456 



SILK 



yield 1 Ib. of raw silk ; bat the quantity is variable, 

 and depends on silkworm study, selection of eggs, 

 and in crowing the numerous varieties. As far as 

 can be ascertained, the total quantity of raw silk 

 annually produced in the world is upwards of 22 

 millions of pounds. China furnishes 38 '53 per 

 cent.; Italy, _".! ."> per cent., Japan, 12 per cent; 

 France, 7 "52 percent.; the Levant, 6-21 percent . ; 

 India, 3-82 per rent. 



Of silk manufacturing countries France is the 

 principal. The French consumption of raw silk 

 amounts to about 9,918,000 Ih. per annum, the 

 value of which is estimated at from 10,000,000 to 

 12,000,000. France iteelf produces about one- 

 eighth of the raw silk consumed (there were 242,000 

 growers in 1890); the rest being imported from 

 Italy and Asiatic countries. The total value of 

 manufactured silk produced by France i- estimated 

 at from 24,000,000 to 26,000,000 per annum ; the 

 total production of the world being 64,000,000. 

 France thus produces about two-fifths of the whole, 

 the total number of silk looms in France being 

 estimated at 230,000. 



The British .-ilk trade was formerly much larger 

 than it is at present. The treaty with France 

 which, allowed French silks to come in duty free 

 found Great Britain and Ireland unable to compete 

 with France, and in a short time the trade dwindled 

 immensely, with disastrous results to Spitalfields, 

 Coventry, Macclesfield, Congleton, Dublin, Man- 

 chester, and a few other centres. From this it has 

 never recovered ; but it is hoped by the promotion of 

 a higher efficiency, and by the equalisation of wages 

 and hours of labour throughout the Continent, that 

 Britain may once more come to enjoy her fair share 

 in this important and beautiful industry, having a 

 climate splendidly suited for all stages of manu- 

 facture, though not for sericulture. The following 

 figures, taken from the Board of Trade returns of 

 1890, show the total quantity of silk manufactured 

 in Great Britain. 



Raw 2<12,l81b. =178,188 



Kiiub* or hunks of ilk and mute. . . 11,188 cwt. = 1 14,803 



Thrown 124,14911). 90,119 



Manufactures 985,780 



The history of silk production in America dates 

 from 1530, wlien the first mullierry-trees and silk- 

 worms were imported into Mexico. But by 1600 

 the industry luid died out there ; and a like fate 

 overtook it in Virginia Iwfore the end of the 

 next century, and practically everywhere by the 

 beginning of the 19th century, although it had 

 been vigorously encouraged by England, filatures 

 established, .ami ( Icorgiu alone in one year had 

 sent home nearly 2000 Ib. of raw silk. About 

 1825 a powerful effort was made to revive the 

 industry in the United States; silk societies were 

 established, and manuals of silk-culture, such as 

 .1. H. Cobb's, printed and distributed l>y state 

 legislatures and l>y congress. But success was pre- 

 vented by a craze for speculation in Chinese mul- 

 berry-trees, which ended in wide-spread ruin in 

 1839. Since then silk-culture has never flourished 

 in America. It wan taken up with eagerness in 

 California in ls.-,|. but quickly dwindled and died ; 

 there is a state hoard of silk-culture in San 

 Francisco, but it has not succeeded in arousing 

 niiieh interest ill it. At Philadelphia a Woman's 

 Silk-culture Association was founded in 1.S70, so 

 far with the same result : nor has commercial 

 success encouraged the attempts of the Agricul- 

 tural |)e|iartnienl, which established a filature at 

 Washington in IHXIi for reeling silk from American 

 i-cH-iMins, and has distributed eggs of large Milanese 

 silkworms. But if silk-culture has failed so far to 

 engage American attention anil capital, the reverse 

 has lieen the care with the silk manufacture. This 

 liegan in New England early in the 18th century, 



and steam-power for the iniuinfacture of sewing- 

 silk was introduced in 1811). improved machinets 

 quickly following, until U-fore the civil war a 

 great trade hail grown up in twist, dress-trim 

 niings, riMmns, and woven silk goods. Laces were, 

 manufactured at Brooklyn in 1871, and since IsTii 

 silk handkerchiefs. ta|-stry, and velvets, besides 

 dress->ilks of all sorts, have been manufactured in 

 steadily-increasing quantities and excellent quali- 

 ties. The most famous seat of the American silk 

 manufacture is Paterson (q.v.l, with considerably 

 more than 100 mills. In 1S74 the value of all 

 silk goods manufactured in the I niteil States was 

 $16,269,157; in 188O it was $34,519,723. In 1880 

 2,562,236 Ib. of raw silk was impn i ted. and in IS:HI. 

