The Washington herald., 1908-06-21
Government Experiment Not
Provided For.
WOULD SAVE S5O,OOO,oOO YEAR
Department of Agriculture's Effort
10 MIKE Unnecessary Importation
of Raw silk Into This Country
Must Go for Nothing for Lack Of
FundS-How SILK Is Made by Worm.

WoIIuS IN THIS country lne only SILK reel,
so far as is known. now in operation in
America. will be shut down next month.
over in one of the buildings Of the
Bureau Of Entomology OF the Department
OF Agriculture. this reel was. yesterday
and last week. and will be probably, to-
day and next week, reeling of hundreds
OF yards OF raw silk. which could be made
in the due process Of time and changed
into garment for a princess, whether
she be a princess Of title or just one OF
millions.
For four or FIVE years back the depart
ment has been conducting its inquiry
into the possibility of cultivating the
silkwOrm IN the United States, and in
that time Il has been conclusively shown
that the worm can be raised in America,
but it hasn't been proven that it will be
raised. because for Americans there ap-
pears TO be too small margin OF profit
for the labor expended.
Imports S5O,OOO,OOO of silk.
The United States each year imports
no duty attaching thereto-somewhere
over S0.00O.0CO OF raw silk. most OF which
comes from Italy. Il was the design of
the department 10 show that America
could just as we'll keep this good round
sum at home and yet get just as good
raw silk and produce in her silk mills
just as fine a finished product.
To the experts of the department this
has been conclusively proved. but not
evidently 20 the satisfaction Of Congress
II one were 10 begin telling about the
production Of raw silk in this country
it would be well 10 go back 10 the eggs.
The government last year imported from
Italy about seventy-five ounces OF these
eggs. warranted to be free from germs.
These seventy-five ounces Of eggs would
contain roughly. the basis Of some 5000. 70
900 silk worms. or, in other words. there
are usually about 10000 eggs TO an ounce.
Food for Aristocratic Worms.
The eggs are sent out 10 inqurers who
show the department officials that they
have the means 20 care for them and 70
raise the silk worms. The leaves OF the
white mulberry tree form the best diet
for the true. blue-bloodcd silk worms.
although the leaves OF the Usage orange
tree do almost as we'll
The sharps IN The department have It
ell figured out just how many worms a
man ought 90 take for so many trees.
After be has fed the worms and helped
them through the process Of spinning
their cocoOns. the government buys them
back NJ Sis per pound so that IL has
really been doing some ministerial work
The eggs in transmission from Italy
are kept In cold storage as they are. in
deed. kept In this country. until II is
time 20 begin the process Of Matching
Then, AZ o temperature OF between 20
and % degrees, the eggs are permitted TO
hatch.
The worm, when il first comes from the
egg is about an eighth OF an inch long
IN the process of its growth into a full
nedged silk artist Il mOults. OF sheds its
skin, four times, This period Of growth
from the eighth-of-an-inch stage 10 the
day when II begins to make cocoon
lasts about thirty days
The worm feeds about four times a day.
and is given IN a properly conducted es-
tablishment fresh mulberry leaves each
time II requires food
T. a. kCleher, who has had direct
charge Of the work In the Bureau of En-
tomology says that the silk worm has
been under mans control so long-some
1000 years-that II Is n domestic animal
and waits 20 be fed like any other OF
mans friends
OF course, the silk worm Is handicapped
by tho fact that 1t can't meow like a
cat when it's hungry or growl as a dog
can. but perhaps as time rolls on some
ingenious person will invent a code OF
signals whereby II can express its hun
ger intelligbly
During the period Of growth the life
OF the worm depends upon attention. care
and the temperature OF his SURROUNDINGS
The last moulting process. a few DAYS be-
fore the silk worm starts his cocoon. IS
the most dangerous. He must get rid
or the skin he has outgrown. but II IS so
hard and tough that sometimes. instead
of casting IL of, he dies in the attempt
When Spinning Process Begins.
Along about the thirtieth day. or short
" thereafter the worm looks around for
some place in which 10 spin. Man has
kindly provided one-in the Agricultural
Department at least-and he crawls in
there and begins his cocoon. whence
comes the silk worn by the grand ladies'
OF every land.
For three days after the worm starts
building his house Of silk. he spins and
spins. until finally he rests and becomes a
chrysalis, which is one stage from being
a silk worm and one stage from being a
moth.
Unless the owner Of the worm desires
some more eggs, the cocoon with the
chrysals is put away I'm an air-tight
box. The box is then filled with bisul-
phide Of carbon. and the moth-to-be is
smothered 10 death. This scheme is one
Of Mr.. Keleher's and has largely super
seded the ancient method OF boiling
water.
Would Ruin the silk.
The chrysalis must be killed in the CO.
coon. because II IL were not in few
weeks he would come bursting out and
spoil the fine silk prison he has so care
fully spun about himself If ne is not
killed In about three weeks after wrap-
ping himself up as a worm. he reappears
through the cocoon as a moth One fe-
male moth will lay about 400 eggs
The time which nature intended for
Matching is about the time the mulberry
trees begin 20 come out i'm leaf: the
worms seem 10 know when they are due
upon earth, and blossom forth then
The SILK reel that IS in operation IN the
Department Of Agriculture and will be
in operation for several DAYS or possiblyy
weeks longer. is not curious nor commit
Gated. but still II is not a simple ma
chine Ike the Big Stick or the Steam
Roller
How SILK Thread Is Made.
The cocoons. with the dead chrvsalis
In them, are placed in hot water in one
part of the machine until needed. When
one OF the operators needs bit Of thread
10 wind on the reel she dishes out a large
bunch OF cocoons. Taking hve OF these.
she takes a thread from each one. twists
them together and into one thread-it
takes the combined product of five worms
to make one thread strong enough 10 be
OF value-and through a devious process
connects this allied strand 20 a wheel on
which IL IS wound. ready for the mill.
The silk that was in the weaving yes
terday was of a rare yellow that beats
by far the hair Of all the sOubrettes that
ever daprad four poundc Of