&JLK. 173 



saving in time and trouble. As was observed before, 

 it takes the silk immediately from the cocoon to the 

 spools ; the fibre is dried before it reaches the spool, 

 and consequently cannot stick to those upon which it 

 is laid. The unequal contraction of the fibres cannot 

 take place on the small circumference of the spool, as 

 is the case on the reel. 



When the skein is perfectly dry on the reel, it 

 should be gathered up in a mass with the fingers, 

 loosened from the bars, and after being taken off, it 

 should be tied w r ith shreds of refuse silk in all those 

 places where it rested on the bars of the reel. It 

 should be tied, however, before it is taken from the 

 reel. Double it then and tie it near each end. A 

 piece of folded paper should be fastened to the end of 

 the thread to prevent it from being lost in the skein, 

 which sometimes happens, and gives considerable 

 trouble to find it. 



DIFFERENT KINDS OF SILK. 



There are different kinds of silk, of which I shall 

 give a description in the language of Mr. D'Homer- 

 gue, an experienced culturist and reeler. He ob- 

 serves, ct In winding off the silk from the cocoons, 

 whether perfect or imperfect, the finest and best 

 threads are not those which are first spun ; on the 

 contrary the first threads which come off the cocoons 

 are coarse, uneven, and unfit for use in the silk manu- 

 factories, either of the stuffs, twist or sewing silk. 

 15* 



