Show clr f ur c rJ J fu uc S Silk Silk S1 STOCKINGS GS f from e S SP D S' S Webs made with the webs of spiders as a substitute for silk have ref resulted re re- f suited so s successfully in Madagascar l that Henri Blin Bun a French investigator expresses the hope of a new and lucrative industry Many l persons have tried to utilize spiders spider's web G. G a distinguished century zoologist described clothes made of it by br the in inhabitants inhabitants inhabitants in- in habitants of Paraguay In 1708 Bon Saint Hilaire president of the Court of Accounts at Montpelier France is said actually to have made madea a few pairs of stockings and gloves of spiders spider's web Mr 1 Rolt an English silk spinner obtained from 22 spiders a thread 3 miles long which he wound on a spool The common spiders of of the temperate zone are not however well adapted adapt adapt- ed to such exploitation but some of those found in the tropics the halabe of Madagascar for instance in- in instance in stance lend themselves well to it 1 The female halabe is about 2 inches long heavily built feeds on other insects and lives in a af f sedentary manner There arc are millions of thess spiders in the woods around Antananarivo the capital of Madagascar M M. assistant di director director di di- rector of the professional school there buys them for about 8 cents apiece and puts them to work About four or five times every 10 days they start to spin and continue until exhausted Their Then silk is wound on spools as fast as they spin it and at each spinning three or four hundred yards are obtained The threads of ii a dozen spiders are twisted together and two of these twisted strands strand r are arc again twisted so that a thread of 24 finer r threads is ob obtained For fineness strength and beautiful yellow color this silk is said to be much superior to that of silk worms and it has iridescent reflections that would make it a rare tissue for women's wear near |