The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1925-11-05

Innumerable tiny rice-straw baskets
are constructed for the insects. Silk
worms are not allowed to fasten their
spun houses on twigs because that
would cause wastage in the unwinding
process. One, two or three worms
will frequently spin in each straw
basket, suspending their cocoons in
mid-air. AS in the case of the honey
bee and the chick, the Matching period
for the silk moth is 21 days; but If
the cocoon is to be used for silk it
must be heated over a slow fire to
kill the pupa before it bores through
the silken walls. At the silk mill or
filature the cocoons are divided into
sins of warm water, and the thread
ends brushed out. The single strand
formed by twisting together the
threads from fifteen to twenty cocoons
when wound with fifteen or twenty
similar strands forms the silk yarn
which is the basis of the raw silk of
commerce. Such a strand of yarn
thus contains 225 or more threads
from as many cocoons.
Odd Tools Employed.
Curious tools are used in silk Gull
ture in Japan-cleavers, sleeves, chop
sticks, and long feathers. Cleavers
are used to chop the tender mulberry
leaves into tiny pieces for the young
worms. In order that the food may
be small enough for the tiny insects
it is sifted over the trays with sleeves.
A soft feather is used to clean the
trays. Tending the trays is the most
Understanding operation of silk
worm culture. for the young worms
must be changed to fresh trays twice
day and, when older, at least once
a day.
Soil and climate to support null
berry trees do not alone enable a
country to produce raw silk. The
country which can best produce silk
is one whose people are meticulously
careful and patient. To watch Jap
anese girl bending over "a tray, bal
ancing long, slender chop sticks in her
right hand and patiently transferring,
with utmost delicacy, the tiny black
specks that are young silk worms
from one tray to another, is to under
stand why Japan is the worlds silk
producer par excellence.
Getting Japanese silk to America
is a more exciting procedure than
might be supposed. Excepting gold
and silver bullion, silk probably is the
most precious commodity, weight for
weight, carried on a large scale in
commerce A single special train will
bring $5,000,000 worth of silk Just
as it costs dearly to ship money, high
charges are put on silk shipments.
The saving of two days sailing time
between Yokohama and Seattle is said
to make difference of so cents a
bale at New York. Interest on the
millions of dollars tied up multiplies
at the rate of more than $1,000 day
and, in addition, there is costly in
surance. In the silk trade time liter
ally is money.
Quick Time With silk Cargo.
The worlds record on the Yoke
hama-New York silk course was set
up not long ago when the Orient was
brought within 10 days. 3 hours and
s minutes of Manhattan. Laden with
S5,500.0OO worth of raw silk, the
President Jackson made Seattle on the
ninth day. A United States mail sea
plane met the liner at Victoria and
winged its way to Seattle. 100 miles
away. bringing port documents and
cargo papers.
Special port forces at Seattle moved
the rich consignment in three hours
to a special silk train waiting with
steam up. The swift Oriental limited
passenger trains take 20 hours to
reach Chicago; the FREEZER" as the
silk special is known to railroaders,
makes it in So hours. Twelve cars
were required for the President Jack
son cargo With Queen Silk goes
heavy Gordon Of train guards armed
Ito the teeth. When the treasure
train safely reaches New York the
shipment is divided quickly among
the consignees for storage In ware
houses or dispatched to mills in such
famous silk towns as Paterson, N. j.,
or Woonsocket, R. |.