Courtesy of United States Department of Agriculture.
Fig. 66.—Silk reeling. The cocoons are in the basins before the women.
Can you send for some cocoons and raw silk? Your teacher will tell you where to write. Raw silk, as it is wound from cocoons, is made up into hanks like the worsted which you buy at the store. It is sold in hanks by the pound and costs from $7.00 to $10.00 a pound. It takes three thousand silkworms to spin a pound of raw silk. Do you know that for grandmother's dress about two pounds of raw silk were necessary? Can you tell how many worms were kept busy?
In another lesson we shall learn how the manufacturer of silk ribbons or silk material takes the raw silk and makes it into beautiful fabrics. Now we know about a useful little animal as well as about a plant which gives us clothing. Silk, however, is more expensive than cotton. Cotton is sometimes made to look like silk. The cotton fiber is mercerized, which means soaked in certain chemicals and stretched to make it look silky. Lisle thread looks somewhat like silk. It is cotton twisted hard to give it a luster. Another day we shall learn more about these.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Do you know where silk is grown? Write a story of 100 words telling about it.
2. Why is not more silk grown in the United States?
3. Find on your map of the world the principal countries where silk is grown.
4. Name some articles made of silk which you use every day; which you see used.
5. What are some of the other uses which we have for silk?