70 BULLETIN NO. 3, DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY. 
period of the insect’s existence, when from the circumstances the extreme 
care maintained throughout its development is likely to be relaxed, the 
silk-grower should be particularly watchful and observe the greatest 
care in keeping up the most favored conditions for the changes the 
young insect is about to undergo during the period here referred to. 
These considerations will also serve to attract attention to the im- 
portant influence of the methods employed industrially in reeling the 
silk from the cocoon upon the value of the staple. We have seen that 
when the separate fibres issuing from the spinnerets of the worm are 
fairly cemented together they are stronger than when they are not thus 
combined. And if we look over the Table II, given above, we shall find 
that when the cocoons have been wet, or have been soaked in hot water 
in order to separate the fibre, the latter as a general rule is stronger 
than when it has been separated dry. In the process of reeling the 
fibre becomes thoroughly soaked and saturated with water, so that the 
-glutinous character becomes perfectly developed. As a result the 
primary fibres are more completely cemented together, while the ulti- 
mate fibres brought into contact passing to the reel are combined so 
perfectly that a maximum of strength must be secured. The influences 
of moisture upon the strength of the fibres will be noted upon compar- 
ison of the averages givenin Table II. For convenience in making this 
comparison we have collected the necessary figures in the following 
table: 
Average strain required | 
for rupture. | 
No. of samples. 
Dry reeling. Wet reeling. | 
EO AB REE Ni RAR BEe Soon Gorine SaROee 8. 36 11. 43 | 
Lies 8. 25 | 12. 39 | 
100 heres 5.78 9. 36 
TV eee 7.68 19. 33 | 
Ee OR: BAL ave es ee 
7 es) PS Sn ey oe eee Oe re anes aay ea A Wee BOR Te ee ee one ee: be 9.8 
ee 5 AS Se RRO ayn Ni ne PO eR ae ae SY es rien Oe Sa ae: 12. 04 11.18 | 
AVALISM ES Spe hor es ney ky Bich eek |, eee aan ae Ee) oe ee eee 9. 56 11. 05 | 
TAIL EG See eae, Ber en a ee ere SD 5 Pei ee Ae ee D2 te See 8.59 6. 97 | 
| 
We find here that, as a general rule, the higher results are in favor 
of the fibres that were reeled wet. The exceptions found are in sam- 
ples V (yellow), VI, and VIII, and these may doubtless be explained by 
facts in the history of which we are not in possession. 
In the table of results obtained with the dynamometer we have, as 
in the preceding relating to fineness, given in the recapitulation the 
highest and lowest as well as the average of the measurements taken. 
Below these may be found statements showing the number of measure- 
ments found above and below the average respectively. These figures 
serve to show the uniformity of the fibres with regard to the qualities 
represented. The extension of the fibre under the strain necesssary to 
