SILK CULTURE.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2779, 10 January 1878, Page 2

SILK CULTURE.

By Albxandeb Wallacs, M.D.

Reprinted for the Th»met B«4cultuna^«octaUoa from "CuMeU's Technical Educator."]

. „ Chaftbs I. . FartW JTorsi* jpro'dueiitg Sak—donHtiovk necessary for succest in , iKtt. CWtftwe-f Lifeof.the.lttsect: tfo'eggfajgif''^' ' " Silk; generally, is a material obtained from a: sort of pod or purse—that *•■»•?§• able envelope which many kinds of; cater* pillars make, especially in the; family of the Bombyees—of more or less value and quantity, and which they weave around themselves preparatory to the ohtaffa from the caterpillar into the chrysalis state.:, This pod, when of a superior hind, arid especially stch fU » ebtained from domesticated worms, is distinctively termed a cocoon, and silk culture consists in the cultivation of those'races which i spin cocoons possessing <ar,ooam*r«ial value. ■' '; ■*-':•■>■: .The. following races of Bombyces pro* dace cbcooss which ire-snore or less used in the production of silk fibre:— 1. The Bombix Moil, or Mulberry Worm, the only domesticated species; the silkworm dfwmmerce, froa* which the great bulk of silk is obtained. 2. The Bombyx-Yam a-Mai, or Japanese<Oak?Feeding.Silkworm, producing a greenish : cqcocifl,:- from which a I gojsd thread may be reeled; highly valued by the* Japanese far certain parpotes, l espe. cially for embroidery, in which they are greatly skilled. . 3. The Bojcbtx "PilkriV of iNorth China, an oak-feeder, produting : a large greyish-brown cocoon, -whijßh, has ..been reeled in China, but riot yetitt Europe. 4. The Bombtx OrvrHiii feediag on the Ailanthus Glandukdß* yfretajGhina and Northern Asia. This also produces a~long.,grejrishr; cocoon, not, reeled m Europe, W undoubtedly, reeled mOtiilk, whence is obUined a peculiar silk, easily recognised by 'its extreme softness; Silk in piece-goods made from these cocoons and from those of Bombtx Pujfti if plentiful and cheap in the ■ Chinese -«**» kets of the interior, and.therefore may some day be fabricated in-Europe.- - —■, * 5. The/TpiWTB Moth (AntJprcß* Paphia), of India, makes * large,tery hard, dirty greyish cocoon. This is reeled br the natives to form the Tttssur silk, Irijll - known in the Indian markets. UL 6. Allied to Boksirx Cwrraii jalthe Boscbtx Eicini, from Bengal.feeding on the castor'bil plant' (Bicmui Communis), producing a cocoon smaller, but very similar, to that of BoirBTX Ltwthia. 7. Cocoons of other Bombyces, such as Poitphbmus, an oak" feeder; Cbcbopia, a plum.feeder--bpth, from -North America; Hhspkiub, from Cayenne; feeding on the Cafe* durable; FaidhibbU Baubinicos, feeding on the Cytisus caja« nus; 3ombtx Fauybtyi, from Uruguay, feeding on a species of Mimosa; .Pacht« pusa Effusa, also a Mimosar feed*ri from the Cape; Attach* Atlas, North India, feeding on the Berberis Asiatica.; Anthbhqja Borwr, feeding on the eVergreeo oak of the Himalayas, &c.:, &c., hare all been more or less the subject of experiment;, but as yet none hare* been found sufficiently easy to reel, though, doubtless, most of these cocoons, if obtainable in large quantities at little cost, would be worth carding, and produce a useful, though, perhaps,.not a very ornamental, fabric.

