OF WASHINGTON. 57 



fraud. He had always been of the opinion, however, that 

 man could duplicate nature in many of her products, as is 

 illustrated in the manufacture of artificial silk, but he thought 

 that this product would never compete with true silk. 



Mr. Philip Walker said that the statement had been made 

 to him in Paris that the artificial silk was only one-third as 

 strong as true silk, but a much greater strength than that 

 named was now claimed for it. He believed, however, that 

 the single strand, as drawn from the capillary tube, could not 

 possibly have the strength of the compound thread of the 

 natural silk. He had been informed by the editor of the 

 "Silk Journal" that a New York company had undertaken 

 the manufacture of this silk. By recovering the solvents used 

 in producing the collodion, which could doubtless be effected, 

 the cost of manufacture would be greatly reduced. 



The claim made by an Englishman that he had patented the 

 same apparatus several years previously was also referred to. 



Mr. Amory Austin thought that they were making silk of 

 a single strand only, and Prof. Riley stated that so far as he 

 knew this was the case. 



The use of Ramie as an adulterant in the manufacture of 

 black silk was mentioned by Mr. Walker, and Mr. Dodge ex 

 hibited a large series of stuffs manufactured from the Ramie 

 fibre. 



Mr. Howard said that Paul Camboue, of Madagascar, had 

 again brought up the subject of the utilization of spiders' silk, 

 and had recently corresponded with Prof. Riley on the sub 

 ject. Mr. Howard thought that success was doubtful, in view 

 of past failures. 



Prof. Riley reiterated what he had said years ago relating to 

 the possible use of other substances in lieu of the product of 

 the domesticated silk-worm, mentioning the artificial silk noted 

 above and silk of spiders ; but he called attention particularly 

 to the silk of the common bag-worm, Thyridopteryx ephemerce- 

 formis, hitherto ignored and neglected, which he said was 

 firmer, stronger, and more easily spun as carded silk than 

 that of most other silk cocoons, and which, in his opinion, 

 could be made to take the place, in part, of other silk. The 



