Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-08-17
PROPAGATING
SILK WORMS

Msr. George Gademau, of Riverside,
this summer took up the propagation
of the silk worm with the govern
mout She has had a valuable ex-
perionce, both as to the amount of
care and work involved and the re-
muneratiOn that is il it.
Mrs. Gademan last winter learned
that in instances whore persons desr-
ed to raise silk worms the Government
would furnish the eggs and that when
the worms had left their larval state
would pay a certain price for the CO.
COons.
Mrs. Gademan wrote the department
for information and in reply received
a package of eggs accompanied by full
Instructions how to proceed to raise
silk worms
This was during the easly part of
June and from that time until the
present Mrs Gademsn's cozy home in
Riverside has been the center of re
markable interest. The quantity of
eggs was infnitesimally small, yet
they were sufficient to produce be
tween two and three thousand worms.
In Matching, all that Is necessary is TO
spread the worms out on paper and
the action of the summer atmosphere
does the rest. Eighteen days is the
period required
1t was the last of June when the
worms made their appearance. From
| that time OH Mrs. Gademan found her
hands full, indeed, and her house was
visited by hundreds of people attract
| ed by the interesting object lesson
showing how the delicate threads
are produced from which the silk of
commerce is prepared. 1t was truly a
wonderful sight. AS the.worms made
their appearance it was apparent that
the one room set apart for the useful
little insects was not sufficient; two
| other apartments i'll short time had
to be added and the silk worms were
masters of the premises.
1t was just about this time that Mrs
Gademan began to fully realize what
she had on her hands As is we'll
known the silk worm sU bsists upon
the mulberry leaf, which is by no
means a plentiful commodity in this
| anntfa,, xraH in
formed on the subject and she under
stood that the mock orange leaf is a
satisfactory substitute for the mul-
berry leaf On the farm Of Z. II.
Kimbel nearby one of these trees is
growing, which was finally set apart
for the silk worms. When it is stated
that one ounce of eggs will produce
forty thousand worms and that this
number of worms during their larval
leaves the contract that the Riverside
lady had on her hands in supplying
the several thousand worms i'll her care
will be readily appreciated. FOrtun.
ately the mock orange tree held out,
although now that the worms are done
with it it looks as il it had been rid
died by hail storm.
Under their Usage orange diet the
worms grew rapidly aud soon Mrs.
Gademan found the three apartments
of her house full of worms two inches
or more in length. Two weeks ago
they started to spin their cocoon, a
sort of an oblOng case in which the
worm lies during its chrysalis state.
Those who missed seeing the silk
worms in this interesting stage of their
existence certainly missed great
deal About one week was occu
pied in spinning, after which moth
ing remained but to cure the oocoons
and prepare to ship them to the de
partment. The process Of curing CON
sists in exposing the cocOons 10 a
moderate heat either artificial or that
of the sun.
A word as to the remuneration. The
government pays from seventy cents to
one dollar per pound for cocoonS. As
these must be thoroughly cured it is
evident that when they return TO the
government they do not weigh very
much Over six hundred are required
to make a pound. 1t is very easy there
fore. to figure on the remuneration
that Mrs. Gademan will have for the
most strenuous summer that she ever
spent in her life.