief has apparently
no olfactory organs, and will do its
deadly work in the midst of tar and
camphor galore. If there are no moths
in the garments when laid away. and
you wrap them securely in newspapers
moths, like other evil doers, object to
printers ink-you may feel reasonably
81 III Nil'lt AlIN ttl Ilt llllIlS 10
to make sure that no moths are in them,
and that none can get at them.
y cedar chest is nice thing to have,
more especially if you live in a fiat and
it takes the shape of a box lounge, but
Il good packing trunk, lined with two
thlcknesses OF newspapers laid between
the clothing at every layer, is Just as
e1iicacious for the preservation of the
goods. Indeed, if you like, you may
keep your rugs on the floor all summer
and your wraps in the wardrobe, and if
you beat and brush them regularly
twice week they are as safe as though
packed away.
| once asked well-known furrier
what moth preventive he preferred.
His answer was: ~ man with a stick -
Then he went on to explain that all the
garments in his shop We're kept hang
ing in cedar-lined closets, and once a
week, all the year round, were taken
out and well beaten and examined.
This proceeding rendered them per-
fectly safe. Nowadays the large houses
use cold storage, and your costly fUs
which they insure for the summer are
kept in rooms where the air is Us dry
as a bone and many degrees below
freezing. Any venturous moth who
should gain access to the safety deposit
chamber would be at once frozen stiff.
This is also good for the furs, since
warm weather is injurious to their
beauty. \ months wear in warm
weather is harder on fine furs than
years of use with the mercury at freez-
ing.
AS the moth miller has supersensi-
tive nose, it rarely attacks any fur with
a scent, however faint. Sealskin is com
paratively safe from their ravages, and
the beautiful skunk fur. which. how
ever carefully deodorized. still retains
a slight scent. is never mOlested. But
in laying away your sealskins be care
full to see that every hair is in its correct
position. Carelessness in this regard
is certain to produce rough and
rubbed effect which can only be rem
edied by a visit to the furrier and ex-
pensive treatment at his hands.-Chi-