*ofa0.3 a4 54 t2didse > Lu] G FoR WOM EY MAKIN ‘ La = —J = — // y// Y 9IROR ' ——_ = SESE or aE ‘dea ~s pe ee » al val a uf) GATHERING MULBERRY LEAVES. THE COMPLETE -GULDE TO PILLK CULTURE. BY L. CAPSADELL, picus. Secretary New Vork Silk Exchange. Seite f, SpRrCOPY ane ON i NOY 7 Be . No.0.: At ’ SW or mses ee NEW YORK: W. B. SMITH & CoO., 1833. CopyRIGHT, 1882. By W. B. Smitu & Co., New York. ‘ PREFACE. Without sacrificing comprehensiveness to brevity this book. aims to be a concise, practical, and reliable manual in every detail of silk-culture. French, Italian, and English authorities on the subject are discursive and elaborate; early American authorities were premature, and are outgrown by experience; and recent Amer- ican publications have been generally mere business circulars and pamphlets issued simply for advertising purposes. Diligent research and most careful effort have been made to discriminate, for this volume, the best data and the soundest results of modern experiments, and to bring them within an intelligent focus. TO SILK-CULTURISTS. It is reasor ably believed that no culturist, however young as a beginner, or however skilful as an expert, will need any other instruction than that which is comprised within these pages, in order to acquire the largest profits and to retain the best per- manent successes in American silk-culture. TO PRINCIPALS AND OFFICERS OF SCHOOLS. The method and practice of silk-culture are taught in all the schools of France, from the primary to the grammer grades, in the convents, and inall the high schools. All classes are taught its simplicity, usefulness, necessity, and profit. There is no industry in the worl. which can be made so gen- erally universal and so immenscly profitable as silk-culture. (5) a PREFACE. From the feeding of the worms to the weaving of braids and ribbons and the knitting of hosiery, it can be conducted very economically and be made to yield an almost fabulous income. Why should it no* be introduced as a study in American schools? a TO TEACHERS. This volume is confidently presented as a text-book which will enable you to introduce and teach this new study immedi- ately. With the aid of the book the subject is easily available, interesting, pleasant and practicable; and it can be taught within — a single school term of fourteen weeks. HOW TO USE THE “GUIDE” AS A TEXT-BOOK 1. Asa supplementary reading book in the higher grades of primary classes. 2. As a recitation book in the intermediate and grammar classes. 3. Turn the topical or black-letter sectidn-heads into ques- tions. The topics are thus marked, throughout the book, ex- pressly for this purpose. L. CAPSADELL. CONTENTS. | PAGE I. Silk-Food Trees and How to Raise Them................0ce00e6 9 II. Cocoonery, How to Construct and Manage.................0 20 Ill. Eggs, How to Keep and Hatch Them....................0066 26 PV Oyen ls CAN SOC WOES 5 ils teh oo sine be uke ahs sveedaenckedes 3 Wiwieacoes V ALICtles. AMV AMES cide vac sasnncce«od cobasegecenddce 39 VI. Gathering, Stifling, and Packing Cocoons.................05- 43 eee ON CL ean cov hie odd vs dee Soy domeocrasaoewwachnoaaentre ee 47 -VUI. Ve TTY AAS RNAS. s- wiseeias, «/tiyeh das vobGsi owes eae SR OD PA re ACTS INCQUISILES : . vc. os. ccsncsseedsodbciddscdccdecstecae’ GO Bee RMA MICS AMOK S Sai wele te ects cate sos lon ndothe ae cotais peat meat 04 ILLUSTRATIONS. Gathering Mulberry-Leaves — Fro: isniece.............ccceeeeesees 2 Pileworrd,) Sarah Ame: (2) he. 5 sb.cccsiwen ats inacincas aaneueeeh aamee mena oz “5 SECOMEINEB Deters eeualerssd listo nan cae avcalane dae ten aes .O2 i Ind Awe (2) Lees sees: Pass aid tie SoM LEA ere eee oo 4 A Gn DAA AEE CANE 5 ov sc areata Maa sida gatrs Sona ot oe ERIE IN ORG wae cd doaadt ss sen meeoaanie Sean anememen usenet ney on oO SaPAUNIFANE Oe ERC ATICHIER 02 ae soun wet atanvadiecos dada puincss >openvonsdaootanes d 36 Sponge Branches in the Wackss. 0)... ioncesoks aya hcatesishe reson ov EUR MEROREAT Ol A OEMRONIN 5 sahis acaba shay wok Ge tna piee edSateacedsuc¥ebvundeees vanraeds 41 SB REEESE OT MO OCOOUS st atasdinn cares uence nswae sed doe coo tuvsniadenleud aval ue 47 Pema. Moth and: Male, Moth 0008 ves ica geass eeu eseconcdet 48 PRE AUANO SEOs Gaipaida seuidw oe cel Nelavawig he opel oidaed netted Se SAE Re mee gawd nt Sea 49 RS UE errs Wir irtee EE osteo ha was « Cowinccdusctenanee ciate Gans duce ans 50 Tray and Frame....... Rasunelde oath Ce Weel A Geter MeL Ley eubacteria 60 PMBG Wasanews tanmanrroteess: vee Bi cleete ie Pet Ae sO ace Ma ENR a cic iad G2 s~ Ci) NOTE. The author of this book is under obligations for assistance rencered in its preparation by Mr. Virion pres Lavriers, the Superintendent of the New York Silk Exchange and an expe- rienced silk-culturist. | | L. C. Nzw YCRE, Oct. 7, 1882. ars: GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. I, SILK-PRODUCING FOODS, AND HOW TO RAISE THEM. SPECIES. The Mulberry-tree was cultivated in China, and known by the name of Zhe Golden Tree, two thou- sand six hundred years before the Christian era. The silkworm requires a food comprising four sub- stances,— a fibrous substance, water, saccharine, and resin. Water and saccharine nourish the worm: the resinous substance gives the silk. Good foods comprising the above qualities are given below, and are valuable in the order named. 1. White Mulberry (Jlorus Japonica). Ns s (Morus Alba Moretti). epee kt Eh (Morus Alba Rosea). Be se (Morus Alba proper). Bee yicce (Morus Multicaulis). 6. Black a (Morus Nigra). 7. Caucasian “ (Morus Tartarica). 8. Osage Orange (Maclura Aurantiaca). Morus Japonica is Japanese,—the Lou Sang. In France, Italy, and Spain, nearly all other trees have been discarded for this. It produces more silk (9) 10 GUIDH TO SILK-CULTURE. than any other variety, and grows in more conve- nient shape and height for gathering its leaves. It is hardy, stands seyere winters, and while it is the best for the Eastern, Western, and the Middle States, it is equally well suited for all the Southern States. It has a large leaf, comes early, and yields one pound of cocoons to about ten pounds of leaves. It can be planted from the first of October till the fifteenth of May, according to locality and climate. The fruit is white, smooth, and very sweet. The Moretti is the Morus lata, and is used some along the Alps, South France, and North Italy. It is hardy, grows tall and straight, has luxuriant foliage, and is good for standard or orna- mental trees. It produces one pound of cocoons to about fourteen pounds of leaves. Its leaves are very large, oval, sharp-pointed, entire, cordate at base, thin, and smooth on both under and upper surfaces, rather deep shining green in color. Morus Rosea has a large rose-shaped leaf. It can be planted as standard, hedge, or ornamental tree. It is slender, and has more extended branches ‘than any other variety. Its leaves are shining as if varnished, and its fruit is of a rose-gray. It is not so good as the Japonica; and produces one pound of cocoons to about fourteen pounds of leaves. Morus Alba proper.— This is the parent stock from which the Japonica, Moretti, and Rosea are cultivated varieties. It yields one pound of cocoons to fourteen or sixteen pounds of leaves. It is used SILE-PRODUCING FOODS. 11 generally in France, Italy, Spain, and all silk-crowing countries as standard; and it is abandoned only as _ the growers become acquainted with the improved varieties. The leaves are cordate, serrate, entire, or lobed; the upper surface is a shining green, perfectly smooth, and the under surface has some hairs on its edges. The fruit is white, roundish-oblong, and in- sipid. The trees grow rapidly. Morus Multicaulis (from the Philippine Islands) is delicate, and grows well and large in the South. Those who have it will do well to feed on it until they get better trees. It produces one pound of cocoons to about eighteen pounds of leaves. The leaves are very large, soft, and serrated near the summit. The fruit is white and bearded. Morus Nigra (from Asia Minor) is used success- fully in Northern or colder states and countries, and it will produce good silk. It is very hardy, will grow anywhere in the United States or Canada, and makes good timber. Its fruit is large, black, aromatic and juicy. The leaves are large and rugged. Morus Tartarica, or Caucassian Mulberry, pro- duces a strong silk, grows rapidly, attains large size, is a prolific fruit-bearer, available for orchard or forest, and makes good timber. The fruit resembles the Morus Nigra. Osage Orange is a silk-food, produces fair silk, but less in quantity. Those who have this plant may use it advantageously, and with good profit,— 12 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. especially as learners and beginners. Prof. Riley, of the Agricultural Bureau at Washington, thinks well of it; but practical silk-culturists do not. We commend it as an intermediary. To attain the dest profits, the best White Mulberry (Japonica) must be used. Dwarf Mulberry is attained by cutting close to the ground, and thus forcing numerous sprouts. It may be brought to great perfection, out of any variety, furnishing as many leaves as another tree twice its size, and a much greater number of plants will grow in any given space. Paper Mulberry (from Asiatic Turkey) is some- times classed as a silk-food. We do not class it as such. Worms will feed on it, but are likely to die from its effects. The leaf is large, rough on the upper surface, and white on under surface. The tree is barren of fruit. It can be grafted with Ja- ponica, and thus makes good food the second year after grafting. es tiaea. cee will sometimes eat lettuce, and the young leaves of the castor-oil plant. These may sustain life a few days, in emergencies of too early hatching, until the young mulberry-leaves come; but these are not silk-producing foods. The old stock of mulberry-trees growing in the United States since 1838 must now be classed as wild trees. The varieties of these trees which pro- duce smooth white fruit— without bearded seeds— are available for cuttings and grafting; and thus SILK-PRODUCING FOODS. 