The herald., 1917-09-06

! they Will also increase in fOOd-furniSh-
| ing capacity. 4 three-year-Old tree
| Will furnish between fifty and seventy
/ five pounds of leaves: five-year-old
/ tree will make eighty-fivc TO hun
! dred pounds. The product of a ten
year-old tree will be proportionately
larger
BY increased attention and addition
al help during the last period II feed
ing the worms. the crop can BE prac-
tically doubled from six ounces of eggs
and two acres of land. Two acres Of
one or twO-year-Old trees will produce
$50 To 5000, representing the income
from the first crop; but since the rails
ing of six crops is possible in one
year, $500 10 $1,000 may be safely ex-
pected of the mulberry trees This
involves very little trouble: indeed.
all that is needed to keep the trees in
good condition is To keep them. well
trimmed and clear of weeds.
silk culture originated in China. the
land of gorgeOuSly embroidered cloth
and tapestry. As far back rs 800 Il.
G., efforts We're made by outsiders TO
learn the secret of the industry and
10 obtain some of the eggs. but. with
, true Oriental cunning. the yellow men
detied the robbers and remained snug
~ and safely within their walls. In
200 \. D., the Armenian king sent
monks to the empire in the capacity
of tnDPhnrS
motive was the acquisition of eggs and
silkwOrms. After some time two of
the monks managed TO escape TO Con-
stantinOple with their precious booty.
Here they sold few eggs at fabu-
lous price, but for lack OF knowledge
and proper care on the part Of the
owners, these specimens died. In Ar
menia, under the care OF the two
monks, a successful farm was started.
From this nucleus the industry spread
TO include principally Japan and
France. Its introduction into Texa4
was the result OF the efforts Of Mr..
Walter E. Long Of the Austin chamber
Of commerce.
Silkworm eggs may be kept III cold
storage ut a temperate Of 80 to 35
degrees for a period of ten to twenty
years. When desired for Matching
they are placed in plain wooden boxes
with an even temperature of 30 to 20
degrees. After eight days a tiny, ugly
and ravenOusly hungry worm appears.
He has eight eyes, six short feet and
eight sprawling hind ones. Sometimes
he is banded or otherwise character
lied by racial marks. He grows slow
ly until about ten days old, and he i
sheds his skin every six or seven days. |
At the age Of ten days the worm sud- |
denly seems to realize his insig- |
nificance, for from that time I'M
til he is full grown he devours
at swift pace the tender mulberry
leaves which are most conveniently
placed in front of his greedy nose, cut
ting into the tissues with a semicircu-
lar swath. He attains full growth Ike
the miraculous beanstalk. since, Vhen
days old. he is 14NOO
times his size at Matching.
The grown worm is now ready TO be-
gin his envelope. Carefully he noses
around the oak branch placed In front
IF him until an advantageous spot is
found. This is usually at the fork of
two small branches, where he can cas-
ly fasten his gelatinous framework.
He works sluggishly at first, gluing to-
sether in his mouth the two threads
If silk that come from the large glands
IN either side of the body, and weav-
ne a glistening silk web of thin,
scarcely dlscernible threads. In three
lays the worm is hidden in thick en-
'elope Of soft threads. As the cocoon
,rows, the worm diminishes, so that
It the completion of the web he is one
bird of his original size. The finished
cocoon is a silky, delicate, oblong
structure, whose natural color is