Orange County observer., 1899-11-30
A CURIOUS INDUSTRY.
The Manufacture Of Fine Gut From
the Sto.nachs of Silkworma.


the Sto.nachs Of Silkworms.
Some of the inhabitants of the island
OF Procida, in the Bay of Naples,
manufacture very fine sut from silk
worms. They call the prodnct "fili
di seta," or '.silk threads. their
special properties consisting IN their
strength and hexibility. They are
made from the stomachs of silkworms
just before they begin to spin their
silk aud form their cocoons. Not
many worms i'll proportion to the
amount Of gut put on the market are
reared in Procida itself, but the makers
buy them from Tore deli Annunziata
and other ne ghboring towns III great
quantities. The following IS the pro-
cess of manufacture. The worm IL
selected when fully matured. that IL
to say at the moment when his nonr-
ishment ceases. and just before his
laetomorphosis He is then cut open.
great care being taken not to inlure
the membrane of the stomach. This
Is then removed, and usually reaches
the, length Of thirteen to twenty null
| Inns, with diameter of to two mil
Inns. The stomachs are then put into
a pickle, which ~ the keynote o. the
whole process. and the secret of which
is carefully kept When the picking
process is over. the wUrkneople. who
are mostly women, take one end of the
stomach in their teeth and draw the
other end with their hands. This
part Of the work requires great dex
terity, for the threads are drawn ont
to the length Of thirty TO fifty centlms.
and the whole valud of the product
| depends upon its len 9Th in relation to
| its thickness anil tile strain 1t will
carry. There are tw - seasons for the
+, production, namely, III spring. when
| the best gut is produced, and In the
autumn, when the auality is interior.
There is al Important market for
! this specially, and the whole produc-
ton is exported b northern Italy and
abroad, at the average price of 100
lire per kilo. The gut is of very small
, specific gravity, so that great deal
OF It goes to kilo. The cost Of pro-,
duction is also considerable, as tho
worms must be bought just at the
moment when they are coming into
profit for making silk, that IL to say.
when they are at their dearest. Again,
! the results are frequently disappoint-
! ing, many worms being found, on
dissection. not to he suitable, and
t have to he discarded The various
! operations require good many hands,
aud though labor IL cheap, it runs
away with Il good deaf .! money. AZ
skilled hands are a,oI satisfactory.
The gut is used for fishing tackle,
brushes, and any purpose where fine
ness and tenacity are Jointly requisite.
| The island of Procida is place OF
| commercial Importance altogether out
of proportion to it's limited area. I'm
like Ischia and Capri. it is very rarely
visited by travellers, though in poin:
OF scenery it is almost superior to
them. IT Is about two miles long by
one mile broad. and carries the enor-
nous population of IA 900 souls Its
sailors are the best in the Bay Of
Naples, and its little harhor is usually
thronged with sailing vessels, which
do the coasting trade OF Italy and tho
neigLboring islands London Globe.
High Lights.
There is no fun in grumbling when
nobody pays any attention.
| Nature ia kind: any artis. can pain.
a sunset and sell it for sunrise
knowledge is power sometime. when
communicated, at other times: when
! withheld
Dignity and pride are lonely because
happiness always wants 70 sit in some
body's lap
Life Is not snort when We count ur
all the foolishness We have had time
TO indulge in.
He who does many thing. correctly
and makes one errcr will hear only of
the error.
Luck consist. iu getting a few Of
the desirable things We started out in
life determined to have
Love can't break q man. heart after
he has got old enough to take Al ar
tistic interest in his dinners.
strong minded WOMAN never ha.
Oh extra pin about I:er person
As rule. people who don't need
rest never LEI anybody else rest
Pluck Is the quality which makes
our failures interesting aud educa-
t1onal to nsas our ~ucces~e.-Ch Chicavn
Record.
Another Model Town
tnietsrred bv the fa.e of Pullman
and DoIceyi!l-, tue owner OF q coal
tract near pittsbnrg /. building +
model INNING town. Zach OF IL.
houses Of brick and II ne will stand
on quarter acre lo', with dover beds
and ali orange Usage f.edye in front.
School bnlldlng., reading and club
house. churches and stores will l..
provided, thus leaving tue miners and
their families. - the number Of tire.
. thousand, nothing 10 10 bl. move il,
anu be happv. some precautions are,
however, 70 he taken against such AZ,