The culture of the Bombyx Mori is of very ancient origin. It is said that an Empress of China, 3000 years before the Christian era, was the first to aararel with delicate fingers the filmy thiiad from the cocoon, arid dexterously to weare it. into,a beautiful web of cloth. The art was for a long while confined to the Bait, bat about 550 A.D. two moji>>, having procured in India the precious eggs, concealed them in. a hollow case, and hastened' to Constantinople. Thence silk or sericulture spread in all directions, and is now a most important;and staple industry in Central and Southern Europe, extending to a slight extent into Genrnany^^ Sweden, and even into Great Britain,^ where endeavors hare* from time to time been made with some success to cultivate the worm. ■ . . r . :. ; Turkey. Egypt, Asia Minor, Persia, India, China, and Japan transmit: large supplies of cocoons and of raw or reeled silk. Australia, the Cape of Good Hope, New . Zealand, the Sandwich. Islanqs, West Indies, and ..other, of oiir Colonies are waking up. to a sense of the capabilities they possess of turning this..Terr lucrative industry, to advantage^ while California, Busaia, Chili, Tnrkestan,' and other countries are commencing to draw large profits from sericulture. -The con* ditions necessary for success in silk erilture ere-*- •■ ' ''■ ' ■ --: •■ ■■.•'£-."■;. ;■• 1. To hare a healthy, rigorous plantation of mulberry trees. These : generally thrive best on hilly sites where the soil is light. and. gravelly;" but they will grow almost anywhere, and in China have been 1 fren planted, like our willow polUrds, by the sides of streams. Several Ikindi of mulberry are used in silk culture. The Moras * S igra, or common bl^ck, grow* most luxuriantly at the Cape, but, elatwhere it is generally rejected because of its slow growth. It does, however, very well for the early worms. The M. Alba, or white .mulberry, jis the variety geath raUy used in Surop^ the rpse4es/N»d variety being preferred in Italy.cm atcount of its large, stout lt*f//.]j. AlplM is suitable in some localities,, at being" a very hardy variety. A large leavetVkijid, M. Japonica, recently introduced from Japan, is also much esteemed. M. Moretti, another Italian, variety of high repute, and M. Multicautis, from the Phillipine Island:), possessing a thin,

eoncare, but very large leaf, are also much grown. The latter bqing a very early kind, is used mainly for the young worms; its leaf is unfit for tho elder worms, being thin and watery. After a plantation is made it sbould be left three years before any leaf is taken for feeding purposes, so as to give the trees time to get well established. 2. The next point of importance is the arrangement of the buildings or magnaneries, in which tbe worms are " educated." These should be moderately lighted, and very well ventilated, both by night and day. An even temperature and a constant current of pure air passing through without draughts arc of the utmost importance to the worms. The thermometer and hygrometer must be constantly watched, with a view to the maintenance of the proper temperature •nd dryness. Vermin, especially mice, must be excluded. In England it will be well for the roof to face north and south, and for windows to look east and west, so as to obtain the greatest amount of sunshine. The interior should be so arranged that easy access may be had to tho shelves on which the worms are ~f vlaced to feed. Dandolo, tho best au- -* thority, in bis book gives as tho dimensions of a small laboratory, 40ft by 18ft by 12ft high; This would contain a double tier of trays in the centre of the room, and a single tier round the sides ; but as it is preferable to have a passage all round the trays for the sake of conrenience, as well as for ventilation, it would be wiser to add 4ft to the width, and also to the length, making it 46ft by 22ffc, so as to hold two double rows of trays; or by adding another 6ft in width and 2ft in.'length/ making the magnanerie 44ffc by 30ft, ample room may be obtained for three double rows of trays with a passage on either side of them. . The unit, as it were, of measurement is the i«e of a sheet of stout double-glazed brown paper, riz. 45 x 29 inches which is laid for.the floor of each tray of worms. The inner measurement of each tray will be the same. Strong twine netting of about 1 to 1£ inch mesh, is "tightly strained across and fastened to tbe sides of each tray. It is a good plan to lace the nets tight with twine or strong thread to binding, fastened to the wood by means of tacks. A twine floor is far preferable, to- the boarded floors, which are much used in France, on account of j its superior ventilation, preventing mould, which is very injurious to the worms. The trays may be about 16 inches to 18 inches apart vertically, the lowest about 6 inches from the ground, ascending as high as convenient, even to the top of the room, though in that case special means of ventilating the Tipper stratum of air must be devised, and a convenient ladder on castors, be provided for moving round the room without noise, high enough to enable those in charge to attend to the worms on the higher tiers. Practically six tier 3 vertically placed will be found as much as can be managed conveniently. The trays , should all be of the same size, and the tiers should be level throughout the room. A table the same size or a little larger than the trays should stand in a convenient well-lighted spot in the centre of the room, where the trays of worms may be placed and carefully examined when necessary.

To be continued.