Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-09-05
SPIDER SILK.
The Rearing of the Insects Now an
Established Industry.

Among the other resources of Mad
agascar, possession which will be
extremely valuable to France, is the
giant spider. a creature which spins
remarkable web that is now being
manufactured into excellent silk. At
the Paris Exhibition, five years ago.
there Was wonderful piece of SHIN
mering yellow silk, eighteen yards
long and eighteen inches wide,
which had been woven from the webs
of giant spiders. The spiders were
procured by offering the natives so
much a hundred, but as the natives
did not understand that the creatures
were required for their productive
powers, and considered dead ones as
valuable as the living, some $4,000
spiders were requisitioned before suf-
fcient material for the piece of cloth
was obtained,
The United States Consul at Tama-
tave, however, tells us that the Mad
agascar spider is a common object Of
the island, and their webs stretch
many feet across walks or shady ave-
nues. The lines are so strong that
they will bear a light bamboo walk
ing cane. Nephila Madagascar,
which is the particular variety OF
Arachnida in question, is an interest
ing creature, but the carniverous in
stincts of the female appear to have
soured her temper. She lives in soli-
tude, tolerating the presence of the
male only at certain seasons. Should
he call at inappropriate hours, the
lady simply makes a meal of him.
Family devotion is not strong point
of the race, for if other food fail they
fight and devour each other. The
process of securing the web of the
spider for industrial purposes may
not be agreeable to the insect, but it
is undoubtedly one of interest. A
holder had first to be devised to Sc
cure the living spider while winding
off the web. The first method adopt
ed was to confine the spiders in emp
" match boxes with their abdomens
protruding. Now a device has been
evolved consisting Of a frame of
twenty-four small guillotines. In
each of these a spider is secured, so
that on one side protrudes the aldo
men, and on the other the head, tho
rax and legs are free.
1t is not quite clear that the spider
enjoys this treatment, but resistance
is useless Experience has taught
the operators to keep the creatures
legs away from the web, and so, even
if it was inclined to kick while under
the guillotine it would do no good.
III the case of each spider the web
can be reeled off five or six times in
the course of a month after forma-
tionT This exhausts the spider,
which dies after yielding about 1000
yards. The Keeling of the webs is
done by native girls, the whole pro-
ceeding being one of the marvels of
the economy of nature. Beside each
girl is placed a straw basket filled
with live spiders every morning.
There is another basket to receive
them when they have yielded up their
PlOuuNI'r n uOACn VI tlG CIGdluE6S
are locked in the guillotine frame to-
gether, their webs are drawn out,
collected into one thread, which is
passed over a metal hook, and the
reel is set in motion by a pedal An
exhausted spider is replaced without
stopping the wheel, and later on it
is carried back to the park. 1t re-
quires nine or ten days to recuperate
for a second operation. The silk so
obtained is fine, but expensive to pro-
duce. 1t is exceedingly light; $4,000
yards of nineteen strands thickness
weigh only $50 grains, and the time
and labor Of procuring and preparing
it bring the cost up to- S. per pound.
The rearing Of the spiders for their
silk is now an established industry
in Madagascar.-Bom Gazette.