Leaders. 59 



mate. After they have mated I place the females in 

 large paper boxes, in which they lay their eggs, which 

 soon hatch. I feed the young larvae on tender leaves of 

 the plum-tree, if I have the plum, but the apple or pear 

 will answer. After they grow to about an inch long I 

 place them in the plum or apple trees, and let them take 

 their chance for life against the birds of course I keep 

 a sharp watch of their progress. When the worm be- 

 gins to spin his cocoon is the right time to draw the silk 

 gut. This is done by pinning the worm on a board and 

 cutting the body of the worm off, far enough back from 

 the head to cut a little off the two silk sacks that con- 

 tain the fluid silk, which in consistency looks like the 

 white of a hen's egg. Into this fluid silk I dip a largish 

 pin, drawing it more or less slowly until the silk is ex- 

 hausted in the sacks ; then with another pin I fasten the 

 last end of the gut to the board. 



" The fluid silk hardens immediately as it comes in 

 contact with the air. The size of the gut will depend 

 entirely on the rapidity with which the gut is drawn 

 the faster it is drawn the smaller will be the gut. 



jf I have drawn this gut eight or nine feet long, and 

 strong enough to hold a salmon. There is no more dif- 

 ficulty in drawing this gut from the Attacus cecropia, 

 than from the ordinary silk-worm (Bombyx mori). The 

 Attacus prometheus feeds on the leaves of the sassafras 

 and spice-bush, and makes a beautiful silk. 



" Very respectfully, T. GARLICK." 



" BEDFORD, OHIO, July 23, 1884. 

 " Henry P. Wells, Esq. : 



"DEAR SIR, Your favor of the 19th is read, and as 

 usual finds me a great sufferer. You are at liberty to 



