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Show TO QROW JTLK II "EUTlj Any Child Can Raise the Worms and Pretty Cocoons Profit in a Pleasing Task II I 1 I II . "Sj jfnri:pni;N nicoldtti. n ju ljj cltlzon ot Philadelphia, W demonstrates In his own FiTtSl Pertoi malices t,mt " c,,l" eal re-7 turo 1 n easj as the Department of Agriculture says it is. lit work ot raising tho wo-ns and cocoors is cnrrled on by way of cxucrlirent and us n pastime. .Mr. NIcoletti Is, Indeed, an authority on tho subject and well known to nil who have been Interested In advocating tho taking tip of tho culture cul-ture of silk, and ho says that while It Is perfectly simple up to tho point of producing tho cocoons, boj'ond that piocess toe wages paid In Amcilc.i aie too high to penult of competition vtlth Japan, China, Italy and other countries from whUh the animal Importations of law bilk amount to about $1J,000,-000. $1J,000,-000. What tho Government Is doing, through tho Department of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, to populnrie the lnlslng of silk worms hi this count. y, and to what ctcnt it Is willing to go even sending silk worm eggs aud instructions uud cuttings of mulberry trees to all vtho desire them was fully set forth in nn nrticlo which appeared In this paper some tluio ago. As theic explained, tho Government otters to buy at the highest market price, until Congress shall refuse further aid, all cocoons that arc offered in good condition, nnd tho business Is one In which tlicro appears ap-pears to bo an easy profit for tho cul-turlst. cul-turlst. ANYBODY CAN RAISD COCOONS. It is, however. In tho process of reeling tho sill; fiom tho cocoons that tho question of wnges enters. It Is nn operation of extreme delicacy, and, though machines are used to perform It, ono of which has been brought from Franco nnd set up In Washington, they still require the attention of skilled labor. Mr. Nlco'icttl thinks tho Industry Indus-try will not be firmly and widely established in this country until there shall hao been Invented n more perfect per-fect machine, which will moio completely com-pletely do away with manual Inbor. It may be, indeed, that In certain parts of the South and In other remote dls trlcts tho price of American labor is cheap enough for this Industry; but such Inbor Is In no sense skilled. It takes an espcclnl training to reel the silk from tho cocoon, nnd tho time spent in acquit lug such trnlntng can, of course, bo devoted to n trndo that will pay more. The Idea of the Government Govern-ment nnd other ngencles which have encouraged tho glowing of silk worms Is that tho business mny bo entered Into oil a large or small scale by peoplo of small means all over the country nnd tho cocoons sold. The raising of these cocoons Is a household industry In all tho sllk-pioduclug countries of Uio world. Tho production of tho silk from the worm Is nn Interesting study. Mr. NIcoletti secured half an ounce of eggs from Itnly for his start. Tho eggs nro about tho size of pin-heads, and nbout 100 of them weigh a grain. They mny ho hntched very rapidly. Immediately after being laid, by artificial means; otherwise tho hatching would require several months. The resulting worms nro put to feeding on mulberry leaves at ouce. They cat for four or live doj s, and then sleep for two, when they nwoko and feed again. This is repented re-pented until, after the fourth feeding, they nro ready to make the cocoon. In this condition, when they nro technically techni-cally known as "ripe," they are from ono and one-half to two Inches in length. They nro permitted to make their cocoons In such n way that when completo they will bo handling In quail-Uty. quail-Uty. Tho making of tho cocoon requires from eight to twelve dttjs, tho tliuo from tho hatching of the egg to tho finished cocoon being about tlvo w eek. Iu such time, w 1th tho quantity of eggs used by Mr. NIcoletti, cocoons may bo produced to tho uluo of $50 or $00, and, of coiuse, this Income may bo Increased In-creased according to tho slzo of the premises used aud tho quantity of mulberry mul-berry leaves and eggs available. Mr. NIcoletti has tioublo In getting all the leaves ho needs. Ho goes luto the country coun-try after them himself. When tho cocoon Is finished tho insect in-sect Inside, If left to Itself, develops luto a moth. This emerges fiom the cocoon by making a hole In ono end, which ruins Uie silk of the cocoon, and, accordingly, such cocoons as are wanted to leel silk from aro baked sulllciently to kill tho moth whllo It is still Inside. When eggs nro needed tho moth 1h permitted to llvo nnd come out. Tho male moth dies after one fertilization, and tho female dies after laying tho eggs. Mr. Nlcolettl's apparatus is very simple. Ho has his worms, moths and cocoons In a small room, and the various var-ious processes aro conducted by tho insects in-sects In fruit boxes, old baskets nnd nbout whatever elso comes handy. The work Is easy and requires not very much attention except at certain times. Indeed, any Intelligent child can conduct It from beginning to the end, so that thcro Is nothing in tho way of starting a fad of It, tho worms and moths making interesting pets. Tho cocoons vary in color from n brilliant though not deep yellow to whlto. Tho exterior Is nearly useless for producing silk, though fomo Inferior grades aro sometimes made from it. The cocoons to bo reeled nro put for a llttlo whllo lu hot water to soften them and to allow the outer fuzz to bo removed by brushes, aud then, still In water, aro manipulated until tho end "t the thread Is secured, lli.-o come in tho skilled labor, which In Jrpan and China is very ch p. Halt of all the silk this country imports romps from .lap in. $10,000,000 from Italy and $8,000,000 from China. France, where labor Is better p ild, scniU little moie than $.yx)0.000 worth. ONH WOltM MAKKS 1000 YARDS. A cocoon contains fiom 11100 to 1000 yard ot etionul line silk thread, and four or moio couuiis nro reeled simultaneously and the llbres Joined together to make one stinud. This product J., kiiqwn as raw silk, and istlll needs liiueh epeit handling befoie the liual ptodurt Is re.ulj for weaving The Idea that If a silk noun is fed on iiiulbe'rry leaves, which nu easily seemed, se-emed, It will "do the rest" lu tho in-dilutions in-dilutions pioductlou ot jnnls and yards of silk has alwajs been n fascinating fascin-ating one, and crazes for the encourng-ment encourng-ment of the Industry, fosteicd by the local or genctnl Government, have from time to time swept over the countr) The colonists hud the fever In William Pcnn's time. Prizes nnd premiums were oftciod for tho best co-coons, co-coons, largo plantings of mulberry trees weio made, n reeling establishment establish-ment was opened on Arch street, nnd on ono occasion Dr. Uenjamln Franklin Frank-lin presented to the Queen of Dnglnnd n silk dress made In this city from cocoons co-coons grown nnd reeled here, nnd sho accepted it -with a promise that she would wear It on tho king's birthday. This furore died out entirely, but several sev-eral times lu the past century It sprang up again, nnd tho American Silk Culture Cul-ture Association of tho United Stntes, which existed hero only n few years ago, was very active. Tlans wcro at ono time considered by Wharton Bark-cr Bark-cr and others for tho acquisition of land In the vicinity of Vlnelnnd, N. J., for tho establishment of the Industry Indus-try on a largo scale, but they fell through. The situation seems to be wnltlug for the man -who will Invent a machine which will make as great a revolution as did tho sewing machine. Philadelphia Record. |