 7,510,440 Ib., valued at $24,325,531. The im,H.rts 

 of manufactured silk were valued at $38,24(>,7S7 in 

 1890, and $22,635,047 in 1898. 



Wild Silkji. This is a generic term generally 

 Mgnifj 'ing those silks used in commerce, and those 

 not at present utilised, other than silk of the mul- 

 berry-feeding win ins. hut relates almost entirely to 

 the Saturnida', whose fibres are more or less flat; it 

 necessarily includes a few species which are sub- 

 ject to more or less of domestication, such as the 

 1 .1 ia and Muga of Assam. Most of the principal 

 wild silkworms are Asiatic. The l--t known are 

 those of India. There are a few species in North 

 America, one or two of which have received some 

 attention. South America and the West Indies 

 contain many others, and are almost unworked 

 fields. The following list includes all the prin- 

 cipal wild silks : 



Attat and Erin Group. Attacut atlat, A. sillirlicti. A. 

 edwardtia, A. tynthia, A. ricini, A. canningi, A. lunula, 

 A. o6*rurux, A. ffucrini. 



Aftiat Group. Aetiat tclcnc, A. linentit, A. leto, A. 

 mccnat, A. igneicent. 



Tuttur and Muga Group. Anthereea mylitta, A. 

 andantana, A. mezanlcooria, A. fritkii, A. nebulota, A. 

 helferi, A. perrotteti, A. attaina, A. roylti. 



AfuceUaneout Group. Solatia lala, Rinata :nlcika, 

 Rhodia ntwtra, Caligula tJiibrta, C. timla, C. eacHara, 

 ffeorii huttoni, N. thatitilla, ff. ftvlirzknna, Saturnia 

 ctdotq, S. grotci, S. linlia, S. anna, Lfepa Icatinta, L. 

 tikkiina, L. tiraliea, L. miranda, Cricula trifcnettrata, 

 C. drepanoidei, Anthmrti prrnyi, A. eonfuei, A. yama- 

 mai, Saturnia pyretorum, Jfeorii tkaduUa, TkeopkiUt 

 tnandarina. 



Of these a few species only need be noticed here. 



Anl/HTii-ii iiiii/i/i-m<ii is a Japanese species, which 

 feeds on the leaves of the oak. It is peculiar to 

 Japan, and has long been held in high estimation 

 there, more so formerly than now. At one jwiiod 

 its silk was solely reserved for the use of royalty, 

 and the penalty of death is said to have been in- 

 flicted upon any person found Using it or taking 

 the eggs. At the present time it is woven along 

 with the ordinary silk of commerce in patterns, 

 giving the separate effects of each silk. The Eria 

 silk is the product of the I'.ii or . \rimli worm of 

 Assam. It is largely cultivated in that part of 

 India, and is hand-pun and \\oven by the natives 

 in garments, rough, but so durable that mothers 

 are said to leave them to their daughters. The. 

 cocoon is soft and not compart ; it lias hitherto 

 been found impossible to unwind it in a continuous 

 thread, and in consequence of tins difficulty it is 

 rudely spun by hand like flax. It would l>e largely 

 emploved in Kuro|N> for machine spinning if it. 

 could IM> cultivated and exported in quantity. Its 

 excellences for this process of manufacture are well 

 known. The worm chiefly feeds on the Hifiniin 

 I'liiniiiinu, or castor oil plant. Attnaix fi/iitliin is 

 a secies closely allied to AHticu* ririni. It Cm 

 originally from China, and feeds on the Ailanto 

 (q.v.) tree. Its cocoons were first received in 

 hurope in November 1856, and hatched out the 



