Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-11-18

/
about its own body. This is what man
wants from the worm, and now he is
getting il, not pure silvery white, as al
ways before, but of red, black, orange,
scale of eighteen colors, ready to be
spun into thread, without having to be
passed through the dye watts, and with
out danger of rotting from the effect
tain dyes.
Here, after the worm has sealed HIM
self in his silken winding sheet man
interferes. II the moth were permit
ted TO develop, il would moisten the
end of the cocoon so that it could force
the strands apart and escape. This
would soften the strands, and make
weak SPotS in the fiber. Therefore, as
soon as the cocoon is completed, car
bon bisulphide is passed through it,
and the worm killed painleSsly, some
of the largest and beSt-shaped cocoonS
being left for the production of moths
for breeding stock.
Then, as soon as the worm is dead,
the cocoons are foated on a pan Of
water, a whisk broom passed lightly
over them no which the ends of the
strand from each cocoon adheres, and
then the fiber is drawn off on TO
spindles, to be spun later into the silk
thread, or the silk cloth, of commerce.
That is all there is TO il, direct from
the worm to the bolt of cloth of what
ever color is demanded.
The moths themselves, those that are
saved to lay the millions Of eggs from
which the silk is to come, have become
virtually helpless through centuries Of
care at the hands Of man. They have
wings, but they cannot fly; feet with
which they can scarcely perch, and then
not for long periods, and mouths so
weak that they cannot eat. The one
and only purpose Of life Of three days
is to reproduce itself, and these three
days are given over to breeding and
the laying Of eggs, OF which each fe-
male lays only about 800, as compared
with the thousands Of eggs laid by
some Of the common wild moths and
butterflies. The eggs are gathered up,
carefully examined under the micro
scope, and the fertile ones put away
in cold storage until such times as
more worms are needed.
Something of the value which would
be turned to home production il the
Federal Government takes over super
vision of silk production in the United
States, or, at least, gives it educational
support, may be CLEANED from the fact
that this country last year alone inn
ported more than $500, 100000 worth Of
silk. Another product Of the silk
worm which is actually worth more
than the silk in each cocoon, is the
intestine of the worm, used in the
most delicate Of surgery, and in the
cheering and seismographic instru-
ments. Each worm produces about "a
cents of this fine gut" about cents
more than its cocoon OF raw silk fiber
is worth. The demand for the internal
by-product, however, is much less than
that for the silk.
Foreign countries produce on the
average of one crop of silkworms each
year, sometimes, in favored localities,
two. Here in the southern United
States, eight crops have been produced
with an average Of 500 yards Of these
delicate strands, color to suit, a year
worm. About 100000 worms can be
handled by one person, if he have plen-
ty of food trees and the proper sets Of
trays and other equipment for the pur-
pose. Twenty acres OF land is re.
quired for farm Of this size.
The history Of silk dates back to the
somewhat mythical Sic Lang Chi
queen of China, twenty centuries be-
fore the birth of Christ. Her Males
ty is said to have found some cocoons
of the silkworms. an - ''""" foundh
of the silkworms, and conceived the
idea of having them woven into a gown.
The result was so pleasing that the
queen established the industry, and,
for centuries, the Chinese silk-makers
guarded it as seer from the whole
world. King Lavon. os Armenia
sent two priests into China, who
brought away mulberry seeds and silk
worm moth eggs. The culture soon
spread to Syria, Persia, India and
other Oriental countries, and eventual
ly to France and Italy.
"You made q mistake in your pa