THE SILKWORM ITS REARING AND MANAGEMENT. 



cocoons may be reeled together, if one does not object to the 

 threads becoming intermixed in the skein. 



On the large scale the reeling is performed by women, and the 

 establishment in which it is carried out is called a " filature." 

 Each operator has in front of her a metal basin of water, the 

 temperature of which can be regulated by jets of steam allowed 

 to enter it through taps under the operator's control. The thread 

 is never wound singly, as it is much too fine for manufacturing 

 purposes, but those of several cocoons are twisted together and 

 combined into a single thread. A common number is five. The 

 woman puts a number of cocoons in the basin and moves them 

 about so that the gum which fastens the threads may become 

 uniformly softened ; then with a little brush made of birch twigs 

 split at their ends, she gently beats them as they lie in the water, 

 till the threads of all have become entangled in the brush. She 

 then takes the bundle of threads and shakes it till each cocoon 

 is seen to hang by a single thread. Then selecting five she unites 

 them, and passes the combined thread through a little glass eyelet 

 fastened near the side of the basin. Then taking another set of 

 five she does the same with them, passing them through another 

 eyelet placed on the other side. The two strands thus made are 

 then brought together above the eyes, crossed and twisted together 

 several times, and then again separated above the twist and 

 introduced into two other glass eyes, through which they are led, 

 one to each end of the reel. This is much larger than the 

 amateur's contrivance mentioned above, and usually has six 

 spokes instead of four. It is kept revolving steadily and rapidly, 

 and at the same time moved a little alternately from side to side, 

 so that the threads may be crossed and not stick together. 



It is very important that the thread should be of uniform 

 diameter throughout, and that the different elements of which it 

 is composed should be well twisted together and form a compact 

 strand. It must also be completely freed from moisture. These 

 objects are attained in some degree by means of the eyelet holes, 

 the twisting, and the lateral movement of the reel, together with 

 a suitably regulated distance between the basin and the reel. 

 The uniformity of the thread, however, depends a good deal 

 upon the watchfulness and skill of the operator. For the threads 

 of all the cocoons will not necessarily be of the same length, and 

 some may give out before others are finished. In such a case, 

 a new thread must at once be introduced, or the strand will 

 become of an inferior character. The silk, too, becomes finer 

 as the end of the cocoon is reached, for, in the spinning, the 

 silk glands of the caterpillar were then almost exhausted ; there- 



