The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1913-12-26
QUEER TRAITS OF THE
SILK WORMS.

When the silk worm first appears
in history, twenty-six centuries be
fore the Christian era, it is culture
in palaces and nursed by royalty. Ap
parantly aware of it's aristocratic ma
ture, it is delicate beyond words and
exacting to the last degree upon the
care and attention of its minions. But
IN appearance no mortal plebian
worm could be uglier. When full
grown it is from three to three and
half inches long, with a small head
covered by a hard scale like a metal
helmet, and having pair of lateral
moving jaws of formidable size. In
its slender body, extending almost the
entire length on either side of the
allmentary canal, are the two all-i1n.
portant silk glands, uniting near he
mouth in the spinneret, with which
the work is done which gives the
creature its lasting fame.
Inc wonders of its brief career be-
gin a the instant if the caterpillan's
birth, when by the first contact with
air 1t is made to assume a volume
many times greater than when con-
tanned IN the egg. Almost immedi-
ately, too, it begins to eat, it's food
being exclusively the leaves of the
mulberry tree. This eating never
ceases day or night, save when the
worm is asleep. By consequence. at
the end of thirty days, the creature is
more than $4,000 times larger than
it was at birth-surely a most as
founding record of growth. By this
token, human infant weighing ten
pounds at birth within a month
would turn the scales at seventy tons
weight
About five days after birth, when it
has increased considerably in size,
the silk worm suddenly ceases to
gormandize, moves about restlessly
for time and fastens itself at
length by it's false feet to some OBJ
ject, remaining motionless with it's
body erect. This is the beginning of
its first sleep or mott Soon changes
begin to take place in the creatures
anatomy. Within a few hours the
metallic helmet falls to earth from it's
head, and through this opening the
worm wriggles itself out of its sheath
emerging in garment completely
new. So radical has been the first
transformation that a day or two of
inactivity follows it, to allow the new
ly formed issues to harden. Then the
vOracious appetite returns, and the
same endless eating both day and
night ensueS till the next mott, some
four or five days later. This second
transformation is like the first, and it
is not unlike the the two succeeding
ones through which the creature pass
eS. 1t imergeS from each successive
mott larger in size and in capacity for
food, only that the period ensuing up
on the final mott is marked by a de-
gree of vOrciOuSneSS hitherto unap-
preached, being season of no sleep,
but endless eating day and night, I'M
til the worms maximum growth is
reached. This period over, the appe-
tite becomes listleSS, and soon its
body is perceived to be much thinner
and semi-transparent. Very soon it
begins to run about, lifting it's head
and turning it in all directions as if
in quest of some OF 'oct 1t is the
crisis in the creatures career, the
work of spinning it's cocoon, and it is
seeking a suitable place.
Over the tray full Of mulberry
leaves in which the silk worm has
l1NSQ oil Tic IlllS 10 III" lSI uOWH
another tray, having bottom of wire
netting with meshes of ample size
Eagerly the worm crawls up through
an opening in the netting and enters
the upper tray to find it a miniature
| forest. Small bundles of brush or
straw placed upright in the tray a
| foot or more apart, with spreading
branches that join at the top, from
| ideal arbors and retreats for the pur-
pose of the worm. Accordingly it
loses no time, but at once throws out
silken thread from its spinneret.
! Then a net is formed to hold the CO.
coon, and presently the spinning be-
gins in dead earnest. Soon veil is
formed about the worm, which, NOV
ing it's head at the rate Of about sew,
enty strokes every minute and des'
| cribing ares or circles crossed in the
form of the figure eight, gradually
closes itself in. About three days and
nights will be required to complete
the process. In ten days the cocoon
is matured and may be gathered. I'm
mediately it is subjected to steam
heat, in order to kill the chrysalis and
prevent its breaking the silken thread
by emerging from its prison.