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Show IMW SILKWORMS DO THEIR WORK Japanese Exhibit at World's Fair. Sciencb Aids Busy Little Toiler in Spinning Web for Finest Fabrics. j E-ESB size of Turnip Seed and So Light' That It Tnkes 40,000 to Weigh an Ounce. Special to Tho Tribune. T, LOUIS, May 24. Silk" from tho worm and mulberry-leaf to the fin-Ljl fin-Ljl ,s,,ccl manufactured product and the most magnificent silk gowns, 1b shown In every stage In the elaborate and-comprelicnslvo and-comprelicnslvo exhibits at the World's Science has stepped In to aid tho busy UUlc worm In spinning silk for tho finest fabrics the world has ever known,, by providing tho best of mulberry-leaves of the most desirable quality for food for the worms,. These trees arc part of the Japanese silk exhibit, a perfect mcxlcl of a wormhousc, whero great caro is given tp tho valuable little creatures that do so much for mankind. The tiny silkworm eggs, very llko tur-nip tur-nip 8eod, are shown in the silk exhibit. They nro of various colors, and so light In weight that it roqulrcs about -10,000 to weigh an ounce. From a slnglo ounce of eggs can bo obtained about a hundred pounds of fresh cocoons. Tho eggs aro Hj gathered by experts and wrapped In cloth and paper to be kept until tho following H season. Hatch in Six or Seven Bays. Just before the tlmo for tho whlto mul-bcrry-trco to unfold Its leaves the eggs are placed In a warm room, where they hatch in six or seven days. The Inter-cstlng Inter-cstlng process begins at once. The ml-nute ml-nute worm cornea from its shell with a voracious appetite, and a largo supply of mulberry-leaves Is ready for Its food. Tho leaves arc plucked from the trees and spread around tho room where tho young Worms can find them. The feeding period of the silkworm lasts from thirty to forty days, and then j comes tho moulting period. They pre- j paro to spin the silk at this period; they have quit eating and are busy and rcst-less; rcst-less; they climb about the branches of the trees and spin their cocoons. The silken thread is spun around and around, forming a wonderful covering of downy softness which no work of man has over been ablo to imitate. Tho worm Incloses Itself In its silken prison and hides from the world tho secret of its transformation into a butterfly. It takes from fifteen to sixteen days for the butterfly or moth to come from tho llnished cocoon, and within six hours after emerging from its prison tho but-tf-rfiy deposits Its eggs, which are quickly gathered and put in a co.ol place until j tho tlmo for their hatching. Handling the Cocoons. If the cocoons arc raised for silk In-stead In-stead of for the eggs, they must bo col-lected col-lected soon aftcr"-,the worms have lln-fl lln-fl Ished them and placed In an oven at a fl temperature of 200 degrees and baked about twelve hours, or else they may be subjected to a bath of steam In a tight box, j After tho baking or steaming process the cocoons are dried In tho open air. Tho.-sllk of the cocoon is delicately woven Inside and. If properly handled, can be unwound and reeled by hand or machine upon a bobbin. A cocoon contains about J200 yards of Bilk. This Is tho result of about six weeks' work of a silkworm, from the egg to its death In the oven. All phases of tho silk-making process 1 aro shown at the, World's fair, where vls- 1 I tors can seo tho eggs, the hatching pro- cess, the worms feeding, the cocoons, the butterfly as it emerges from the cocoons, the baking of tho cocoon and the reel I rig of tho silk. It Is ono of the most Jn- jS structive exhibits over prepared for an exposition, and the caro and thorough-HBl thorough-HBl ricss of the Japanese aro manifest In HjVJ oVcry feature of the exhibit. PH In thin same Interesting . exhibit are PH shown tiio magnificent silks In the piece jH and In klmonas, gowns and handker- chiefs mado by man from the product 1 of the worm'. |