13 utilized may produce good results. Any of these trees (except the paper mulberry) may, however, be used as food by beginners, and until standard food can be secured and grown. Seeding.— One ounce of seed properly sown will produce about 5,000 trees. Sowing of mulberry-seed should be done between the first of April and the first of July. Put the seed in blood-warm water, and let it soak twenty- four hours before sowing. Sow in drills two to three feet apart. | Drills must be carefully pulverized; and a small furrow, an inch deep, should be run in each drill, for receiving the seed. Ground should be prepared by plowing first in the fall and again in the spring: it should be stimulated, but not with heating ma- nures. Cultivation. The seed-drills and very young plants must be protected from frosts by covering with leaves, straw, or matting. If the weather is dry, water every other day or once or twice a week with barnyard drain or soapsuds, always before the rising or after the setting of the sun. If the plants come too thick, trim them when the size of a goosequill, and put them two or three inches apart. They must be weeded, watered, and tilled. The second year, prune off all small branches up to a foot from the ground; and cut off entirely all that are poor or grubby. Transplanting.— When the seedlings are eighteen 14 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. — inches high—generally the second year—transplant to nursery, hedge, or dwarf orchard. Do not injure the roots. Plantation standards are transplanted from the nursery when four to eight feet high. Reproduction.— There is no absolute assurance of reproducing a particular kind or variety from seed. The seedling varies more or less,—is not pre- cisely the same in kind as the parent. A particular or definite variety of mulberry can be perpetuated without any variation only by grafting or by cuttings. But this is true of fruit-bearing trees generally. Cuttings.— Make cuttings nine to twelve inches long, with four to six eyes; bury two-thirds of each cutting, leaving two eyes out, twelve inches apart, in furrows three feet apart. Plant in spring in northern silk States, and in either spring or fall in Southern States. The large old trees of Alorus Alba —that which yields a smooth white fruit without beards upon it—afford cuttings which, by careful cultivation or grafting, make excellent and standard food-trees. Water cuttings in dry weather, and keep clear of weeds. Pruning.—June is the best season for pruning, 'when the young twigs which are taken off can be given to the worms. | Grafting.— The very finest tree and the highest perfection of food are in mulberry, as in other fruit- trees, attainable only by grafting or budding. Nursery.— The ground should be well prepared, and well manured. SILK-PRODUCING FOODS. 15 Run rows six or eight feet apart, and transplant seedlings one foot apart in the rows, and press the earth closely around. When the plants spring, strip off the side buds, except such as are necessary to form the heads of trees. If they do not shoot well the first year, cut them over in the following March about seven inches from the ground. Hedges.—The white mulberry forms an excellent hedge. Cattle must not be allowed free access to it while young; but after it has become a good fence, the more it is broken and lacerated by cattle the more impenetrable it will become, as every broken branch immediately sends out half a dozen shoots, till the bush forms a perfect bramble. This makes a perfect fence, supplies food for silkworms, and keeps the trees so low that the leaves may be gath- ered by children. Lo Make the Hedge.— Take seedlings or cuttings two years old, and set them in the spring one foot to eighteen inches apart on the fence-line. Cut off the tops four to six inches from the ground. Leave two buds opposite each other, and remove all the rest. The next spring cut off one of these two branches in such a manner that each plant may have a long one anda short one. Height, form, &e., may afterward be regulated according to fancy by cutting the branches and feeding the silkworms with them. 16 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. ORCHARDS. Dwarf Orchards.— Transplant seedlings when two years old six feet apart. An acre will thus contain 1210 trees. Form the crown of the trees by trimming down about one foot from the ground. In the third and succeeding years do not trim until after gathering the leaves. For a few years vegetables may be cultivated be- tween the trees with advantage to the orchard. Standard Orchards.— For standard orchards set trees, from the nursery, twelve feet apart, in the fall. An acre will thus contain 302 trees. .Along fences, which are kept well cleared, trees may be planted even six feet apart. For immediate work one hundred to one thousand Morus Japonica, three to four years old, should be planted in the fall. Each hundred of such trees will feed a half ounce of eggs (20,000 worms) the next spring; and one ounce of eggs (40,000 worms) the succeeding spring. Increase the orchard by cuttings, seedlings, &c. Cultivate vegetables between the trees till the limbs nearly meet. Meantime ma- nure well. Hedge Orchards may be planted on good ground, well manured, and thoroughly cultivated, in the fol- lowing manner. Plant trees of one year’s growth in rows six feet apart, each tree three feet from the next in the same row. Thus an acre, or 43,560 square feet, will con- SILKEK-PRODUCING FOODS. 17 tain 2420 trees. In their third year each tree will yield about two pounds of leaves (or 4840 pounds per acre), and this quantity will be doubled annually till the eighth year. __ Third year’s yield,— 4,840 pounds leaves. Fourth: “ te S680) 3.56 % Fifth « “« 19360 « «“ Drea Nes 7c SFO) SAL SE ei Seventh “ seem gnet Wie 28 age ce Eighth “ aay 572 ts tot ead Pe ss Pian. an acre of ground in Morus Japonica would yield 1548 pounds of reeled silk, which at the low ‘average valuation of $5 per pound is worth $7,740. Streets and Parks.—Cities and towns may adorn their streets and parks with mulberry as shade and ornamental trees; and these trees may be the means of turning many a hovel into a co- coonery, and making the poor, aged, and infirm self-supporting and contented. Churchyards and Schoolhouses.—As the mul- berry makes beautiful shade-trees, its cultivation around country churchyards and schoolhouses will aiford opportunity for pastors and teachers to im- prove the material as well as the spiritual and in- - tellectual condition of their parishioners and pupils. Public Highways.—In parts of France the roadsides are planted with mulberry-trees, and rented annually at auction. The income is sufficient to keep the public highways in repair, and is thus advantageously appropriated. 18 GUIDE T0 SILK-CULTURE. The Hardiest Trees are the Vigra and Tartarica. These are used in Nebraska. The hardiest trees in the mountain districts of Italy are obtained by graft- ing Japonica, Moretti, Fosea, or Alba, wpon Nigra and Zartarica. This combination produces good food and hardy trees,—the best for colder latitudes. LEAVES. Yield.— Clark gives the following table of yield of leaves from seedlings :— Four years from the seed,—4 lbs. of leaves. Six ‘<é 23 %3 ‘< HT 66 | Se 23 Eight 66 6“ ‘6 74 12 « <3 “ Ten 3 %3 4 3 90. «6 Gx Twenty“ %3 ‘< “6 450 “66 66 Thus seedlings planted in dwarf orchard (1210 to acre) in Morus Japonica will yield 4,840 pounds of leaves the fourth year, being equal to 484 pounds of cocoons. Gathering Leaves.— Put ona bag-apron. Pass the hands from the lower part of a branch to the top, and strip the leaves upward, not downward, as the latter would injure the buds. This should be particularly observed. In short, the process requires care to prevent the trees, especially young ones, from being injured. In cutting off shoots or branches use pruning-shears. If you have hedges and orchards or plantations, begin by pulling the leaves of the hedges; then proceed to the young trees of the orchard. Such branches as are stripped should be stripped com- SILK-PRODUCING FOODS. 19 pletely; for if any leaves remain on a branch they attract the sap, and the naked branch is unequally nourished. But strip only one third of the leaves from a tree at one time when young, and one half when old. Forcing Leaves.