The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-17
SOURCES OF SILK.
The Yellow Spider Silk of Paraguay
Is Woven Into Shawls.

The Yellow Spider Silk of Paraguay
Ia Woven Into ShnvIs.
Almost every worm OF aerial habits is
more or less a silk worm Witness the
caterpillars' nests so frequent in orchards
and strawberries. Each Of them is no more
than a big unkempt and composite CO.
coon. spun by all the caterpillar swarm
as a collective refuge. So itary creepers
have the same power OF silk production.
In fact many of them emulate those gen
tewomen, the spiders, in letting them
selves up and down, or round about with
threads of their own spinning These
aerial roadways indeed fairly criss-cross
the summer air. They are Invisible save
when a glancing sun ray strikes across
Them, Notwithstanding their use Is often
made only too palpable by a big hairy
wriggling something slipping down or
along them to deposit itse.f upon an I'M
suspecdng head or arm.
After the caterpillars one must reckon
the genuine silk spinning spiders. These
are distinguished from the common web
spinners by the nature Of their product.
1t is a true silk, strong, elastic, beauti-
fully lustrous. 1t Is produced, too, more
abundantiy In proportion to food than the
regular worm filament. Stockings, nit
tens, many such small deer, have been
knitted of the spider silk The only bar
to its production In commercial qualities
IS the wariike habits of the insects.
Wherever three encounter there is a bat
t.e royal, which ends only with the death
or disabling of all the fighters Down in
Paraguay there is a spider which spins
a brilliant yellow silk in such profusion
the natives and the Spaniards collect 1t,
and manufacture it, on rude native looms
into shawls, ribbons, and short lengths
for jackets. The color deepens and
brightens with use, and is said to be in
imitable-a glowing golden hue no dyer
can produce.
The silk worm proper is an embodied
appetite. Unlike the leopard. he can cast
mis- skin. He does cast fl indeed five times
betwixt Matching and maturity. Between
moults he eats eats never hasting, never
resting He has been commercialized to
such degree that 1t is possible to esti-
mate beforehand just how much silk he
will turn oft from a given weight OF
fresh mulberry leaves. They are white
mulberry leaves-to be exact morus multi
caulis. The botanical name suggests one
of the most curious and irrational crazes
which ever laid hold upon the American
public mind. In the late '30s and early
i0's of the century just past. the whole
country went wild over potential silk pro-
duction. Facts CD. so-called. were adduc-
ed to prove that there were millions In
the businessmen only all the millions
that America spent for silk. but outside
millions, which would flow In for the silk
Indeed, these United States were to DOM
mate the silk market as they dominated
the cotton market. Even thus early
there was a popular slogan to the effect
that Cotton was king"
Men dealt In silk worm eggs and null
berry stocks as they now deal in futures.
1t was a poor and spirltless village or
neighborhood that could not show its
stock company including every man OF
substan round about. Farmers. plant
ers. artisans made haste to plant the
precious mulberry, convinced by the all
too-eloquent figures that their leaves
would turn into gold. The silk worms
were to be home bred. Unit the trees
were ready to furnish leaves for them,
things must go slowly. But money was
rashly invested In Natures, and Keeling
mills to use up the silk from worms fed
on the common black mulberry leaves.
How the bubble burst Is a matter OF
history. The net result was something
like two hundred yards OF woven silk.
rather raggy and ecraggy, a general dit
fusion Of the silk worm moth throughout
the rural districts, and the home manu-
facture by various ingenious persons, OF
sewing silk for home use. throughout the
next ten years. Stlll here and there in
the southern states wild silk worms are
sparsely scattered. They hang their CO.
coons high, but seldom on mulberry trees.
Low shady elder c.umps are favorite
refugees for them. The caterpilars feed
upon many other than mulberry leaves
the mulberry is chosen by silk ralsers
because the silk from II Is more glossy
and more even.
II Is worth while TO carry home one
of these wild cocoons, hang II high and
dry, and watch the moth come out Of II.
warm room will quicken the ehrysalid
in a fortnight. Left TO Itself IL would
not have stirred before mid May. but In
the house II will come out before an early
Easter. Care must be taken not 10 let
the cocoon grow dry Tho moth has 10
gnaw through the encompassing wall of
silk--if the wall hardens II viii die with.
out unfolding IT. wings. When II does
unfold them. II usually sails away 10 the
nearest curtain. and c.ings there malanc-
Ing and stretching Out one winglet otter
another. 90 though testing their strength
and trustworthiness. Then n Il r. cod
outside the humane thing Is 90 chlOroform
tho bright huod creature, and mount a.
before one Bit Of down color Ia krushed
from ~ wings But win May weather
iet n ny away 20 seek "a mlte ana wanton
In the sun. through lta lito day,
Italy ana Chine furnish the best silk.
hence the beat FIX worm eREs though
Japan b coming 10 be- reghoned with in
the matter of aik supply Everybody has
heard how the nfst filk worm eggs we're