SILKWORM GUT 123 



is readily stained, and when made a pale smoke 

 colour, is almost invisible in water. 



There is one crop in each year, which in 

 Spain begins early in June, and usually ends in 

 August. The Italian crop is about a month 

 later. 



The great difficulty in recent years has been 

 the small quantity of really thick salmon-gut 

 which is produced : year after year, there seems 

 no increase, while the demand steadily grows, 

 and consequently the price. 



Salmon gut is classified by the Spaniards thus 

 " Hebra," " Imperial," " Marana " ; " Hebra " 

 being the thickest averages from 20 to 22 

 thousands of an inch; "Imperial," 18J to 19 

 thousands; "Marana," 16J to 17J thousands. 

 Nothing less than this can be called salmon gut. 

 In making casts, the thicknesses are classified thus 

 D/T.M. 0/5, 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5. Hebra produces 

 strands of 0/5 to 3/5 ; Imperial, 2/5 to 4/5 ; and 

 Marana, 3/5 to 5/5. A few strands of extra thick, 

 called " Crown " gut, are produced, but these are 

 seldom procurable. 



In sorting out qualities, they are graded 

 thus" Selecto," " Superior," " Estriada "the 

 " Selecto," in the ordinary classes, being twice 

 the price of the " Estriada " ; and in the thick, 

 ten times. When making into casts, &c., the 

 Selecto is sorted again into three qualities, A, B, 



