Great Britain.—Silk imported into the United Kingdom— Lbs. Value. Lbs. Value.
1878, 4,174,898 £3,683,261 1 1882, 3,375,343 £2,792,804 1880, 3,680,296 3,136,816 1883, 3,184,182 2,579,783 Besides that, there was imported in 1882, 44,380 cwt. of knubs and waste, value £587,888, and of thrown, dyed and undyed, 294,207 lbs., value £351,253. The value of all silk and silk manufactures imported into the United Kingdom • in 1882 was £14,906,284, comprising silk knubs, husks aud W'aste, also raw silk and thrown, and broad-stuffs, silk and satin ribbons.
Value of exports from the United Kingdom, British and Irish produce— Silk,Thrown, Silk Mann- Silk,Tbrown, manu.
Year. Twist, and factures. Year. Twist, and factures.
;Yarn. Yarn.
1875, £880,923 £1,734,519 1879, £694,735 £1,697,209 1876, 1,080,678 1,794,565 1880, 683,591 2,030,659 1877, 570,999 1,705,153 1881, 1,008,272 2,564,730 1878, 565,266 1,922,953 1882, 825,572 2,692,275 The manufacture of silk in Britain dates from the year 1585, when the sack of Antwerp by the Spaniards drove many Flemish artisans to England. On the revocation of the edict of Nantes, a century later, a large body of French weavers settled themselves in Spitalfiekls, and the manufacture has always been fostered by the 13ritish Government.
In China, Japan, and British India, the industry has been injured by disease appearing amongst the worms. In Italy, until the outbreak of the 19th century epizoic, the insect seems to have found a most congenial habitat, and sericulture had spread more or less all over the Peninsula. Mr. Wink worth, in the Technologist, estimated the yield of Italy at upwards of 100 million pounds of cocoons. The British Trade Journal puts the value of Italian cocoons at 111 millions sterling. But by the year 1870 the epizoic disease had made great havoc in Italy, which was then largely dependent on imported seed.
In France, the culture of silk seems to have taken a firm hold at the commencement of the 16th century, when Francis T. introduced silk
worms from Milan to Lyons, and the rearing of the worra was simultaneously commenced in the valley of the Rhone. This tract still continues the headquarters of the industry in France, the Cevennes silk bearing the highest reputation. In 1789 France produced 1,000,000 lbs. of raw silk, but in 1853 the out-turn of cocoons reached to 26 million kilos. (corresponding to about 5 million English pounds of raw silk). In 1857, however, the fatal epizoic broke out, and the yield of cocoons fell to 13 million kilos. in 1867.
In Portugal, the silk-worm of the province of Traz-os-Montes alone in Europe escaped the 19th century epizoic. The industry is more generally in the hands of small producers than in other parts of Europe.
The United States of America have taken to silk culture, but Mr. William C. Wyckoff says (Silk Goods of America, 1879) the business has not been largely profitable. The trees for the insects' food belong in almost equal proportions to three species, viz. Morns multicaulis, M. alba, and M. moretti, the last being like M. alba, but with a purple berry. The worms introduced are also of three species,—annual, bivoltine, and trivoltine. But the first is the species by far most common, and is said to pay better than the others. In 1878, the United States imported 1,590,663 lbs. of raw silk, and in California the eggs were being sold at from 16s. to £2 per ounce. The cocoons are steamed, dried, aud pressed, and sell in Europe at 3s. to 6s. per lb.
New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland have all produced silk. The ailantus worm has been bred at Sydney, and both that breed and the Bombyx inori seem to have been tried in Van Diemen's Land so long ago as 1862.
In New Zealand, experiments have been made with the ailanthus worm (Attacus cynthia) and with Japanese (seerningly) trivoltines.