The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-10-18
RAISING SILK worms
WOMAN RUNS PAYING INDUSTRY
IN CALIFORNIA.
Success Gomez. After Many Years Of
Close study and Experiment.
How Eggs, Worth IS an
Ounce, Are Hatched.


Los Angeles, Cal.--After years of
expcriAe enting and study the rearing
of silSworms has been made a com.
mercial success In southern California,
and within six months large plant
will be running to handle the number
of cocoons now produced here every
month. A person ignorant of the
spread of this fascinating work would
be surprised to find that scores OF
persons in southern California are
raising sikworms to-day and many
others are planning to take up the
work
The organization of n corporation
to handle this product has given great
impetus to the industry. Heretofore
it has been necessary to send cocoons
away to silk manufacturers; now
southern California will have plant
of her own. II is the purpose of the
company to buy cocoons wherever pos
sible. Special inducements are to be
offered to those who grow silk here,
so 1t is said to be of an exceptionally
fine quality.
Mrs. Carrie Williams, one of the
most successful sericulturists in the
country, is in charge of the operating
department Mrs. Williams is ranked
among the first silk raisers in the
country. She says that women of
small means, who have spare time on
their hands and are willing to attend
! to details that might be considered
| unimportant. can make a success of
: raising silSworms, and find 1t re.
munerative. To aid such Mrs. VIII
/ liams has written a pamphlet describ
| ing the methods.
Sillkworms come from tiny eggs the
| size of mustard seeds, and are hatchcG
| by being maintained at temperature
| of about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Soon
! after Matching they develop voracicus
appetites for mulberry leaves and
grow rapidly. At the end of about ! G
days, during which they "moull' ul
shed their skins three times, they
cxude all waste matter from their
bodies, leaving nothing but two silk
, ducts, containing their precious store,
| and are ready for the spinning.
This process takes two to four days.
| After the cocoon is made the best
formed and largest are set aside ioI
i, preservation, and at the end OF siy
| or seven days the rest are steamc d
until the chrysalis inside Is dead Al
moisture Is then removed from the
cocoon, and after it is dried and aired
1t Is ready to be reeled. One end oi
: the cocoon is picked at gently un I
loose strand is found and then { c
thread is gradually unwound. Ea' h
cocoon is made of one unbrokcn
strand of silk.
There are in each 600 to 1900 var Is
of texture much stronger than al y
other known, weight and size cons l.
cred This reeled silk Is either whit =
straw colored or yellow. Some tim,
the white silk has tinge of gree l.
Silk Is dyed white in this state, and
then Is made up into threads, from
five strands up being required to make
a thread.
One ounce of eggs costs about five
dollars, depending on variety and ,
cality. An ounce will hatch 400 II
pounds of young mulberry leaves tC
feed these worms until they go in 4
the chrysalis. 1t takes about 1,20(
cocoons with the insect removed tC
make pound, and IL pounds ~
cocoons are required to make one
pound of silk. Mulberry shoots are
easily grown by careful farmer, ans
at the end of eight or ten months they
will yield leaves for food.
Few persons realize the extent o
the silk industry of theeworld, or ths
immense trade I'm the fabrics made
from silk. American uses half the sill
produced. This country has 30 sill
cloth mills, and these pay almost $75,
100000 annually for raw and reelct
silk, grown In other countries.
Sixty-one million pounds was Tho
production of silk in the whole worlC
last year. or this China grew ant
reeled half, Japan quarter, and the
rest of the world, Asia principally, tn,
rest.
In this country the rearing Of silk
worms has been success wheneve
attempted, but for some reason hai
never been tried on large scale. o
late years the government has iecr
conducting experiment 10 determine
the value of domestic reared worms
and the results of these investiga
tions have been embodied in reports
Private interests in the south ant
California have experimental with thi
same end In view. A large farm ha!
recently been bought by Louis B
Magld at TaDulah Falls, La, WHEREOF
silkworms are TO be grown in man
moth cocoonery
,