14 



The Silk Division of the Bureau is under the management of Mr. Gilles 

 The seed (eggs) are purchased by the Division from Italy, France, or Japan, 

 and distributed free to the cultivators. Young mulberry trees are supplied 

 in the same manner, and people are given full instructions how to feed and 

 look after both the worms and their food supply. When the cocoons are 

 ready the Dapartment buy them from the grower, giving him a bonus of 

 1 dollar 15 cents per lb., a fraction over the usual market rates. 



The cocoons are received in the silk-house, and there the enclosed pupae 

 are killed by placing thm in closed boxes with bisulphide of carbon ; they 

 are afterwards dried for about three weeks in the sun in shallow wire- 

 bottomed trays, but if placed in a fruit-evaporator the process of drying only 

 takes two days. These cocoons are reeled in the departmental laboratory on 

 a Berthold spinning machine by expert girls, who were taught the methods 

 of working the machinp, and also of dealing with the silk, by two French 

 experts, who were specially engaged for this work. The silk is made up into 

 large hank 5 !, and sold to the manufacturers by tender. There is a very heavy 

 import duty upon silk goods and dress pieces coming into the United States, 

 but raw silk comes in free. There are over a hundred silk factories in the 

 United States under this protection. 



Pebrine is a rare disease here, but Flacherie, caused by improper feeding, is 

 very common, and the smell of decaying silkworms has frequently brought 

 the operations of a prospective producer to a close. The eggs can be kept in 

 cool storage at a temperature of 40 degrees for about eight months, after 

 which they are useless. To hatch them out the temperature is brought up to 

 75 degrees for a week. It is found advisable to kill all the grubs that hatch 

 out on the first day (known as "gallopers"), and save all from the second 

 to the thirty-fourth day, destroying all those coming out after that date. 



With the high rate of labour in the United States, it will be a very long 

 time, from all accounts, before the silk industry will be self-supporting and 

 of any great national value. 



Dr. Phillips has charge of the Apicultural Division, which is a very 

 important branch, for there are half a million bee keepers in the United 

 States in the east. Most of the ' ( bee ranches " do not possess more than 

 100 hives, but in California there are some ranchers who own as many as 

 1,000 hives. In the laboratory the question of bee paralysis has been studied, 

 and Dr. Phillips is of opinion that quite a number of diseases are placed 

 under this general name. There are two forms of .foul brood, according to 

 Dr. White, who has discovered the second, Baccillus ulvce, the common one in 

 America. He would be very glad to get specimens of foul brood from 

 Australia to study. Here, also, are analysed hundreds of samples of honey. 

 Records are kept of all the bee-keepers to whom pamphlets are sent, and 

 they try to get in touch with every bee-keeper in the States. 



The most interesting experiment to the outsider is probably the activity of a 

 hive. A special Fairbanks' weighing machine, adjusted to weigh from |- of an 

 oz. to 400 lb., is used. A hive of bees is placed upon the scales, and accurate- 

 observations and records are made of the changes that go on, with the 

 weight of food given, increase in bee?, quantity of honey, &c., and many 

 interesting facts have been revealed in this manner. 



In the Bureau of Plant Industry I met the chief, Mr. B. T. Galloway, and 

 many of his officers, who have travelled all over the world to find new or 

 improved species of plants of commercial value, and have done wonderful work 

 in transporting and acclimatising new fibre plants, fruits, arid fodder plants ; 

 such names as D. C. Fairchild and W. T. Swingle are known wherever such 

 work has been carried out. With the latter gentleman I went through the 



