OCR Text |
Show Wild Silk. An out-of-the-way Illustration of the way the war has affected remote industries indus-tries Is found in the new boom that the "wild silk" industry of Japan is now undergoing. This silk Is called habutal and derives Its wlldness not from the appearance of the finished product upon the wearer, but from the fact that it Is made from the cocoons of the wild silkworm, which flourish in many parts of the Islands, but which did not come conspicuously Into public notice until 1007, when there was a preliminary boom, following the Russo-Japanese war. Exports of sITk In general, meanw hile, have Increased to an amazing extent, the amount for the first nine months of 101G having been !?f)2,077,(X), as compared with ?-18,&2.000. an increase of $43,245,000 for the period. The increase is due In part to increased quantities of the raw material, but also to much higher prices paid by the people of the United States and France, the latter country still being a heavy buyer, despite war conditions. |