—It would be well to have a strip of garden hedge in a southern exposure quite near the house; and cover it at night with matting or carpet. This would force the leaves early; and if your worms should hatch out before tue trees are in leaf, this hedge would keep them alive, as at first they consume but little. Wet Leaves.— Never feed wet or damp leaves. They should be gathered after the dew has gone in the morning and before the sun sets at night. Dusty leaves should be wiped with a cloth before feeding. Renting Trees and Selling Leaves.—JIn vil- lages and towns this can be easily done. Many people who have uncultivated land would no doubt be glad to plant trees for the purpose of selling the leaves, if they knew there would be a demand for ‘them. In large cities, where one must go miles to find uncultivated land, the cost of going or sending for leaves to the raiser of worms would not make this procedure practicable. If one has only a city lot, he can plant trees on the sidewalk, and perhaps get room for one or two dwarf trees in the yard, which would furnish food for amusement as well as experiment. YAY) GUIDH TO SILK-CULTULE. . iL. j THE COCOONERY, HOW TO CONSTRUCT AND MANAGE. The Building.— An unused outbuilding or shed may be turned into a cocoonery, by proper altera- tions. Buildings erected for the purpose should rest upon posts or brick pillars twelve to twenty-four inches above ground, or upon cellars. Circles of tar should be put around the posts and pillars to inter- cept the approach of insects. Cellars are better than pillars, as they make storehouses for the leaves which have to be kept over night for early morning feeding. Size of Building.—The building or room for feeding 40,000 worms should be about ten feet wide, fifteen feet long, and nine feet between floor and joists. For feeding 100,000 worms it should be about sixteen feet wide, twenty feet long, and ten feet between floor and joists. Doors and windows must be protected by mos- quito or wire nettings against winged insects, spi- ders, ete. Plan of Room.— There should be two or more windows, on opposite sides; a ventilator in the floor, and one in the roof, which could be closed at will. The ventilator in the floor should be a square hole eighteen by twenty-four inches,—the pieces nailed together so as to close the hole tightly when desired. HOW TO CONSTRUCT THE COCOONERY. 21 Meantime the hole should be covered with fine wire- cloth to keep out rats and mice, insects, ete. Three feet floor-space should be allowed between the two sets of racks, and in this space the floor ventilator should be located. Therefore, the room should be longer than wide. The room must be void of furniture, and the floor bare. The windows should let down at the top, and have shades to exclude the direct sun-rays. The worms do not mind the light, but they sicken in the sun. The room at all times must be well ventilated, but drafts of air must never come directly on the worms. Space Required for Racks.—An ounce of eggs requires thirty-two trays and two double or four single racks. Double racks are six feet high, three feet wide, and four feet long: single racks are 6x14x4 feet. Two double racks should be set end to end together, and occupy twenty-four square feet, —floor-space three by eight feet net. Three feet more floor-space should be allowed about the racks, to enable a person to walk around and distribute food evenly. Single racks may set close to the walls. Shelves may be used instead of racks, though racks are better for regular work. - The shelves should be eighteen inches deep, eigh- teen inches apart, in rows six feet high, set near the walls, running from end to end of the room. These will economize space; but they involve more danger 22 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURH. to the worms, from insects and changes of tempera- ture, by being near the walls. Temperature and Moisture.—A small stove or fireplace should be in the room in readiness for cold days, for the worms must be kept warm. Tem- peratures which make you uncomfortable in very thin clothes will make your worms uncomfortable also. | When your hygrometer indicates a very damp state of the atmosphere, straw or wood shavings should be burnt to absorb the humidity, and replace it by the external air, which is dried by the same blaze. I have said blaze, and not fire, for two reasons. With two pounds of shavings or dry straw there can be attracted from all points toward the chimney a large body of air, which issues out at the flue of the chimney; while in the mezn time the air is replaced by a similar quantity of exterior air, which spreads over the room and revives the silkworms. This change of air may take place without effecting any material variation in the degree of heat in the room. If, on the contrary, thick wood were employed, it would require more time to remove the interior alr, ten times more fuel might be consumed, and the room would be too much heated. When wood shavings or dry straw can not be had, small sticks of light wood may answer. If you use a stove, the door of the same should be left open as soon as the fire is burning briskly. At no time after hatching should the temperature HOW TO CONSTRUCT THE COCOONERY: 23 in the cocoonery fall below seventy-five or rise above eighty-five degrees. If the temperature rise higher than eighty-five degrees, reduce it by sponging or mopping the floor frequently. If you have no hygrometer a plate of salt will do as a tolerable substitute, as the salt will grow damp when the room is damp. A pound of copperas dissolved in a pail of water will purify bad air or smell in the cocoonery. Electric Conditions During thunder-storms and sultry weather unusual care must be given to ventilation. Under no circumstances must all the windows be closed. For this reason it would be better to have wooden-slat shutters outside of the windows, which will shed the rain and not exclude | the air. During sultry weather it will be cooler by keeping the shutters closed. In cool weather the shutters should be opened. Ants.— As a precaution against them, the feet of the racks may be set in water. The mulberry- leaves should be examined to prevent ants being brought in on them. Rooms in Dwellings.—If it is not possible to build a cocoonery, then a room in the house should be cleared out, and turned into one. An attic-room will answer in many cases; but it must be perfectly clean and thoroughly ventilated. 24 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. Cocoonery Rules.— At the beginning of each season, or crop,— 1. Serub the floors very carefully. 2. Whitewash the walls. 3. Cleanse trays and frames which have been used by singeing them as you would singe a fowl, or wash them in a solution of sulphate of copper; and put new coverings upon the trays. 4. Throw chloride of lime on the floor, and plen- tifully in the corners. Then tightly close the win- dows and doors for twenty-four hours. Afterward wash the floor again, and air the cocounery. While rearing,— 5. To avoid smoke, do not heat the cocoonery with coal or undried wood, or let a fire be badly or insufficiently kindled. 6. Before feeding, expose the food to the temper- ature of the cocoonery for at least an hour, so that it may not chill the worms. 7. Never sweep the cocoonery floor, but sponge it to avoid dust. 8. Renew the frame-covers whenever they become much soiled by excrement. 9. Clean and air the trays every morning. Covering the Frames.— Drive four small half- inch brads along each end of the frames and six brads along each side, and cover the frames with tarlatan tightly drawn, for the first age or young worms. Use tarlatan through the first age. HOW TO CONSTRUCT THE COCOONERY. 25 At the close of the first age replace tarlatan with mosquito-netting, and use netting through the second age. At the close of the second age replace mosquito- netting with perforated cardboard, or strong, tough paper. | The paper perforations should be round holes about six-sixteenths of an inch in diameter and vbout one eighth of an inch apart,—each sheet or frame-cover having thus about 1500 perforations. 6 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. nm Ea: EGGS, HOW TO KEEP AND HATCH THEM. After you have planted good silk-food, the next thing to do is to procure eggs. These are of a brownish gray or slaty gray or greenish color, and about as large as a grain of mustard-seed. The eggs should be received between November and May. To Keep Eggs.—In order to preserve them till hatching time, place them in a wire-gauze box, tightly closed, and hang them in a cool and well- ventilated attic with a northern exposure, or a dry ventilated cellar. If the wire-gauze boxes can not be had, put them in a cloth bag; but suspend them by wire, for rats and mice are very fond of such food, and will take extra pains to get at it. It is said that eggs put in a goosequill, and the open end dipped in sealing-wax, will remain without hatching for years. Examine your eggs occasionally to see if insects have attacked them, or if they have been affected by mold. If the latter occurs, it shows that the place they are in is too damp, and they should be removed to a dryer atmosphere at once. The tem- | perature should be kept not above forty degrees. If the temperature should rise higher than this before the leaves are on the trees, the tin box containing the eggs must be placed in a wooden box, and this put in an icehouse or refrigerator. Your butcher EGGS, HOW TO KEEP AND BATCH. oF will no doubt keep them for you in his ice-box for a small charge. They should be hung up the same _as his meat. Hatching.