The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-05-11
SOME SOURCES OF SILK.
Asfonlshinz Pnraaeity Of the SPIT
ders and NoracIty afthe nusy
Norms That spin It.

Almost every worm Of aerial hab-
its is more or less silk worm. The
caterpillars' nests so frequent in or
chards and strawberries are no moro
than biz. unkempt and composite CO.
eoons. solitary creepers have the
same power OF silk production. In
fact. many OF them emulate those
gentlewomen. the spiders, IN letting
themselves up or down or round
about with threads of their own spin
ming. These aerial roadwaYs. indeed,
fairly criss-eross the summer air.
They are invisible save WHEN a CLAN
cling sun ray strikes across them.
notwithstanding their use Is often
made only too palpahle by n big.
hairy, wriggling something which
slips down or along them ID deposit
itself upon an unsuspeeting head or
arm. says the New York sun.
After the caterpillars come the
genuine sillS-spinning spiders. These
are distinguished from the common
web spinners by the nature of their
product. II is true silk, strong,
elastic. beautifully mstrons. II is
produced too. more abnndantly in
proportion to food than the regular
worm filament. Stockings and nit
tens have been knitted of the spider
silk. The only bar 10 its production
in commercial quantities Is the war
like habits of the insects. Wherever
three meet there is a battle royal,
which ends only with the death or
disabling of all the fighters.
Down in Paraguay there is n spider
which spins a brilliant yellow silk
in such profusion the natives and the
Spaniards collect it and manufacture
1t on rude native looms into shawls,
ribbons aud short lengths for jack
cts. The color dcepens and bright
ems with use, and is said 10 be inim.
iiable-a glowing golden hue no dyer
can produce.
The silk worm proper Is an embodied
appetite. lie eats, eats. never hast
ing, never resting. He has been com
mercialized TO such degree that IL is
possible to estimate beforehand Just
how much silk he win turn out from
given weight of fresh mulberry
leaves. They are white mulberry
leaves - to be exact, Morus multi.
caulis.
Italy and China furnish the best
silk, hence the best silk worm eggs
though Japan is coming To be reclS
oned with in the matter of silk sup
ply, This is due mainly 10 the fac
that the special painstaling labor
required in silk raising is cheaper IL
China than anywhere else. Chinesi
working women get daily wages o
three cents. Everywhere IL Is womei
who do most Of the work in rearini
the worms. Men bring in the fresl
leaves and cultivate the trees whicl
supply them, but in the sillserie
women watch over the worms. from
the egg to the cocoon.
To keep the eggs dormant require
n temperature just above freezing
They must not be laid in the hatch
ing trays without regard to the sea
son. If 1t is cold and backward th'
hatch must be postponed TO wait th'
growth of the leaves
When first the worms hatch the,
are fed on leaves finely shredded, il
bits suited to their tender jaws. Aft
er the first moult the reaves are oni,
torn. Thenceforward they are useC
whole, but must not be allowed tC
get hard and woody. They ar,
stripped from the young shoots just
before they reach full size. A tree
that has given all its early leaves tc
the silk worm brood is so weakened
that 1t may die. Consequently trees
are not fully stripped unless under
great stress.
After the fifth moult the worms
fat, green, sluggish rolls, refuse ia
eat and begin moving their heada
rapidly from side TO side. This IL the
sign of the cocoon spinning. so the
women supply the trays with bundles
of clean, short twigs. Upon these ths
worms crawl, attach themselves and
begin spinning. The cocoon il fin.
ished in II TO "a hours. Tue good.
ness or badness of it Is judged less by
the size than the weight and sym.
mctry.
a percentage OF the finest cocoons
are set apart to hatch out and pro.
duce next years eggs. The rest arc
baked at steady heat that destroys
the cbrysalid without injuring the
silk, then boiled. doubled, reeled
secured and sent to market.