152 ANNUAL REPORT. 



Male and female they arrive here as in the days when God 

 created the first pair. Equal in size they seem to be equal in 

 intelligence, with the same duties, privileges and responsibilities. 

 Therefore, it is presumable that they are equal suffragists. 



When the females are ready to deposit their eggs they are placed 

 upon small pieces of cloth or paper, about five inches square. The 

 number of eggs deposited is from seven to eight hundred. The 

 eggs laid the first three days only are good. After that time the 

 millers may be thrown away. The eggs must be kept in a cool, 

 dry place, safe from mice, spiders, and the like, till another summer 

 brings the mulberry leaves. 



I have thus far related my short acquintance with these little 

 creatures. I hope another year to make a closer study of their 

 manners and customs. 



Silk culture is a very ancient industry. The Chinese claim the 

 honor of the discovery of the silk worm and of the subsequent 

 utilization of its fibre. I must particularize and add, that the 

 mode of raising and feeding the worms, and the different processes 

 of converting the fibre into cloth, was a spark from a woman's 

 brain. Also that the princesses of royal blood, and ladies of noble 

 families only, were allowed to raise the worms and weave the 

 queenly fabrics. 



In eastern countries, where the industry has been carried on for 

 many centuries, the women and children care for the worms, reel 

 the silk, and prepare it for the looms. About fifty years since, silk 

 culture was attempted in this country, but for some reason it 

 proved a failure. Statistics show that $15,000 worth of raw silk 

 is consumed annually by the home market, nearly all of which is 

 of foreign importation. 



The silk industry does not require an expensive outlay. The 

 mulberries can be grown in hedges and be made to occupy a com- 

 paratively small space. The trees can be furnished by any nursery- 

 man and the silk-worm eggs are easily procured. The Woman's 

 Silk Culture Association furnish books which give complete 

 instructions for raising the mulberry and for educating the worms; 

 also for reeling the silk and preparing it for market. 



The reeling of the silk is considered of the utmost importance. 



In countries where the silk industry is extensive, silk-reeling is 



sometimes conducted as a separate business, The Woman's Silk 



Association at Philadelphia offer two kinds of reels — one made of 



ood for $20, another made of metal and complete in all its appoint- 



ents for $65. The reeled silk brings from $1 to $7 per pound, 