— As soon as the leaves are opening on the mulberry-trees, the eggs should be brought from a temperature of forty degrees to fifty degrees for an hour ‘or more; then to sixty degrees for another hour; then to the hatching-room at seventy degrees,—and here spread them out very thinly in the trays. The temperature should be increased to seventy-five degrees during the last days of the hatch, and should be maintained until the hatching terminates. All this time there should be some ventilation, but not drafts; and the eggs should never be put in the sun’s rays. A pot of water on the fire, shallow pans of water set about the room, or the sprinkling of the floor, will facilitate the hatching. In France a room with northeastern exposure is considered the best for a cocoonery. As the temperature rises the color of the eggs passes successively through bluish violet, ashy, and yellowish shades; and lastly they become more and more whitish every day as the hatching-time ap- proaches. ad If looked at closely, one sees a black spot and a brownish crescent extending along the circum- ference. The black spot is the head of the worm, which closely touches the shell: the crescent is the body, which is slrendy covered with little hairs. 28 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTULE. When it leaves the egg, the silkworm gnaws through the shell on its side,never on its flat surface. When the opening is large enough, it breaks out through it, head foremost, and immediately fixes a thread of silk to any object it can reach, no doubt in order to keep itself from falling. Sometimes the opening is too small to allow of the head passing out, and the larva is forced to come out tail fore- most. At times, not being able to get its head free, the worm very soon dies of fatigue and hunger. On the first day but very few worms are hatched; but on the second and third days the hatching is very abundant. Of these newly born worms three divisions are made. Pe Hatches.— Worms born on the first day are re- moved to another place or tray, and are called the jirst hatch. Those born the second day are removed and called the second hatch. Those of third day are called third hatch. Those of fourth day, if strong and lively, are ealled fourth hatch. If they seem weak they had better be thrown away. These directions must be followed to insure even- ness in molting. All eggs not hatched after the fourth day had better be thrown away. Premature Hatching may be accomplished by freezing eggs and then bringing them very gradually EGGS, HOW TO KEEP AND HATCH. 99 to higher temperatures. — But it involves risk of de- generating the race. For grades of temperature see _ “Hatching,” page 27. Feeding.— As soon as the worms are hatched, place over them a frame covered with tarlatan, and over this frame place the mulberry-leaves, on which all the little worms congregate by crawling up through the tarlatan. Then place the tray on a table or in a rack. The worms that after a while do not climb up through the tarlatan are weakly and sickly, and had better be destroyed. They are given as a first meal tender leaves cut into little pieces with a chopping-knife, similar to coarse smoking-tobacco. The knife must be perfectly clean; and tobacco, or even tobacco-smoke, must not come near the worms. All strong odors must be kept from them; and one must be careful not to let any other kind of leaves get in with the mulberry-leaves. It is a fact well known and guarded against by French and Italian culturists, that the leaves of apple, peach, plum, and many other fruit-trees, will kill the worms. Changes of Food.— When necessity has caused you to change the food from mulberry to osage orange, or vice versa, do not change a second time. These changes are apt to hurt the worms, and stunt their growth all through life. 30 GUIDE TO SILH-CULTULRE Quantity of Food.— An ounce of eggs should produce 40,000 worms. Below is a table. giving the amount necessary to feed them until they spin. First age, 6 days, about 5 Ibs. daily. Second $5: days, (10a) 18 Third. 5") Gvdayey sete ae Kounthé’: 5: dayssy hep cae ne Bitth 4 7°8) dayes audios: sie Average quantity first age, 30 lbs. Average quantity second age, 50 “ Average quantity third age, 125 Average quantity fourth age, 300 Average quantity fifth age, 1200 ce Protaras es a es as ke tae About two-fifths of which is waste. HOW TO REAR SILK WORMS. 31 LV. HOW TO REAR SILKWORMS. The Ages.— The worm goes through molts, or sicknesses. The periods between these different molts are called “ages,’—there being five of these ages, including the first after the hatching and the last before the spinning. The first period usually occupies from five to six days; the second but four or five; the third about five; the fourth from five to six; and the fifth about eight days. The time from the hatching to the spinning usually occupies about thirty days. Molting.— The worm grows so fast that its skin does not stretch in proportion to its growth, and it bursts its skin. Hence the more it is fed the more quickly it will molt. Five or six days after the hatching they will com- mence to molt. One may know this by their be- coming torpid, and appearing like small bits of rusty iron wire. At first a dark spot can be seen, by the magnifying-glass, in front of the first joint. This indicates the growth of a new head. When its term of sickness is over, the worm casts its old skin. It then rests twenty-four hours to get new strength. As soon as the worm begins to move about, give it a light meal of wild mulberry, if you have it. Afterwards give the regular food. In the operation of molting the new head is first 32 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. disengaged from the old skin, which is then grad- ually worked back until entirely cast off. If the worm is feeble the shriveled skin may re- main on the end of the body, being held by the anal horn,—in which case the worm usually per- ishes. First Age.— During the first age they are given six meals a day of finely chopped leaves, taking care to distribute their food to them as equally as pos- sible. The first meal is given early in the morning: the last at eleven o’clock at night. The frames should be covered with coarse tarla- tan during the first age. FIRST AGE. Before molting. After molting. Second Age.— During the second age still cut the leaves for the worms, but into larger pieces, and proportioned to their size. During the day the room should be kept a little warmer than at night. At the end of this age they have only four meals a day. The frames should be covered with mosquito- netting at the commencement of the second age. SECOND AGE. Before molting. After molting. Third Age.—Dnring the third age the number of meals is kept to four, the first being given at four HOW TO RHAR SILKWORMS. a to five o’clock in the morning, and the last about eleven at night. The leaf is cut into large pieces _ or left whole, and distributed as equally as possible. The net or paper is spread over the worms and leaves; and when the worms have congregated on the same, it is removed to clean paper or to the tray, and the debris is burned. One will be apt to find at this period worms that have not strength enough to molt. They are larger than those that have just awakened, and that have not as yet eaten and are shiny. These must be care- fully removed, for they will soon die. The frames are covered with perforated paper at the beginning of this age, and used till the worm spins. THIRD AGE. Before molting. After molting. Fourth Age.—During the fourth age do not cut the leaves, but give them a great many more leaves at once. The result is, the litter increases in thickness, and the cleaning of the trays must not be neglected. The molt that follows the fourth age is the most critical phase in the life of the silkworm. During their sleep they are a prey to the most acute suffering, and are plunged into a state of lethargy which resembles death. This molt lasts longer than the other molts. 34 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. During this time the room should be kept very well ventilated and the trays very clean. It is when they awake out of this last sleep that disease may break out. The yellow or fat ones and the soft or indolent ones die easily. Several persons have written me that they have ~ saved their sick worms by putting them out of doors. One lady unknowingly threw away some silkworms, and they remained out in a heavy two-days’ storm. At the end of that time she found them alive and well, and they afterward spun fine cocoons. As ants, mice, and birds are always to be guarded against, I would suggest « hanging shelf in an open shed for all sick worms, with perhaps some netting stretched about to keep away winged insects. FOURTH AGE. .S GC (@ ; >. oe ‘ rp -. ae ine Jee aL < Before molting. The worms at the end of the fourth molt are lean and feeble. They must now have an abundance of leaves every day till the beginning of the fifth age. Fifth Age.