Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-06-01
SILKWORMS
Spinning In Window.
Unique Display at the
Boston Store.
There Are Five Hundred
In the Colony.
And They Are Spinning a Fine
Quality Of Silk.
Large Crowds congresate to Watch
the SiIkworms Spin.

when Si-lung, wife Of Hoang-
u, an ancient emperor OF
China, gave the initial encourag ge-
ment to the culture Of slkworms,
doubtless the heather empress never
imagined that the industry would in
later years become co-important In the
Fiowery Kingdom to the cultivation
of rice. But such have been the re-
suits obtained from the silk producing
insects, that their product has become
one of the staples OF the civilized
world, and the trade Is marvelously
large. TO the United States alone,
during the year, ending June 80, 1899
there were imported silk goods, man.
ufactured and manufactured to the
amount of $57,5SS,7O1. This is a
large amount of money, but large
part of it is expended for raw mater
ial to be manufactured in the larger
silk mills Of this country.
Enterprising and ever desIrous of do
| ing something that will conduce to
either the pleasure or advantage of
customers and visitors, the manage
ment of the Boston Store, 150-152
South Howard ST., has secured a col.
ony of 500 silkwOrms, and arranged
the busy little workers in a display in
one of the large show windows of the
store, thus giving Akron people op-
portunity TO observe the manner in
which raw silk is produced. The win
dow is beautifully decorated with drap-
cries Of finest silks, very appropriate
lly exhibiting the finished product
along with the raw material, and the
process of producing it. Manager c.
A. Anderson, of the Boston Store, Sc
cured the silkworms from DR.. w. H.
Hill, silk culturist, of Peoria, Ills
They arrived Monday, and were placed
iIf the window Tuesday morning
Some of the caterpillars are at work
spinning cocOons, others are begin
ming, and some of the cocOons have
been completed. 1t is very interesting
large crowds are constantly collected
about the window during the day and
evening.
| During this week the Boston Store
has been conducting special sale of
silks, and the exhibit of silkworms at
work makes a very unique and eff
fective advertisement.
| The silkworm is an interesting sub
ject for study in natural history, as
well as in the commercial advantages
accruing from it's product. The insect
is the larya of one of the many specie:
of bombycid moths, which spins strong
silk in constructing its cocoon before
changing to the pupa or chrysalis
state. 1t feeds on the leaves of the
white mulberry tree, and also OF
those of the apple, Usage, orange
oak, chestnut and willow trees, bu
better results are obtained from mul
berry leaves, as they contain more
silk producing composition, such as
fibre, resin, albumen, saccharine col
oring matter and water.
From it's native country, China, the
silkworm has been introduced into
other countries of Asia and Europe
1t is reared only to a small extent II
the United States. The Polyphemu'
species is the only one that thrives
particularly well in America, and The
Ailanthus is common in Europe.
Historians designate China as thu
native country of the silkworm, ant
write of their cultivation being frs
encouraged by the Empress Si-lung
$500 years before the birth of Christ
Forty years later mulberry trees were
cultivated to obtain leaves for feeding
the caterpillars. Aristotle, the Greel
philosopher, who lived between th'
years 3S4 and 322, Il. c., names Pam
philia, daughter of Plates, of Cos, s
Mediterranean archipelago, as mrs
having invented the process for spin
ming silk, aud the Roman historian
Pllny, whose life was lived betweer
the years Gl and 115, A. D., also men
tions Pamphilia as having first spuI
the raw silk into material for gar
ments. She received the raw n'ateria
from China, through the Phoenician
and Persians. III the sixth centur,
the cultivation of the silkworm spread
into India, Turkey and Europeai
countries. They are extensively cul
tivated in France and England, bu
the principal exports come from China
The f,rst English iilature for ree'in'
silk was put in operation at Tiverton
IN 1925. by ], Heathcot, and 5000
pounds of Florentine cocoons reele'
there.
The silkworms are rayenous eaters
and 1t requires 25o pounds of mulberr.
leaves to feed $500 catcrpillars. Th
average mulberry tree Will furnish .
mounds of leaves. From 25O to 30
cocoons are required to produce
pound of silk. The breeder OF SIX
worms gains on his investment l2'
per cent and the manufacturer gain
about the same.
!, The most valuable species OF SILK
worm moths is that which produces
what breeders call an "annual crop