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Show I i WEEKLY REFLEXDAVIS NEWS JOURNAL, NORTH DAVIS LEADER, JULY 29, 1982 A display the Jack Palmer family made of the silk industry in Utah for the Utah History Fair is reviewed SILK STORY REVIEWED Note: This fat the first of three in a series. in his address to the territo- artkk-- s rial legislature in January, 1852, Brigham Young said, "Produce what you consume; draw from the native elements the necessities of life; permit no vitiated taste to lead you into indulgence of expensive luxuries which can only be obtained by involving yourselves in debt. Let home industry produce every article of home cohsumption. A SERMON given by Brigham Young on April 20, 1863 states the concept of home industry in even stronger True principles of language. domestic and political economy would suggest the production at home of every article of home consumption, for herein lies the basis of wealth and independence for many peop!e...lf we do not raise it, I would suggest that we do without it." Tithing money was used to finance new land projects, irrigation systems and the importation of seeds, provisions, clothing and implements so home industry could be established using the best products and methods known at the time. IN 1856 the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society (DA&M) was incorporated by an act of the territorial legislature. Because of the disruptive nature of the Utah War, this group was not active until the 1860s. The society was ' designated recipient of the seeds and plants distributed by the U.S. Patent Office and later the department of argicq-lture. One function of the DA&M was to promote the production of commodities the church viewed as essential to MULBERRY see (morus multicaulis) was obtained through an agency of the DA&M Society from Mormon missionaries in France and planted on a church farm in Salt Lake City. The trees that were produced from these seeds were widely distributed through the territory in 1866. Brigham Young personally supervised the transplanting of t about 100,000 mulberry Utah in woman every territory was encouraged to plant mulberry trees in abundance. The trees were needed if the women of Utah were to have luxury items like fancy handkerchiefs, gloves, shawls and dresses without wasting territorial exchange money or commodities by importing them. Mulberry trees are the best food for silk worms and sericulture, or the production of raw silk by raising silkworms, began when mulberry trees were introduced into Utah in trees.-Almos- 1855-5- 6. SILKWORM eggs were imported from France and Italy. The eggs were kept at a cool temperature (below 50 F.)in shipping. They were gradually warmed to a temperature sufficient to hatch the eggs. The by Myra and Nccia. three or four times each day: The leaves had to kept free of dampness so wet leaves were gathered and spread out to dry before they were fed to the ' voracious worms. PAVILLION FACELIFT The Kaysvillc Pavilion behind city hall had a new look for Pioneer Day festivities thanks to efforts of Boy Scouts in the Kaysvillc LDS 5th Ward who spiffed things up as part of a service project. Scoutcrs included Jim Brown, left, Scott Stringham, LaVcl Brown and Dan Bench with Nathan Moore not pictured. THE QUALITY of the silk a cocoon yielded depended upon the amount of food the worm ate. The quality of the web was the result of even temperature and constant eating of the best food between the periods of moulting. Temde0 peratures between grees were ideal for the development of worms and cocoons. 79-8- Eggs from the strongest and best worms were kept stored during the winter in a room or dry cellar where the temperature never went above 50 de- grees. THE TIME of hatching was best, according to the Chinese, at about the middle or full of the moon after the mulberry leaves began to open. If eggs started hatching earlier than this, the worms were fed on lettuce leaves until the mulberry leaves were available. Seeds or eggs were taken and gently washed in cool water just before they hatched to remove all the gum and everything else that wasnt perfectly clean. Next, the eggs were brought gradually to a temperature of from 0 degrees. Sometimes the eggs were carefully wrapped in soft paper or soft cloth and placed next to a persons skin to insure the even 70-8- temperature. JACK AND Elaine Palmer of Fruit Heights and their children, Necia, Myra, Klayne, Andrea and Jana, did extensive research into the silk industry in Utah as a family project. They found a story about one woman from Tremon-to- n 4-- who had silk worm eggs tied in a small sack around her neck. One day wh:le the woman was attending church the eggs started to hatch. She left the meeting suddenly. As the worms grew, the noise of their eating sounded like rain upon trees. After about 40 days the worm was ready to spin a cocoon. It ceases to eat, rises and moves its head from side to side. The family raising the worms must go quickly to find a small branch of bushwood for the worm to attach onto. Care had to be taken to keep the worms apart on the branches. If cocoons were spun together then the silk could not be reeled off. IT TOOK about 48 hours for a worm to complete its cocoon. Each small worm created a cocoon of from ten to 1300 yards of silk. It was strong enough to be reeled. After some experimentation, it was discovered that the white mulberry tree produced the best quality of silk. Male trees worked better than Jana, Lora and Necia Palmer, sanding HISTORY OF SILK in front of a huge mulberry tree that was planted by their ancestors in Fruit Heights. The mulberry tree was essential food for silk worms. The Palmer children are members of the Jack Palmer family. They studied the silk industry in Utah as a special project. 