REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



551 



may always bo obviated by using steam in their stifling and after- 

 wards thoroughly drying them to prevent molding. A very efficient 

 though simple piece of apparatus for thus stifling cocoons was pur- 

 chased last spring by this Depart- 

 ment of the New York Silk Ex- 

 change, and is within the means of 

 most silk-growers. A sketch of it, 

 in a slightly modified form, is given 

 at Fig. 1. It consists of a tin reser- 

 voir, A, which, when in use, is 

 about one-third filled with water. 

 Slightly above the surface of the 

 water is a movable perforated par- 

 tition, B, intended to prevent spat- 

 tering during ebullition. The up- 

 pe rportion contains a perforated 

 pan tor holding the cocoons, while 

 all is tightly closed by a cover. 

 Cocoons may be thoroughly stifled 

 by exposure in this apparatus over 

 boiling water for twenty minutes. 

 It will be seen, too, that much the 

 same apparatus can be contrived 

 by the use of a deep kettle, into 

 which is set an ordinary colander 

 full of cocoons. It is well to avoid, 

 however, so filling the kettle with 

 water that it will splash upon the cocoons in boiling, as they should 

 only be subjected to the action of steam. The apparatus owned by 

 the Department is 12 inches in diameter and 13 inches deep, and will 

 stifle from 3 to 4 pounds of cocoons at a time. 



COCOONS PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1886. 



Desirous of getting some statistics as to the amoui;t of silk produced 

 during the year in this country, and believing that the result could 

 be approximately obtained by summing up the receipts at Washing- 

 ton and Philadelphia, we applied to Mrs. Lucas, who has kindly fur- 

 nished the data from the Women's Silk-Culture Association of Phil- 

 adelphia, of which she is president. These receipts are for the first 

 half of the fiscal year, or from October 1, 1886, to the end of the 

 year. _ They do not include whatever silk was raised in California, 

 and will probably be materially increased by receipts during the first 

 quarter of 1887. The result is, however, quite interesting, and the 

 more so that no impetus was given to the raising of the cocoons bv 

 the establishment of the filature at Washington (and the same may 

 be said in a great measure of Philadelphia), since the appropriation 

 did pot become available until after the silk-raising season was over. 



Figures show that during the time stated there have been pur- 

 chased at the Washington filature 1,313 pounds 15 ounces, valued at 

 $1,272.04, and by the V/omen's Silk Culture Association at Philadel- 

 phia, 3,801 pounds 9 ounces, valued at $2, 720. 88. This makes a total of 

 5,115 pounds 8 ounces, for which there was paid the sum of $3,982.90, 

 or nearly 78 cents per pound. These were obtained, as will be seen 

 by the following table, from twenty-six States and Territories. It 

 is probable that the table is not a just indication of the production 



