New-York tribune., 1911-11-29
Raw Silk-Its Culture and manufacture
g IRA DIMOCK President of The Nonotuck Silk Company

D,,oc, buiIt machinery manufacturing silk on Nan
tIcket Island The wfitcr remembers that cnpioyo
Mr. Dexter sent 10 the machinery taken and
died there The six Cheney Brothers by united cf
forts took lead IN the manufacture of silk goods IN
country and appear TO have held 10 this dato having
built many large mills giving employment 10 81 -cast
1000 people
manufacture III Florence. Mass with but ittlc
Eventually fell into the hands of tii and
Tinckley and finally the Nonotuck SIX COMPANY was
formed 10 take over the business In February. 1889
salesman for called on NJ Singer ther
perncnng with aowing machine in little 90
ton Mr. Singer up time bought skeius Of silk and
wound them on to spools hand and nc asked the
man he. could make him threccord six twisted
In tho o,nosite direction from .yo-cord sewing and said
n SO he would obgac himself TO take Gyc pounds taking
one pound time and paying for IT, The ll' made
and put up one a half ounces on spool and pound
trying the silk and examining the wo, he
said 10 the salesman: you make silk good
tlis?" The salesman replied Certainly and Mr. Singer
said 81 shall want all can make Those words he
lived verify as in the first year oi inc 'N war ms or
dcrs 20 the Nonouck Company frequently went into fou
figures pounds and with other customers pressing for
silk the delay caused him to buy the Gurney six MIL
Newark tho supply Of machine twist Up TO The
time machine twist first made for NJ Singer prob
93Io Of sewing silk WAS put up III sNtlhs put The
sewing machine created demand for spool silk which tho
Nonotuci silk Company fastened to supply and hy pu-
ting M proper OF twist 1O0yard spooS for
nacrs and for domestic use undor the CorticeH"
Tho Corcelli brand became household word and
10 secure trademark tie name s used IN connection
with the Kittens head shown herewith
After repeated attempts in many states 10 make Sor
culture profitable resulting in failure the importation 81
on
imported previous 1870 but so rapidly has tho demand
increased especially the last few that t" United
States srpasses other country n the consumption
of silk
From July 1st. to Juno 1st 1911 eleven months
shinments OF Japan the United states were 9aia2
hales against 267 Europe. Tho average weight
of bale OF Japan silk approximately 1873 lbs and as u
requires about 5000 siiWorms 10 produce one pound ~
"a silk Il supply the fiber for the above
bales requires the product Of about forty billion
silkwormg and each spins approximately one
fourth Of mile length Of fiber the total product must
amount o billions Of miles
Surnrising as may the estimate covers only
small portion annual production OF raw SIX IN the
several silk producing countries.
In forming cocoon the anchors its fiber approM-
,aelv once each u incl. II would therefore require $500
nations 70 complete a Surely the sikWorm Is as
ndusros as the busy bee and is paid for IT'S labor
s demise being fastened order that its siken tent may
be used 10 clothe the elite. ,
ro ouantitv Of used each by the Corcelh
il Mills can scarcely cOmprehended Figures almost
lose hor meaning Briefly and approximately stated three
thousand cocoons will yield pound Of SILK fiber about
seven hundred fifty miles in length: and as one ou-
sand mounds are daily by the Cortlcei SIX s IN
tho manufacture Corticeli silk thread it follows nat me
roduCt of three million is required yielding an
orogao length Of seven hundred and fifty thousand miles
Of cocoon fiber, the mills ono day ABOUT one
drcd cocoon fbers are required to make medium thick
noes sowing silk: hence the daily product OF tnt 'oce
ci, Mills is about thousand five hundred miles oL
Nnishcd silk threadenough to grdle the world III 'ee
and e-third days.