TECHNOLOGY. 1027 



France begins, the art being in the beginning not so much a trade as 

 a domestic art, mainly practiced by women. In three centuries this 

 paltry industry has become not only one of the first in France but one 

 of the first in the world. 



The silk industry has two distinct branches, the first having foi its 

 object the production, the second the weaving, of silken threads. The 

 first of these branches is conducted in 24 departments of France, nearly 

 all in the southeastern part of the country, while the manufacture of 

 various silk fabrics is conducted in several large cities, the most impor- 

 tant being Lyons. The industry is much subdivided, and it is diflQcult 

 to make any exact estimate of its proportions, but it is stated that 

 probably 520,000 persons are engaged in it in some way, and that they 

 divide annually 350,000,000 francs in wages and profits. France con- 

 sumes three tenths of all the silk offered for sale in the world. 



The history of silk weaving at Lyons, the most important center 

 of the industry, is treated in chapter X. It started from very small 

 beginnings, being here, as elsewhere, mainly practiced by women, who 

 manufactured narrow strips of silk called tissu or tixu. The industry 

 grew slowly in competition with Italian fabrics, but toward the end of 

 the 18th century was fully established, and after being almost ruined 

 by the French Kevolution, revived again in greater vigor than before. 

 A notable tendency of modern silk manufacture has been in the direc- 

 tion of making fabrics only partly of silk, instead of the pure-silk goods 

 once almost exclusively made, the production of such mixed goods 

 having risen from 23,000,000 francs in 1840 to 151,000,000 francs in 1893. 



At present the outlook for the silk industry in France is uncertain. 

 The disturbed state of business in general has had its effect here as 

 elsewhere, and the increasing extent to which silk is being made in 

 other countries has lessened to some extent the demand for the French 

 products. Yet from the peculiar fitness of the French people for the 

 delicate manipulations of silk culture and silk manufacture, and in 

 view of the fact that the industry in France has survived other periods of 

 stress, it is thought that French manufacturers of silk will be able by 

 greater exertions to retain the ascendancy in the art which has so long 

 been one of the glories of France. The volume concludes with some 

 statistics (the date of which is not given) of the world's production 

 and consumption of silk, by countries. — E. M. reese. 



Observations on cider making, F. J. Lloyd {Jour. Bath and West of Eng. Soc, 

 $er. 4, 4 {1893- 94), pp. 9S-106). — An interesting account of experiments in cider mak- 

 ing and fermentation. 



Cider making, J. Harper {Jour. Bath and West of Eng. Soc, ser. 4, 4 {1893- 94), pp. 

 82-98). — Detailed popular directions for making cider according to the most approved 

 method. 



Investigations on the viscosity of lubricating materials, etc., Q. Lt'NGB 

 {Zlschr. angew. Chem., 1895, No. 7, pp. 189-191, fig. 1). 



The relation of bacteriology to tanning, F. H. Haenlien (Centbl. BaJct. und 

 Par. Allg., 1 {1895), p. 26). 



Palmetto extract, a new tanning material, Schnizer {Chem. Ztg., 19 {1895), 

 No. 9, p. 167). 



