The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-18
From an Ounce of Eggs 4 Staten
Island Boy and His Mother
Have Produced 10000
COcOons.
GOVERNMENT is INTERESTED
Miss Henrietta Kelly of the Uni
ted States Micro-BiOlOgy De
partmpnt PrOnOunceS Amer
lean Thread FirSr-Class.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
New York. Oct l4-It l. Ike a fairy
tale. this story OF silk culture in Greater
New York.
From an ounce OF sillIworm eggs
Staten Island boy ard his mother. with
the leaves Of two OF three mulberry trees.
have produced ninety thousand perfect CO.
coons. yielding fifty pounds Of silk.
This is equal to a continuous thread o.
silk sixty thousand miles long
Mrs. Charles Metcaife of Great Kills
sent samples Of It 10 the Agricultural
Department in Washington. and Profess
sor Howard. Chief of the Division Of En-
tomOlogy. wrote her that the Government
would pay a dollar a pound for all such
product As has already been reported
in The Republic. the Government Is max
ing silk culture a special feature Of its
scientific work in the Department Of Agrl-
culture.
Miss Henrietta Kelly. silk commissioner
for South Carolina, who studied silk cul-
ture in France and Italy. is now In charge
Of the laboratory of micro-biology IN the
department. and she, too. pronounces the
Staten Island silk cocoons frst-class-
Here is the story Of how siIk-raising be
gan on Staten Island:
Down near the south shore. on the six
mile boulevard, near Great Kills, lives the
wealthy Syrian merchant, John Abdei
Nour. a Broadway importer Of Oriental
goods. silks. laces. embroideries and other
merchandise.
Last spring his wife. native Syrian,
49, saF
silk culture, wrote her husband, then in
Europe. TO bring over some tested silk
worm eggs from the Pastcur Institute in
Paris.
She wanted to give her 6-year-old son an
object lesson in biology, the study Of
nature.
RECORD BREAKING SILkWORMS.
The merchant arrived with the seeds on
May Is last. and the little eggs were eX-
posed TO the sun en- that very day. Ev-
erything was ready FOR the experiment.
There were three white mulberry trees on
the place and in their first tender LEAKAGE.
In less than two hours from the time
the eggs were placed in the sun. tiny
worms began TO wriggle forth crawling
about like little white ants.
The scientific name for the youngsters IS
bNAA4Ig hAA AA4NN AAAAA A1AAAlA AAAeAtu sAAAH@
when Mrs. Abdel Nour and her boy
chopped mulberry leaves into little frag-
ments no larger than the smallest tea
leaves. the worms, but an hour old. began.
eating ravsnously and growing for al they
were worth.
II was astonishing how they grew as they
ate thu leaves. As 10 Just when and how
they we're taught that mulberry leaves
would make them fat and beautiful IS one
OF natures mysteries In few days they
were full grown. and then the noise OF
their chewing mulberry leaves was like
the filing OF a thousand little saws.
II takes forty days from the Matching OF
silk worms TO the complete ful. culture Of
make three distinct "fasts'' OF twelve
hours each, during which they will eat
After each fast they attack the null
berry leaves with fresh viEcr. At the
proper time. in three or four weeks.
worm Is ready TO begin spinning its silken
incloSed in a shining white coffin. This Is
the process OF becoming a butterfly.
SIX sPOOLS PER WORM.
Each worm spins 100 yards Of silk in
continuous beautiful thread, equal in
length TO six spools OF sewing silk Of 200
yards each. Think OF such a feat for a lit
Tie white worm that an infant could crush
IN its hand. It means a silken thread
nearly two-thirds Of mile long.
OF course the worms are not allowed to
spin in dust or dampness, where the gos-
samer thread would be soi;ed or injured.
When the worm arrives at the stage for
spinning It is placed on pine or cedar
Staten Island
Master Hector, the Syrian boy. spread a
bit OF old lace over the fragrant branches
and placed the worms thereon.
They took to the lace by instinct fas-
tened themselves 10 the threads Of the
glistenins fabric like dewdrops. and then
began spinning Everything about the
wonderful business OF silk culture is beau
tlful
Nothing in all industry is so wonder
Iully exquisite. As soon as the cocoon is
fnished-just when the worm inside is
about TO eat It's way out. cutting through
is silken coffin and become butterfly
to soar heavenward-thp Cocoons are cx-
posed TO heat and the worm killed. This
ends its life and work. Then the silk
Is reeled on and prepared for market.
That single ounce OF seed brought over
from Paris not only produced 5000 silk
worms. but enough seed for fresh culture.
\ rev butterflies were hatched TO lay
eggs again. The yield of silk was fifty
rounds. The product OF that little ounce
OF eggs when IN cocoons not only filled all
thTee S u2 81 Ss 9g shd SgTeq 6x out Sf coo6 tsS 0E
which they sent to Washington for Gov
ernment experts to examine and pass
upon.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR EVERYBODY.
1AAG- -ANACdAls WHO mas Detll utAGEdAGQ
BY Miss Kelly IN Washington to encour-
age silk culture on Staten Island and else
where. says that any one can propagate
EilkEorms successfully by following the
instructions sent out by the department
in Washington. Under the new system
which has been introduced from the silk
culture establishments Of Europe only per
feet eggs are used. To recognize them at
glance requires science, and It is this
knowledge which is dispensed in printed
directions by the Government.
Mrs Metcalfe proposes TO establish silk
land. with the assistance OF Mrs Abdel
Nour, the Syrian expert. To this end she
has founded the Staten Island silk Grow
ing Club. Two thousand mulberry trees,
imported from Italy. viii be distributed
EoT planting on the island early next
spring. and the children and women who
are 10 60 into Il taught TO rear the worms
and save the cocoons.
Mrs. Metcalfe says: - child Of Ordi-
nary intelligence can earn from So TO $50
in six weeks at the husness-easily pro-
ducinE thousands OF miles Of silk in the
few weeks required TO complete the cul-
ture.
This would put an end to truancy. the
breaking Of church windows. destroying
fruit orchards and the overpOpulatlun OF
she iails of the country. ] consider x per
Dfrtt in sllS culture and enable them to
earn morn money IN six weeks than many
o. their parents earn IN year.
'@rhe secret OF making children as God
intended they should be. as useful as they
arc beautlful. lies in education. develop