Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-08-24

promise OF unQuAllne0
success. The trees covering the 40
acres of this plantation were imported
srom France and are of the most ap-
proved variety for feeding the worms.
1he fact that the production of Co
HOons is going forward at the rate Of
5000 a month shows what can be
Aone in this industry.
1t has been found that climatic and
ather conditions in Texas make 1t the
3deal place for the development Of the
SILK industry. The silk crop is surer
man any other crop and involves lit
ne risk or trouble, while the occupa-
Ton + pleasant and the returns are
safe and substantial. A crop grows
every twenty-five days and six crops
are produced in a year, whereas in
Europe the season lasts but two
months, and only one crop a year is
8Toduced Furthermore, the soil of
Texas is so well adapted to the cult
walton of the mulberry trees that they
can be grown In few months, while
II Europe they require at least FIVE
gears.
What is known here as the mulberry
tree is called the golden tree In China,
Because the tree has brought golden
harvests to the successful silk growers
az that country. With the splendid
conditions for the successful cultiva-
sion of silk surrounding the people Of
the South, 1t is a marvel that they
8ave not long ago declared their inde-
Rendence of the European silk gruw-
ers and entered upon an industry that
Is more remunerative than agriculture,
horticulture, lumber or mine industry.
The American people, especially those
diving in the favored South, could and
should raise their own raw silk, and
thus keep at home the $200,000,000
which they pay out to foreign coun-
aries each year for their raw silk
Think of country where six crops
can be made in one silk-produclng sea-
son, and where the season extends
from March 20 October. How does
ahat compare with cotton, which re-
quires 40 weeks for its cultivation and
which only yields one crop year?
The character of the labor connect
ed with the silk-growing industry is al
so a point in its favor. The work Is
Aearly all inside, light, pleasant and in
aeresting, A family of five can easily
take care of a crop of six ounces of
Siik-worm eggs every twenty-five or
thirty days. The average price of the
eggs Is SO per ounce. An ounce of
eggs will produce 100 to $50 pounds
of fresh, or forty to fifty pounds of
dry cocoons. BY subjecting the fresh
cocoon to q heating or steaming pro-
cess, the chrysalis in the silk cocoon
is killed and the cocoon is rendered
thoroughly dry and light. For the
production of a crop of $50 pounds of
lcocoons a quantity of between 10000
and $4,000 pounds of mulberry leaves
is required as feed for the silkworms
from the time they are Matched out
from eggs until they assume the
lchrysalls form. The white mulberry
As the best and is preferred by success
ful growers at the age of one or two
years. These trees will produce from
twenty to thirty pounds of leaves each,
or in other words, 400 two-year-old
trees will produce $4,000 pounds of
leaves. The proper way to cultivate
mulberry trees is to plant them u feet
apart, allowing 500 trees to the acre.
1T will thus be seen that for the pro-
lGuction of the above crop of dry CO.
tcoons two acres of land will be sutli-
iCient, but if the trees develop rapidly