— During the fifth age the worms be- come large so quickly that on the fifth or sixth day they are obliged to be moved away from each other on the litter. The trays should be carefully cleaned every morning on account of the enormous amount of excrement; and at the same time good ventila- tion must be constantly retained. HOW TO REAR SILK WORMS. 25 Having attained full growth the worm is ready to go up to spin. It ceases to eat, turns yellow or pearly white, and becomes transparent as a grape. Up to this time the worm has never thought of wandering away from its food. Now it is seized with an irresistible desire to leave its quarters. It FIFTH AGE. HOD IGF — Ready to go up and spin. gets up, roams about, and moves its head in all di- rections to find some place to cling on to. It now looks for a convenient place to spin its cocoon. How to Handle Silkworms.— Handle the large worms with flat, inch-wide camel’s-hair brushes, or leaves. Never take them up with your fingers. When the small worms will not leave the old dry food, press over them lightly a soft plush brush or very soft hat-brush. The worms will adhere to the prush. The brush should then be lifted and shook closely and gently over the fresh food, when some of them will fall; others will hang by a silken thread which they always throw out when they feel there is danger. The brush should then be passed lightly over the leaves. This will detach them, and ~ cause them to stick to their new food. 36 © GUIDH TO SILK-CULTUREZ. Spinning Branches.— Bunches of dry twigs without leaves, or bunches of wheat-straw or broom- corn, tied near the bottom, should be spread out thinly in the form of fans, so that the air can circu- late freely, and be - stood in the racks j// about the edges it of the trays. 4 There will be i NVifeie lazy worms that RIM?’ will not mount. These should be removed to anoth- er place, and dry branches placed in their way. They will soon mount the branches and begin their work. The temperature should be kept even, and plenty of ventilation be given, but they should all be kept as dry as possible. All excrement and diseased or dead worms should be carefully removed. Those that drop down while. spinning must be carried out and placed with the lazy ones. SPINNING BRANCHES. HOW TO REAR SILK WORMS. 37 Spinning the Cocoons.— When the silkworm ag mounted the branch to spin, it begins by attach- ag, to numerous twigs, threads to support the co- oon. These threads are afterward called waste silk. SPINNING BRANCHES ARRANGED IN THE RACKS. After the proper space has been circumscribed by this means, the worm begins to disgorge or spin its thread, which is continuous, and from six hun- dred to eight hundred yards in length. Tt has been calculated that sixty thousand cocoons would suffice to surround the earth at the equator with a thread of silk. 88 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. Folded on itself almost like a horseshoe,—its back: within, its legs without,—the worm arranges its thread all around its body, descr ibing ovals with its, head. Its head is said to complete sixty-five ellip- tical motions a minute —or a total of three hundred thousand—in making a cocoon, discharging the thread at the rate of four to six inches a minute. About the fourth day, after having expended all its silk-fluid, the worm, shut up in its cocoon, be-- comes a waxy white color, and swollen in the middle of the body. The abdominal legs wither away; the six fore-legs approach each other and become black; the parts of the mouth tend downward; the skin wrinkles. Very soon it is detached and pushed down toward the hinder part, and the chrysalis appears under the rents in the skin. It is first white, but speedily becomes of a brown red, and remains in a pupa state from fifteen to seventeen days. In three days from the commencement of spinning the silkworms finish their cocoons, and in five to eight days they are ready for picking. _ The cocoons should be large, heavy, and well shaped. The good ones are regular, their ends are rounded, and they are hard and have a fine grain. The best are drawn in toward the middle, or have a concavity on either side, that is, peanut-shaped. RACHS, VARIHTIES AND VALUES. 39 V. | RACES, VARIETIES AND VALUES, Migratory Effects.—Migration and varied do- mestication have had the effect of producing nume- rous varieties of the silkworm, every different climate into which it has been carried having produced either some changes in the quality of the silk, or the shape or color of the cocoons, or altered the habits of the worm. Individuals of the same race exported to a aozen different localities would, in all probability, soon present a dozen varieties. Annuals and Polyvoltins——Some races _pro- duce but one brood ina year. Such are known as Annuals. Annuals are the strongest and hardiest, and are preferred in France, Italy, and Europe generally, where they now use, with great success, what are known as the Pyrenean, Cevennes, Var, Milanese, and Roumeliam (Adrianople) varieties. Experiments, taking into consideration the size of the cocoon, quality of silk, time occupied, hardiness, quantity of leaves required, etc., have proved the Annuals to be more profitable than any of the Poly- voltins, although Bivoltins are often reared. Those known as Sivoltins hatch twice in the course of the year: the first time, as with the An- nuals,in April or May; and the second, eight or ten days after the eggs are laid by the first brood. The 40 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. egos of the second brood only are kept for the next year’s crop, as those of the first brood always either hatch or decay soon after being laid. : The TZvrivoltins produce three generations an- nually. Quadrivoltins produce four generations a year, Some Quadrivoltins molt but three times instead o four, especially in warm countries. which they flourish. The white silk is the most valuable in commerce3 “| but the races producing yellow, cream-colored, or sulphur-colored cocoons, are generally considered to be the most vigorous. : The three most marked and noted European va- | rieties are the Italian breed, producing small yel- low cocoons; the French, producing large yellow cocoons; and the Turkish, producing large white cocoons. , r There are two principal Japanese Annuals,—one ~ producing white and the other greenish cocoons, and known respectively as the white Japanese and _ the green Japanese Annuals. These cocoons are— by no means large, but the pods are solid and firm. © Both varieties are about of a size, and are almost always constricted in the middle. The white Chinese Annual resembles the white | Japanese, but is not as generally constricted. RACES, VARIETIES, AND VALUES. A} B, Italian, white A. French and Turkish, yellow. C, Turkish and French, white. E, Chinese, white and yellow. D, Japanese, green and white. 42 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. Weight.— The large cocoons of the French and Turkish varieties are estimated to average 300 to a pound (stifled and dried), and to yield 133 pounds from an ounce of eggs. The small cocoons of the Italian, Fi apanese, and Chinese varieties are estimated at 450 to a pound, and to yield 89 pounds from an ounce of eggs Relative Values.— Estimating $10 to be the highest standard price, or the maximum mercantile grade, for a pound of reeled silk produced from any race, the redative values of the regular distinctive varieties are about as follows:— Bést Turkish (pure white), . . . $10.00 Best Brench..e/3.ne et eoe ee eet Best; Diediamiy/ i. ite ois tae tcn, aa en Best’ slapanesey cot ea) ee ie enendes Best: Chinese, 2, . Se, oN ae Grades and values are coeonaed by color, sinew of thread, and skill in reeling. The white Turkish can not be classed as a reg- ular variety, because it is very difficult, in rearing, to prevent pure white cocoons from being soiled. Hence their cultivation is not general, is confined exclusively to experts, and the product is compar- atively limited. GATHERING, STIFLING, AND PACKING. 43 WL. GATHERING, STIFLING, AND PACKING COCOONS. Gathering —The gathering should be com- menced about five days after the worms have begun spinning. | The finest, largest cocoons, should be selected for eggs; and these must remain in the branches eight or ten days. The others should be carefully taken from the branches, with all their floss. The loose, ragged floss, should then be taken from the cocoons with great delicacy, to prevent the co- coons from being flattened or bruised. The en- velope-floss—a little loose case that envelopes the cocoon—-must remain on to keep the cocoons clean. Sorting the Cocoons.—This should be done at the time and by the person who takes off the floss. The imperfect and soiled ones should be put together, and the perfect, clean ones, should be kept apart from them, as the clean ones will bring higher prices. The black, soft, wet ones, should be discarded. Double Cocoons can not be reeled, but can be sold with the pierced cocoons. Some use them for reproduction. Others advise against it. Stifling.— When the cocoons have been sorted, unless it is desired to reel them immediately or to 44 GUIDE TO SILE-CULTURE. sell them green, they must be stifled to prevent the — chrysalides from emerging. This is done in various ways. The processes commonly used comprise— Steaming, Dry hot air, Charcoal fumes, Solar rays. Hot Air.