Evening star., 1925-10-11
District Furnishes Biz Supply of Silk Worms to S Sch

a scientific imitation bulb to force ait.
into the skin, so that it would assume
its normal shape and size. This in
flated skin was placed in a small slco-
hol burner oven. where it was heated
and hardened. This processing made
the fragile silkworm mummy firm. It
was then mounted in the exhibition
case so that it looked exactly like a
living silkworm.
The moths were also killed by ex-
posure TO cyanide and then were
pinned in place on cardboard and
their wings were extended and held
IN position with strips of paper. After
ihe moths were fully prepared for
mounting. they were placed in perna-
nent position in the school study
''oXes. Mulberry leaves were pressed,
cocoons about as large as ordinary
peanuts were selected and samples
OF raw and manufactured silk were
also added to the educational cases.
X 4
order to destroy the chrysaIises
in the cocoons where the extrac-
tion of the raw silk by hand reeling
processes Is contemplated the Or
dlnaTE commercial practice is to heat
the cocoonS for two hours in ovens
at temperatures of 200 degrees or
more. Exposure of the cocoons to
the suns rays for long periods is ef-
fective OF similar results. Six hun
dred dried cocoons weigh one pound.
but it takes three and three-nuarter
pounds of cocoons to make one pound
of raw silk. One pound of raw silk
Will make 10 yards of fine quality
commercial silk. Pierced cocoonS
from which the moths have emerged
are unfit for reeling but can be carded
and made into thread somewhat il
the same way as cotton thread.
NashinGton's silkWorm enthusiast
has received thousands of letters from
all parts of the United States, from
people interested in his strange recrea-
tive Sideline. He has answered count
less inquiries from professional teach
ers and laymen, who have wished to
know more about the silkworm. Many
teachers who have available null
berry-leaf supplies have secured silk
| worm eggs from Mr.. keleher. The
average grade school teacher may
take 200 to 800 sikworm eggs OBJ
tanned in this way and use them as
| the basis of IL simple schoolroom ex-
pertinent III insect study. This
amount is small in dimension for it
takes $4,000 eggs to weigh one ounce.
Daily the pupils eagerly watch the
changes which occur They note
how the eggs hatch into hungry little
worms which grow rapidly. They
observe how the mature worm spins
its cocoon and how it cha nges TO the
chrysaliS or resting stage. Subse-
quently. they keep tab on the emer-
Eence of the moths and the ultimate e
production OF another egg crop. The
youngsters learn by seeing. Educa-
tion Is expedited by this sensible Wis
ua-lization study
There is an indescribable fascina-
ton associated with working with
silllworms. Time and again. durin-
the last III years. Mr.. Keleher has
burned midnight oil in the pursuit
| of his unique diversion. And even
| today every once in 80 otter he learns
something new about this remarkable
winged understanding new and
| different which he had never pre-
! viously ascertained.
| Exactly how the siIkworm converts s
| mulberry leaves into silk science
+ does not know. Here is a mystery
| which has resisted the academic at
! tacks of 5000 years. Man aspires
to adjust and gear mecha nical fingers
TO perform the work of the proficient
worms. 1t is an adventure into the
field of invention which looks prom
Using. 1t is. however. a quest fraught
with many complica tions before it can
be recorded as another modern
achievement