FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



trays for rearing the worms, but the attic of the old castle was 

 turned into a rather large scale rearing establishment. 



I spent one of the pleasantest and most profitable ten days 

 in my life in August, 1902, with these fine people at the old 

 castle which stands on the summit of a hill looking north over a 

 wonderful valley. Fortunately, while I was there the cocoon- 

 buyers made their annual visit and into the courtyard of the old 

 casde came the peasants from the estate, men and women each 

 with huge hampers of cocoons upon their shoulders, and the 

 children tagging along to see the fun. The cocoon-buyers set up 

 their scales in the courtyard, and each wicker hamper was 

 weighed with and without its cocoons. The peasants were in- 

 tensely interested in the weighing process, and in each case the 

 weighing machine was surrounded by a struggling and expostu- 

 lating crowd. Not only did the peasants from the estate bring 

 out their hampers, but the servants in the castle did the same. 

 I remember that the cook came out in his white cap and apron, 

 with a huge and well-filled hamper on his shoulders. I imagine 

 that the trays in the attic must have been used by these house 

 servants. 



But the silk culture aspects of this stay at the old estate were 

 by no means the most interesting. I was intensely interested in 

 the Duke and the Duchess and in their mode of life. Afterwards 

 I became very much attached to them, and I visited them fre- 

 quently in later years. In fact, after the Great War they came to 

 America on a visit and spent some time with Mrs. Howard and 

 me in Washington. 



Although this first visit was made almost wholly for the 

 purpose of looking up silk cultural matters, this is a good 

 place to say something about my hosts. During only one of my 

 visits were there other guests, and usually the three of us used 



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