—To stifle by dry hot air, the cocoons should be placed in shallow perforated pans, and these put in an oven with a temperature of two hun- dred and twelve degrees, and allowed to remain thirty minutes. Care must be taken to prevent the temperature from rising above this; for if the cocoons are the least scorched, it hurts their value very much. After they come from the oven they should be spread out in a dry sunny room for several days. Steaming.— The cocoons should be put into a coarse bag or steam: stifler, and steamed for a half hour over boiling water, the same as potatoes are steamed. At the end of that time they should be spread about two inches deep, on sheets in the sun, and stirred four times a day until thoroughly dry. It sometimes takes ten days to dry them. Charcoal Fumes.—The cocoons must be placed in a small, tightly closed room, detached from the rest of the house, or hung in a basket or bag in the: top of a large box or hogshead with the bottom out. A pot of burning charcoal must then be prepared, and the box or hogshead must be set over it, the GATHERING, STIFLING, AND PACKING. 45 earth banked up solidly around it, and allowed to remain twenty-four hours. If a box or hogshead is used, all seams or cracks must be tightly closed with lead or putty. The Italians sometimes put sweet-scented herbs in with the burning charcoal, which gives the co- coons a pleasant perfume. The cocoons, on being taken out, should be spread in the sun for six to eight days to dry, and should be stirred frequently. Solar Rays.—In the tropic South the cocoons can be stifled by spreading them out in the sun for three or four days. But it is much better to have large tightly closed glass-covered boxes in which to place the cocoons. This will insure a greater heat, and will stifle them more quickly; «und besides will keep away insects. The boxes should be opened three to four times a day long enough to stir up the cocoons. Precautions Against Cocoon Enemies.—Mice and rats will gnaw holes in the cocoons to get to the chrysalides. A mite attacks them while drying, and a moth euts the silk. To keep them away, sprinkle eum-camphor among the cocoons. Packing-Cases.— They should be made of light pine, with horizontal partitions about a foot apart, to keep the cocoons from being mashed. The par- titions can be made of thin slats, each slat about one fourth of an inch above the other, so as to pre- vent much weight. 46 GUIDE TO. SILK-CULTURE. Weighing for Market.—The box or case should | be weighed before packing. After the cocoons are packed it should be weighed again, and a careful memorandum made of both. You get paid for the weight of the cocoons only. How to Pack.— Pack the perfect cocoons, and the imperfect and soiled cocoons, rather loosely, in separate divisions or boxes, each kind to them- selves. Compact them by shaking the box, not by direct pressure. The pierced and mashed ones can be packed as tightly as they will pack, for these will be carded and not reeled. When to Ship.—Green or unstifled cocoons should be shipped as soon as taken from the spin- ning branches. Stifled or dried cocoons, after ten or more days’ exposure to the sun’s rays. Pierced cocoons at any time. Floss or waste at any time. How to Ship.— Four pounds or less can be sent by mail at one cent per ounce. Larger quantities had better be put in wooden boxes and sent by freight, especially for long distances. Shipnients at short distances, say two to four hundred miles, may be sent by express. But express charges on large boxes for long distances curtail the profits of small culturists and beginners very seriously. REPRODUCTION. 47 EE. REPRODUCTION. Stringing Cocoons.— When the cocoons selected for reproduction have remained on the branches eight days, they are taken aes down, stripped of their loose 6 | floss, and strung ona thread. 29 This is done by sticking the 5 needle lightly through the 5 side of the cocoon. The %@ greatest care must be taken ie not to pierce or disturb the #39 s Ld . io 2s md chrysalis inside. s? When the strings are a Bi ard long hang them up against the wall in a dry, @o® hie? = moderately dark, and well & ventilated room. j Sexes.—Some say that em the male cocoon is smaller 5 than the female, depressed in the middle, and somewhat #= sharp at one or both ends; la = that, the. female % cocoon «is © G8 OF COCOONS. larger, more round and blunt at the end, and but slightly (if any) depressed. Others again assert that the sexes can only be told by weighing,— the female weighing the most. 48 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. Mating, or Coupling.— From twelve to fifteen days after the worms spin the cocoons the moths will begin to appear. They come out from four to eight o’clock in the morning. ~ The sexes are Yer easily distin- guishable. The female is quiet, sluggish,and has a large body, full of eggs. - The male is smaller, its wings are tinged with gray, and it flutters them constantly. The very mo- ment the male moth comes out he goes in quest of the female, and they will in most cases mate immediately. As soon as mated lift them by their wings and put each pair on a clean sheet of paper or cloth, or in a cell of the mating-box, in a darkened room, with a temperature of about seventy degrees. They should remain mated or coupled six hours. If any should become uncoupled too soon they must be put together again or given a new mate or removed, ft ee lity i I | il ante {! thn H D MALE MOTH. REPRODUCTION. 49 as the male will make such a noise with his wings that it will disturb the rest and cause others to be- come uncoupled. | As the domesticated silkmoth can not fly, some may be so far apart that they can not couple. In such case bring them together. a fis. 1S. ij MATING BOX. If you have more males than females keep the extra males in a perforated box—for the next day you may have more females than males. If it should happen that your females outnumber your males the first day, use the liveliest males over again, as soon as they uncouple, for the unmated females. The uncoupling should be done with care. Catch the male and female by the wings with the thumbs and forefingers, and press the abdomen of the male with the middle finger, and they will uncouple easily. | 50 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. Cells for Laying Moths.— These cells are sec- tions of thin unbleached cotton, three by four inches. Pass a string through the top and hang them across the cocoonery. As soon as the female A CELL, EGGS, AND MOTH PINNED IN CORNER. moths have been separated from the males, place each on one of the squares and darken the room. Very soon the female will eject an egg covered with a viscous liquid which causes it to adhere to the cloth upon which it falls. Then she lays a second REPRODUCTION. B1 egg by the side of the first, then a third by the side of the second, and so on. She rarely piles them upon each other. The laying lasts for about three days, and each - female averages 350 eggs. As it takes 40,000 eggs to make an ounce, 120 cells will give a very fair ounce. When the number of eggs laid by each moth is uniformly large or bountiful, 100 cells make an ounce. Or the cell may be weighed before the moths lay, and then weighed again after the moths have laid. An ounce can in this way be weighed accurately. The moths live from eight to twelve days, and eat nothing. As soon as their mission is ended, throw them away or feed them to the chickens. , After the moths have remained on the cell six or seven days, take them down. Tt is well to pin a moth in the corner of its ecll now and then, so that they can be examined by the Pasteur system for disease. Eges.—When they are first laid they are of a bright yellow color. Those unimpregnated remain yellow ; those imperfectly so, reddish; and neither will produce worms. The good eggs In a fortnight will turn brown; then they change to a reddish gray; then they become a slaty gray, and remain so till nearly hatching-time. Some bivoltin and trivoltins’ eggs never turn very dark, as they hatch out in about fifteen days after being laid. 52 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURH. The Pasteur System is an examination of the moth by microscopic process. In France and Italy the worms are frequently diseased. In this country no disease has yet appeared. But as a precaution against disease, it is well to pin a moth now and then on its cell, so they can be examined. The moth is kept for two or three months, then rubbed to powder, and the powder examined for the dan- gerous fungi. Eggs laid by diseased moths must be thrown away. For instructions in regard to keeping eggs see chapter on “Silkworm Eggs, How to Keep and Hatch Them,” on page 26. REELING AND SPINNING. 53 7 BEL REELING AND SPINNING. Raw Silk and Reeled Silk.