SILK FROM SPIDER WEBS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 384, 5 August 1911, Page 7

SILK FROM SPIDER WEBS.

"It is interesting to know the practical uses to which the webbs of a large Madagascar spider might lie applied to replace silk for woven fabrics," said Fisher 8. Williams, of London, who is interested in the manufacture of silk. "I know from visits to the interior of Madagascar that the webs spun many feet across the walks or shady avenues of gardens are sufficiently strong to hang thereon a light bamboo walking cane. "At the Paris exposition of 1000 a whole piece of fabric IS yards long and 18 inches wide was exhibited, which was woven out of this web, (or which it was necessary to provide 100.000 yards of spun thread of 24 strands.

"The idea of obtaining silk from the ; spider is an old one, as distinguished men in France discoursed on the subject as long ago as 1710, but the first study of this Madagascar spider came up some ten years ago, and the spinning of its web was then mdertaken.

"It is only the female that spins. The first difficulty in obtaining the thread direct from the insect consisted in contriving how to secure the living spider so as to wind it off by some mechanical process from the insect. This was originally performed "by confining spiders in empty match boxes, with the abdomen protruding. The extraction of the web does not apparently inconvenience the insect, although care has been taken not to injure them. —"Washington Herald."