The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1904-09-21

| from which the annual impOrtatiOns
of raw silk amount to about So ,O00,-
600.
What the Government is doing.
through the Department of Agricu
ture, to popularize the raising of silk
worms in this country, and to what
extent it is willing to go-even sending
silk worm eggs and instructions and
cuttings of mulberry trees to all who
desire them-was fully set forth in an
article which appeared in this paper
/ some time ago. AS there explained,
the Government offers TO buy at the
highest market price, until Congress
shall refuse further aid, all cocoons
that are offered in good condition, and
the business is one in which there APP
pears to be an easy profit for the cul-
turist.
ANYBODY CAN RAISE COCOONS.
1t is, however. in the process of
Keeling the silk from the cocoons that
the question of wages enters. 1t is
an operat ton Of extreme delicacy, and.
though machines are used to perform
it, one of which has been brought from
France and set up in Washington, they
still require the attention of skilled
labor. Mr.. Nicoietd thinks the indus
try will not be firmly and widely
established in this country until there
shall have been invented a more per-
feet machine, which will more COM
pletely do away with manual labor.
1t may be, indeed that in certain parts
of the South and in other remote dis
tricts the price of American labor is
cheap enough for this industry; but
such labor is in no sense skilled. 1t
takes an especial training to reel the
silk from the cocoon, and the time
spent in acquiring such training can,
of course, be devoted to trade that
will pay more. The idea of the Govern
ment and other agencies which have
encouraged the growing of silk worms
Is that the business may be entered
into on large or small scale by people
of small means all over the country
and the cocoons sold. The raising of
these cocoons is a household industry
in all the silk-producing countries of
the world.
The production of the silk from the
{ worm is an interesting study. Mr..
Nicoletti secured half an ounce Of eggs
from Italy for his start. The eggs are
about the size of pin-heads, and about
100 of them weigh grain. They may
be Matched very rapidly, Immediately
I after being laid, by artificial means
). otherwise the Matching would require
t several months. The resulting worms
o are put to feeding on mulberry leaves
: at once. They eat for four or five days
4 and then sleep for two, when they
T awake and feed again. This is re
o peated until, after the fourth feeding
:. they are ready to make the cocoon. IL
:. this condition, when they are techni
e cally known as ripe" they are from
t one and one-half to two inches il
;. length. They are permitted to maxi
d their cocoons in such a way that whei
}, complete they will be handling in guam
d tity.
d The making of the cocoon requires
o from eight to twelve days, the tim
from the Matching of the egg to tn
finished cocoon being about five weeks
Iu such time, with the quantity of egg
used by Mr.. Nicoletti, cocoons may b
: produced to the value of $50 or $6C
and, of course, this income may be In
creased according to the size of tn
is premises used and the quantity Of mu
berry leaves and eggs available. MI
q, Nicoletti has trouble in getting all tn
ID leaves he needs. He goes into the cour
try after them himself.
- When the cocoon is finished the II
~ sect inside, If left to itself, develop
a into a moth. This emerges from tn
II, cocoon by making a hole in one enc
n which ruins the silk of the cocoon, anC
accordingly, such cocoons as ar
wanted to reel silk from are bake
r. sufficiently to kill the moth while 1t
10 still inside. When eggs are needle
le the moth is permitted to live and com
e' out. The male moth dies after on
X fertilization, and the female dies aftt
laying the eggs.
IS. Mr., NicolettPs apparatus ts yer
EN- simple. He has his worms, moths an
lie cocoons in a small room, and the va
tie ious processes are conducted by the II
m. sects in fruit boxes, old baskets an
~ ABOUT WuhleNer eise coLhes hahuS' -
IN work is easy and requires not Vel
op much attention except at certaj
let times. Indeed, any intelligent chi
IN can conduct 1t from beginning to Il
end, SO that there is nothing in Il
,k. way of starting fad OF 1t, the worn
id and moths making interesting pets
a The cocoons vary In color from
of brilliant though not deep yellow
as white. The exterior is nearly usele
ID. for producing silk, though son
nd inferior grades are sometimes ma
he from It. The cocoons TO be reeled a
vol. put for a little while IN hot water
ger soften them and tc allow t
ain outer fuZz to be removed
ain brushes, and then, still in water. a
manipulated until the end "t t