SILK MANUFACTURE. China was undoubtedly the country in which men first availed themselves of the labours of the silk worm. Aristotle was the first Greek author 'who mentions the silk-worm ; and he states that silk was first spun in the island of Cos, but the raw material was still an oriental product. For many centuries it was not known in Europe from what source silk was pro duced. It was not indeed until the sixth century that the obscurity which enveloped this subject was cleared up, by the successful result of a journey made by two Nestorian monks to China to unravel the mystery. The breeding of silk-worms in Europe was for six centuries confined to the Greeks of the Lower Empire. In the 12th century the art was transferred to Sicily; in the 13th century the rearing of silk-worms and the manufacture of silk were introduced into Italy, whence it was successively introduced into Spain and France, and in the 15th century the m!nufacture was established in England.
James I. was extremely solicitous to promote the breeding and rearing of silk worms in England ; but all attempts of this kind have failed both here and in the United States, partly from the unfitness of the climate, and partly from the high-rate of wages, which renders this employment better adapted to the social condition of China, Italy, the south France, and Malta, where the wages of abour have nearly reached their minimum. vIrs. Whitby, a lady who has made praise worthy attempts to foster the growth of silk n England, communicated the results of her iartially successful labours to the Royal lyrienkural Society, in 1814, and to the 3irmingham meeting of the British Associa ion in 1S19. The production of raw silk is 'est extending in British India, and the mality has been for some years gradually irn moving. The countries in which silk is pro-. limed are now very numerous.
But although English silk-culture has been ,itherto a commercial failure, there are from ime to time attempts made which merit ttention. To the Great Exhibition has been ontributed a scarf woven by the wife of a lergyman, from silk reared by herself; and ithongh such a production is a family curio ity rather than a commercial result, it may be nteresting, to read her own account of Having resided for about three years in a icarage in Hertfordshire, the garden of which ?ossessed a remarkably fine mulberry tree, wished to give my family an idea of the iabits and natural history of the silkworm, and the method by which silk is produced. 'With this view I procured a quantity of eggs early in the spring of 1817, which were hatched about May, and I placed the worms, 2000 or rather more in number, in an out house in the garden. There they were
attended and fed by myself and some of the juvenile members of my family, and in due time they spun; and much wishing to turn the produce of their industry to some use, I directed my attention towards making the scarf which I have the pleasure to lay before you. The silk was wound from the cocoons by my daughter and myself on a winding machine, and afterwards I wove it into its present form. It has consequently never been in the hands of any manufacturer, and pre sents the same colour and quality as when taken from the cocoon. I may add, that the outhouse in which the worms lived had no windows to protect them from the weather, which was unusually cold for the season of the year; as Ithink this point may illustrate the fact that our English climate presents no insuperable obstacle to the cultivation of silk. The mulberry tree was the common kind.' The silk id" produced from that species of silkworm which, when in the moth state, is called the Bombyx Mori. This species, which was originally from China, is of a white or cream colour, with a brown fascia and two or more waved lines of a deeper colour crossing the upper wings. In this country the eggs of this moth are hatched early in May. The caterpillar, or silkworm, is at first of a dark colour, but soon becomes light, and in its tints much resembles the perfect insect,—a circum stance common in caterpillars. Its proper food is the mulberry, though it will likewise eat the lettuce and some few other plants ; on these plants, however, it does not thrive equally well, and the silk yielded is of a poor quality. The silkworm is about eight weeks in arriving at maturity, during which period it changes its skin four or five times. When about to cast its skin it ceases to eat, raises the fore-part of the body slightly, and remains in perfect repose. In this state it is neces sary that it should continue for some little time , in order that the new skin, which is at this time forming, may become sufficiently mature to enable the caterpillar to burst through the old one. This operation, which is apparently one of considerable difficulty, is performed thus :—The fore part of the old skin is burst; the silkworm then by continu ally writhing its body (but not moving from the spot) contrives to thrust the skin hack to the tail, and ultimately to disengage itself altogether : this last part of the operation however is the most difficult, since it is no uncommon occurrence for them to die, from not being able to disengage the last segment of the body from the old skin.