— The distinction between raw silk and reeled silk is perfectly well defined, and the difference in fact is absolute. It is an erroneous and thoughtless use of language to confound the two commodities under one name. One bears the same relation to the other as raw cotton does to spun cotton or cotton yarn. When cotton is first gathered from the stalk it is called seed cotton, as it still has the seed im ‘3: When it has been ginned,—that is, when the seed are extracted,—it is raw cotton. When it has been carded and spun, it is cotton yarn or spun cotton. When cocoons are first gathered from the branches they are green cocoons, or seed silk. When they are stifled or pierced they are raw silk,— which in- cludes, specifically, dried and pierced cocoons, waste, and floss. When the dried cocoons are reeled, and four to ten strands or filaments have been spun or twisted into one thread or yarn, it is reeled silk or grége; so also is the waste and floss when carded and spun. : What Reeled Silk Is—Ben. F. Peixotto, U. S. Consul at Lyons, France, in his official report to the Department of State, at Washington, October 22, 1881, says:— “Raw [reeled] silk, that is to say, silk as reeled from the cocoon and imported for the use of our 54 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. silk-mills, 7s really a manufactured article; and moreover an article the value of which depends very largely upon the excellence of the manufacturing processes through which it has gone. “The filature (reeling) of silk comprises three operations, each requiring considerable skill and great care to produce good silk. In the final opera- tion of reeling, the grége, or reeled silk, is made. “Fine as it is,a single thread of silk is formed of from four to ten or more separate filaments, each derived from a separate cocoon. | “To reel the silk the cocoons are put into hot water, and the filaments from several of them being united by being pressed together adhere to one another because of a natural gum with which they are covered and which is softened by the hot water. The thread resulting from the union of these fila- ments is then wound on a reel, the cocoons each paying out its filament until exhausted. “The reeler’s business is to form this thread of silk and to keep it as regular as possible in size by adding new cocoons to the running thread as re- quired. It is extremely difficult to reel with reg- ularity,— only the best reelers, working with the greatest care and under the most favorable con- ditions, succeeding in making an extremely even thread. “Now the degree of regularity has a great influence upon the price of silk. For example, China silks, which are produced from exceedingly good cocoons, RHELING AND SPINNING. 55 are not regular in size, which fact alone affects their price to a very considerable extent per pound, ac- cording to the market. “Up to the present time it has been extremely difficult to test the regularity of silk. So difficult is it that silk has been and is yet bought and sold very much according to the reputation of the estab- lishment at which it has been reeled, it being impos- sible to judge exactly of the regularity of any silk until made up into goods, at which time any defects show and mar the beauty and value of the fabric.” Hence reeled silk is not raw silk, though it is commonly called “raw.” It is as much a manu- factured article as cotton yarn. Indeed it passes through more processes, and requires more highly skilled labor and more delicate machinery for its production. Technical Grades of Reeled Silk.— Reeled silk is classified into organzine, tram, and floss. Organzine is closely spun or twisted, and is the best. Tram is made from inferior cocoons, and is more loosely spun or twisted. Floss is made of the loose silk carded and spun like cotton or wool. Nearly every silk-crop, as raised by individual growers, contains three or four grades of cocoons, and to produce good and uniform silk these must be separated, and each sort reeled by itself, pro- ducing several grades of silk. This is difficult for those who attempt to reel their own cocoons; and for this reason, and because of the advent of im- 56 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. proved machines, hand-reels, and single basins, have been nearly abandoned in France and Italy,—the women finding it preferable and more profitable to sell their cocoons. “Therefore,” says Consul Peixotto, “it is clear that the object of the silk-culturist should be to raise and market as good a crop of cocoons as pos- sible, to the best advantage and at the least possible expense and risk.” The Process of Reeling.— The persons em- ployed in reeling silk are mostly women, one stand- ing or sitting before each basin, of which she has entire charge. The basin is made of copper, and, in the large establishments, the water in each basin is heated by steam, at the control of the op- erator. The cocoons are plunged into the water when it is near the boiling point, and moved about so that the gum which fastens the threads becomes uniformly and thoroughly softened. They are then beaten with a small birchen broom, having the tips split, so that the loose threads readily fasten to them. After beating a short time, the operator gets all the cocoons fastened, and, taking the bundle of threads, shakes the cocoons till each hangs by but a single one. She now takes up five or more threads (drins), according to the quality of silk wanted, unites them, and introduces the combined staple or strand (ji) into a little glass eye on one side of the basin. She then forms a second similar strand and introduces RHELING AND SPINNING. 57 it into a second eye on the other side. The strands are then brought together, twisted several times, separated above the twist, and introduced into two other glass eyes or ringlets, through which they are led, one to each end of the reel or zambour, which is kept revolving in a steady, rapid manner, and to which is also given a certain back-and-forth side motion. : The great object in reeling is to get the threads uniform, rounded, well joined, properly freed from moisture, and so crossed on the reel that they will not stick or “glaze,” as it is termed. These objects are attained by the twisting and the to-and-fro lat- eral movement of the reel, as also by properly reg- ulating the distance between reel and basin. The uniformity of the thread depends on the skill of the operator, who must supply a new thread as soon as one begins to give out. This is called nourishing the silk, and is done by dexterously casting with the thumb the new thread upon the combined strand, to which it immediately adheres. In this she must use much judgment, for the silk of a cocoon gradually gets lighter and finer as it ap- proaches the end, and the uniformity of strand does not entirely depend on the uniformity in number of the individual threads forming it. Whenever the silk rises in locks the temperature of the water is known to be too hot; and when it unwinds with difficulty the temperature is, on the contrary, too low. 58 GUIDE. TO! SILE-CULTURE. The operator is supplied with a skimmer with which to remove all chrysalides and refuse silk; also, with a basin of cold water in which to cool her fingers, which are being constantly dipped in the hot basin. This constitutes the whole operation of unwind- ing; but before the skeins, as they come from the reel, are ready for the manufacturer they must un- dergo still further manipulation. The staple is first passed through a cleanser, con- ‘sisting of a clasp lined with cloth, which catches any loose silk or other matter that may be adhering to it. It is then further cleansed and purged by being passed through four similar cleansers, then twisted about five hundred times to the yard, then doubled and again twisted about four hundred times to the yard. It is finally run on to reels abont one and a half feet in diameter, and taken off and twisted in a hank. Through all these operations the oscillating to-and-fro lateral motion is kept up, so as to pro- duce the diagonal crossing of the strands; and it will be readily understood that each staple is in the end composed of several of the simple threads first spun by the worm. The loose or floss silk, together with all that which, from one cause or another, can not be reeled, is soaked in water for three days, boiled for half an hour in clear lye, and washed in rain-water: when dry, it may be carded and spun. RHELING AND SPINNING. 59 Spun Silk.— Hon. John Ryle, of Paterson, N.J., the pioneer of silk-weaving in the United States, and. who declares himself “an earnest advocate for the introduction of silk-culture,” says:— “We have all the requisite varieties of soil and climate to produce silk in great abundance, and with as little effort as it can be produced anywhere in the world. My views are not in accord with those of the parties at present engaged in attempt- ing to reel silk,— believing, as I do, that it will be some time before we can attempt, with any prospect of success, to reel silk in America. My plan is to raise cocoons and sell them to the manufacturers of spun silk, and be content with that branch of silk- raising which produces the most money for the smaliest amount of capital and labor.” 60 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE. IX. SILK-CULTURE REQUISITES. One may begin silk-culture without anything ex- cept trees and eggs. If one desire to enter into it as a permanent industry, or as amusement, and to secure out of it the highest profits and convenience, all or many of the following articles will facilitate operations :— Bag Aprons, for gathering leaves, are simply large aprons in the form of a bag reaching from the waist to the feet. TRAY AND COVERED FRAME. Camel-hair Brushes for handling worms should be flat, and about one inch wide. See page 35. Egg-boxes.