4-- H female trees, producing better and more silk. Generally speaking, 18 lbs. of leaves yielded one pound of silk. The trees grew to huge heights of 0 feet and some of the trunks of the trees planted over a century ago in Utah now measure 8 feet in circumference. 40-5- 6-- THE TREES produced a sound wood with firm compact grain. It polished well and was used by pioneer cabinet makers, Cartwrights and coopers. MRS. PALMER says her father had to tie their mulberry trees together with wire be cause they had a tendency to split at the base of the trunk or where limbs forked. MORE ABOUT the silk industry in Utah will be printed during the next two weeks. A special thanks to the Jack Palmer family for the use of material they gathered. '3$ worms were feeding or'hatch-in- g had to be kept spotlessly clean and free of dust, odors and disturbing noises. Usually thi worms were kept inside the By MARY G. MILLER A California brown snail is more fun to play with than a turtle, a gold fish or even a furry caterpiller. The children in one area of Kaysville have thousands of these little imports to play with. Almost everyone in the area buys snail bait. Some claim to spend as much as $20 a summer on commercial bait only to have their vegetable s and flower gardens devoured. Some have special tricks they use in an attempt to outsmart the pro- home because they needed constant feeding and watching. The larvae was susceptible to disease so the trays had to be changed daily. Tobacco fumes would kill the worms immediately. Loud noises, such as thunder storms, would also cause the worms to die. The lifespan of a silkworm is only 40 days with four moulting periods. Their growth is rapid. Mulberry leaves was fed to the worms FINDS NEW PET THE ADULTS of the area do not feel as friendly to these little creatures as their children do. The novelty of their presence wore off long ago and their concern now is how to get rid of them or keep them out of their gardens. eggs were spread on big wooden trays and these trays were stacked six feet high on shelves. Rooms where silk- OLD-TIM- E TREAT Orland Ogdens team of Shetland horses Kaycee and Cash, and wagon were incorported into this years Kaysville 24th celebration, giving youngsters of the area a chance for the first time ever to enjoy a novelty that just 50-6-0 years ago was a part of every day life. Justin Goodson of Kays-vill- e thinks hes found the market on finding the most fun pets, playing with his myriad of California Brown Snails. Five-year-o- ld lific snails. Bill Wood says he sprinkles four around his tomato patch. The snails crawl through it and are soon bogged down in a thick flour paste. Several people have tried putting beer in a pie plate to attract the snails into it and then drown them. No great success has been ported from this. re- HARRIET SPENDLOVE says she used to think the snails were cute and tried to avoid stepping on them, but now she uses a small board to squash as many as she can. Pearl Goodson picks the snails up in the evening and early morning when they are out feeding, drops them in a bucket and sprinkles salt on them. They die in a few minutes. Michael Brough puts them in a bucket of water to drown them. One enterprising person called taurant to see buy the snails. they are called Brattens Res- if they would On the menu Escargots. WHILE ALL efforts to get rid of them seem to remain futile, a three block area around the Oak Lane is home to thousands of snails who have survived the deep freezes of their mountain home. One way to tell how far this invasion has advanced is to watch the yards for marigolds. If someone has marigolds they do not yet have ' snails. The snails enjoy broccoli. Dr. John Stienersays that each morning his broccoli plants are hung with brown snails like a well decorated Christmas tree. Tomatoes, petunias and lettuce are also favorites of these munchers. WHEN DAVE Whiting of the extension service was consulted he could offer no solution other than commercial snail bait. In California the fanners are at a loss as to how to control the snails and the extensive crop damage they do. The latest effort that looks likely to work is the development of a snail that eats snails. It is not yet known what will control the new snail. IN THE meantime, Kaysvilresidents living next to the infested area are keeping a close watch and hoping that the snails will not move on into le their yards and gardens. However, they should not be too hopeful since these snails multiply and divide much faster than the proverbial snails pace. |