1840.] SENATE— No. 36. 137 



when freshly taken from the spinning shelves. We do it as 

 follows ; for 100 lbs. of cocoons in the floss, we take a well 

 made box large enough to hold them ; then we take about three 

 ounces of camphor, which we moisten with as much alcohol 

 as is necessary to rub it into a powder, a part of which we 

 sprinkle on the bottom of the box. Then we fill the box by 

 making five or six layers of the cocoons, and spread a propor- 

 tional part of the camphor between each of them ; then we screw 

 on the lid and paste strips of paper on all the splits and joints 

 to make it air tight. After three or four days we take them 

 out and dry thein in the shade, until perfectly light. They 

 must be assorted before camphoring, or else the bad cocoons 

 will spoil the good ones." It would be desirable, if possible, 

 to reel the cocoon immediately after the winding is finished, 

 without the trouble of killing the chrysalis ; but this, where 

 any considerable amount is produced, cannot be always done ; 

 and a mode therefore of killing the moth without injuring the 

 reeling of the silk, like that recommended by Miss Rapp, de- 

 serves consideration. 



I have spoken of the high authority of this lady in what per- 

 tains to the silk culture. No individual in the country has pro- 

 bably done so much ; and, in what she has done, has done so 

 well. I have a vest pattern of black silk velvet, and as many 

 as ten different patterns of wide silk ribbons, the material and 

 the manufacture the produce of her own labor and skill, which 

 for their texture, lustre, coloring and finish, would not suffer in 

 comparison with the best foreign fabrics of the same descrip- 

 tion. I have great pleasure in paying this deserved tribute to 

 distinguished industry and enterprise, much too rare not to be 

 admired, in this most useful art. 



XVI. Reeling and Reels. — The reeling of silk is not a diffi- 

 cult but a very nice operation. The objection to American silk 

 has been in the imperfection or faults of the reeling. The perfec- 

 tion of reeled silk consists mainly in the evenness of the fibre. 

 To effect this requires not only care but judgment. The worm 

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