—These must be made of perforated tin; and the perforations must be so small as to prevent the intrusion of any insect, and so numerous as to afford perfect ventilation. Frames fit into the trays, and are made of strips of light wood, half an inch square, similar to slate- / SILK-CULTURE REQUISITES. 61 frames, having a crossbar from side to side in the middle. Covered frames are the receptacles of food and feeding-places of the worms. See “Feed- _ ing,” page 29. Frame-Covers.—The most economical covers are made of tarlatan, mosquito-netting, and _per- forated paper. These cost but little: the first two can be cut and attached by any one, and the third ‘ean be bought very cheaply. They can be easily changed whenever they become soiled. Hygrometer is an instrument to indicate the moisture of a room; and can rarely be had except in combination with a thermometer. But no well regulated cocoonery should be without it. A plate of salt may answer fairly as a substitute. Leaf-cutters are kitchen chopping-knives, and have one, two, or three blades. Magnifying Glasses are used for observing the worms, particularly in hatching and molting. Mating-Boxes are one and a half by two feet, about an inch and a half deep, divided into com- partments about two anda quarter inches square, and covered by a snugly fitting wire-screen lid. It is for keeping each couple of mated moths apart from others and undisturbed. See page 49. Pruning-knives are knives with curved blades, such as gardeners use for pruning trees. Shears are gardeners’ shears, such as are used for trimming hedges. 62 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTURE Racks or Shelves.—Racks are better shelves; are cheaper. See page 21. SINGLE RACK. Sponges.—It is better to use a small sponge in cleaning the trays, and a large sponge for mopping up the floor of the cocoonery when the temperature is too high. See pages 23 and 24. When sponges are not easily obtained, use cloths and mops. Stiflers.—These are for destroyiug the chrysal- ides. The best use steam or hot air. They can be had adapted to gas, kerosene, or common stoves. SILK-CULTUREH REQUISITES. 638 When hot air alone is used care must be taken to prevent scorching of the cocoons. United States Vice-Consul Griffitt, of Smyrna, in his report on “Silkworm Cultivation,” of July 5, 1882, says: “The steaming process is far preferable to any other; the silk is not injured thereby, as it is apt to be by baking or exposure to the sun. I steam them twenty minutes, the water constantly boiling and this I find sufficient to destroy the chrysalides. I then place them in thin layers to dry.” Charcoal fumes are simple and effective. So are solar rays, intensified by glass covers. See page 43. Thermometers are to indicate the temperature of the cocoonery. Any size will do. Trays are shallow boxes about one and a half _ inches deep, one and a half feet wide and two feet long. They should be made of thin, well-seasoned, light, inodorous lumber. The bottom should be tongue-grooved and glued. 64 GUIDE TO SILK-CULTUREH. ae INDEX. A PAGE. PAGE Ages, The.......ccssccssersreeees 31-1 Alba, Proper...45.i.cscecsixss0 10 Alege Ud ieewacsona anes seueysencs $2) Alba, Moretti coscsssomcnrerse 10 Age, Second...... Pieebonids die avs 32 j) Alba. Hosta. nemtencgeeecee 10 Ae. TIE sises sve ovsanebesiase cpecsanyane 45 | Reproduction .......0.ssssccsts 40cts Beauty of the King. A brief Life of Christ. By Rev. A. H. Hots" toway, A.M., 1,00; Tull gilt... se essa ea $1.25. Christian Conception and Experience. By Rev. Wm. I. GILL, SI ae Reavis ana ahiiyartag ) $1.00. Bcclesiology : Fundamental Idea and Constitution of the New Testament Church. By E. J. FISH, | 5 WO 9 een Ane Ir $2.00. Evolution and Progress. An Exposition and Defence. By Rev. aries Poeun Re MG ce picas aah ep temse sen sets Oe ae $1.50. Life Among the Clergy. By Rey. Rost. WISHER......---> $1.25. Life fora Look. By Bey. A. H. HOLLOWAY: ~te>--> 2 - . 0c, to 4Ve. 40. Bachelors and Butterflies. A midsummer diversion, . : - P P 2 25e. 39. Plunkett. F.M. 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Lyrical satire on Brooklyn politicians and New York editors,. 10c. 3. Bonny Eagle. Sprightly sketch ofa Vacation campin New England hills, . = 20C5 2. Prisons Without Walls. Kelsic Etheridge, ‘‘A strange, weird and marrowy story,” 25e. 1, Irene. Mrs. B. F. Baer. A prize story, favorably compared to Hawthorne's romances, 25¢. 3@= For sale by all Booksellers, and sent by ma:! post-paid on receipt of price. W. B. SMITH & CO., Publishers, 27 BoxnD STREET, NEw YorK. f any house in the world. 1.00 1.00 1.00 oscobel. Florida Story ....cesese+- 1.00 uuccaneers. Randolph Jones .....-. 1.50 reumstantial Evidence. Alice Ir- ving Abbott.....-.+-+ eejaeeie re Yeacon Cranky, the Old Sinner.....- 1.50 ‘rench Exiles of Louisiana. Lindsay. 1.00 tlendover. Dean Roscoe ....-+-+-- - 1.00 ammock Stories— Three....- pee ; er Waiting Heart. Capsadell.....- 1.00 is Wife’s Relations. Steeie....---- .00 ubbub. E. C. Currier.......00++++ 1.00 ‘ Breckenridge....- 1.25 inister’s Daughter. McMichael.... 1.00 nee. 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SMITH & CO., Publishers, ?% BOND STREET, NEW YORK, Fi . = vs AS, oy » Sf Ak) tise oe vs i, oF Re 5 a on — ate ani ew ae Ai Uc RoesA gH pth oy See ke ree ee . “YT ah eden: y b : ‘ ‘ +. ie 5 a £3. ce y - nt at € ; ORAS YS at : yale Ah yi bite Se% hy ‘4s ang 4 ati hs Ht fl i ‘ » - peel ite) 15 Wii’ A i A AO wh tApaadoe ty n : Oy ns ey ‘ PHA ae «et a . ars ee a Ba i teand 4 i faa she, aisha gint ay Bee ORS TRACES, ban Res ana te is ygits oes fate) ag. aang, (asi eahtad OO i $b es bape Souueist (ee . Clee a PRDE any - ay SS 7a elaias” goat ig ek S a4 tere Bice ' ‘ : tee ie hee aj Te ‘al, oydts Ohh3 Py irs Ait ae $c eee Bie saey 780 ; TOOLS ‘ cake ried ie oe hee 4 é ‘ a JERSEY SILK COLONY AND MODEL SILK FARM, At PARK RIDGE, BERGEN CO., N. J., 23 miles from New York. SELECTED AND LAID OUT BY THE NEW YORK SILK EXCHANGE. The plots comprise one acre to four acres each, on gently sloping hillsides, with southeastern and southern exposures—all well suited to growing mulberry trees. The location is high, picturesque and healthful, with pure air, pure water, and away from swamps, mosquitoes and malaria. Every acre planted in mulberry trees will yield from $300 to $1,000 per acre, according to course pursued. The cultivation of trees and silk worms does not interfére with raising of vegetables, as the trees grow better by intermediate cultivation. Prices, $80 to $250 per acre, on easy terms. These prices vary sme to location on the farm and average less than $9 per lot, if measured as full-sized city lots, 25x100 feet. This is the best opportunity ever offered to SECURE A BEAUTIFUL SELF-SUPPORTING HOME, which WILL PAY FOR ITSELF IN TWO YEARS, will double itself in’ value every year for five years, and maintain its highest value for generations.’ Even children and old-folks can make themselves self-supporting at Silk Culture. Dr. Alfred S. Kennedy, in a recent issue of the Textile Record of America (N. Y.), 8ay8) that a similar MODEL SILK FARM of 50 acres in Australia, where $30,812 were expended. for land, trees and buildings, and $7,711 for total working expenses the first year, yielded the same year A Profit of Over $445 per Acre, ($22,289) or nearly 58 per cent. of the entire outlay. The 30,000 lbs. of cocoons yielded by foregoing experiment would, if pierced and used by the culturists for producing eggs, have resulted ina met profit of $1,365 per acre. THe Sirk ExoHanGe has selected and designed this asa MODEL SILK FARM, and desire to locate on it intelligent parties who wish to go into SILK CULTURE. Settlers will be assisted and instructed by a practical silk cultur- ist from the ExoHANGE, without charge. | [Extract from N. ¥. Star, Oct. 15, 1882—interview with President of the Exchange]. - “ON A MODEL SILK FARM. ~ “¢The soil is a gravelly loam, with a clay subsoil, high, well-drained, and is admirably’ adapted to our purpose. Before I finally selected that piece of land, I looked at forty other) tracts. Ispent four months in time and $1,000 in car-fare.’ i ‘What sort of people do you expect as colonists?’ e ‘O, first-class people, of course. We encourage no others. Perhaps I may as well say that the Exchange does not intend to assert any right to regulate the actions of the colonists. It is not at all a communistic affair. Each person buys a plot of land and raises silk-worms in his or her own way.’” Parties at a distance buying and not wishing to occupy their land immedi- ately can have it put in order, trees planted and cared for, etc., the first year for $25 to $50, according to size of plot and number of trees. Meantime; it may be cultivated in vegetables on shares and yield good profit to the { owner. &" Car-fare, by annual commutation, from New York to Park P sage is only 18 cents. Heads of families residing there may easily attend ‘ jo dail) business in New York. For further particulars, apply to , NEW YORK SILK EXCHANGE, 27 Bond Si. Ls N.Y oy j ml = Lipa b y gf a* Yh a) it o he | Cae RM Zz 1 Le rN