No. 9. 



AJND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



135 



«0. iijlg !<illio 

 Tho unwinJing ol die silkon cocoon is performed 

 upon principles of surprising simplicity, yet the popu- 

 larlallacy regarding its insurniounlnble difficulties has 

 accomplished more to retard the culture of silk in the 

 United States, than any adverse cause whatever. The 

 writer was early impressed with tho prevailing preju- 

 dice, bnj the first ray of intelligence was sufficient to 

 dispel it. Tho first attempts were eufliclont to reveal 

 the truth, that this was the simplest Uiviflioa of labor 

 connecicJ with the art of raising silk. 



Before entering upon a particular description of this 

 art, it is proper to apprise the reader of the nature of 

 the instrument by which it is accomplished. The 

 standard silk roe! of Europe is the Picdmonlcse reel, 

 and all others combine its principles, which arc these 

 If we attach to the bars of a common reel, the fibres 

 of several cocoons and direct tho combined thread so 

 that it shall in every revolution fall in the same place, 

 the consequence will be that in drying, the compo- 

 nent threads of the skein will be glued together and 

 cannot be unwound. This is why the common do- 

 mestic reel is inadmissible. The Italian reel obviates 

 the difficulty. It is so contrived that the guides that 

 bold and direct the thread, shall slowly vibrate, by 

 which movement the thread is laid, not at right angles 

 with the axis of the reel, nor upon the same place as 

 the turn which last preceded it. The threads are laid 

 parallel to, and at a little distance from each other, and 

 when they hove travelled over the breadth of the skein 

 they are directly carried back again, so that each alter- 

 nate course crosses the other at a sharp angle. This 

 niiivement allows the thread time to dry, and by the 

 crossing of them adhesions are eiTectuully prevented. 

 It is somawhot in imitation of the instinctive method 

 of the worm which never lays the threads in parallel 

 contact, but by a swei ping motion from eiiie to side. 

 The silk reel contains two setts of guides, one for 

 gathering the fibres of the several cocoons info a com- 

 pound thread which are stationary, and the other just 

 alluded to, for guiding the thread upon the reel, and 

 is of course moveable. Under the first set, is a basin 

 testing upon a furnace which heals it. The reeler sits 

 behind this basin, and she requires an assistant to turn 

 the reel and to perform other services in her behalf 



t^o other than water perfectly soft and pure will 

 answer, ai)d its temperature must ohyaya be below the 

 boiling point, but generally very near it, and it must 

 never be sufftred to become foul. Before the reeler 

 commences she must classify the cocoons, by separot- 

 ing the double ones into one parcel and the indiffer- 

 ent ones into another, collecting the excellent ones by 

 themselves. She must be careful not to nii.x up par- 

 cels whose chrysales have been destroyed by different 

 methods, for each will require modification of tempe- 

 rature. She must remove the loose floes and settle in 

 her mind the size of tho thread she is to form. If it 

 be a thread often fibres, it will require eight to twelve 

 cocoons, for as they run out the filaments become 

 smaller. If it be a thread of twenty-fiye fibres it will 

 require from twenty to thirty, which is the size easiest 

 maintained, and ia about the proper si?e for present 

 demand. The novice had better commence with un- 

 stifled cocoons, for they play off with greater freedom 

 than those containing deed chrysales. 



She takes her station, and throwing into the basin 

 a lew handfuls of cocoons, she presses them gently 

 under the surface of the water with a brush composed 

 of three or four sticks of broom corn, or a little bundle 

 of fine twigs, until the ends of the filaments have be- 

 come entangled with them, when she siezes them with 

 the left hand and laying aside the brush, she draws out 

 the tireads, hand over hand, until they run free, 

 when they should be fastened aside until all the threads 

 are thus gathered up, and it is important that no more 



■ .'Cuons urc p;it iiii" the hnoin tlum nic oocceeuiy to' 

 immediate purposes, for it crcutoe confusion and waste. 



She then takes a sufficient mtmber of fibres to form 

 two separate threads, which are at once passed through 

 the lower guides, where they are twisted over each 

 other twenty times, more or less, for the purpose o' 

 consolidating and rounding them and dissipating mois- 

 ture, the greatest care being taken to keep each divis- 

 ion distinct. Each combined thread is next passed 

 through its second guide and attached to tho bars of 

 the reel. It tho water be of proper temjieraturc, the 

 reel may be turned with a quick movement, which 

 immediately brings out the gossamer outline of the 

 skein, beautiful to beholj. 



After the reel has been turned soma time, the threads 

 will diminish in size, some of the cocoons having bro- 

 ken and some run out. This is prevented by con- 

 stantly attaching new fibres as others become exhanst- 

 ed, and it must be done too without stopping the reel 

 by gently touching the end of a fibre to the thread just 

 as it passes tho lower guide." This is an operation 

 that requires some tact, but it is easily acquired. 

 When the capsule of the chrysalis is laid bare, it must 

 be removed with small skimmer, and new cocoons 

 constantly added, few at a time. Every particle of 

 silk b!iou14 be extracted from tho cocoon, which ia 

 impossible if too many are playing at one time. 



This is the simple line of the reeler's duty, and to 

 perform it well she must observe some collateral direc- 

 tions. Sdc must be patient and reel without waste, 

 and that in the most finished manner without regard 

 to quantity, for that will depend upon practice. Her 

 progress will be slow at first, but she will inevitably 

 acquire adroitness. The nature of the process will 

 soon unfold itself, and she v/iU throw aside her writ- 

 ten directions. She ij'ill perceive that if the water be 

 too hot the silk will come oft' in masses or buns, which 

 will break the threads or injure their beauty. If it 

 be too cold the gum of the cocoon will not be eufii- 

 ciently dissolved, and it will fly up to the guides and 

 break thp thread, or leap out of the basin. If buui 

 should be discovered upon the skeip, they are to be 

 removed by the assistont before they become dry, and 

 it is her duty to wateh the skein and the course of the 

 threods from the guides to the bors, that every thing 

 runs free and smooth. Wheii the reel has been a lit- 

 tle time at rest, the threads must be wet before starting 

 from the guides to the basin, or the threads would 

 lose their adheaion, and being dry would break at the 

 guides. The skeins should not be disturbed from the 

 reel until perfectly dry, and this is done by starting 

 the keys in the axis of the reel. 



The rcelers duty is one of constant activity, and 

 requires quickness of motion and adroitness of touch, 

 natural ingenuity, composure of mind and a deter- 

 mined spirit to succeed. She will be astonished at 

 the result of her exertions. Understanding the prin- 

 ciples of the art, the details will suggest themselves 

 to her mind, oiid she will in a short time titrn off one 

 or two pounds of silk daily without the least difficul- 

 ty. It is certainly a beautiful operation that may well 

 engage the ottention of young women, for they will 

 find it an independent, honorable and profitable em- 

 ployment. J. D. 



Itlanuf'iicture of Silk in Ohio* 



Mr. John W. Gill, of Mount Pleasant, Hamilton 

 Co., Ohio, inanufactured during the last year upwards 

 ef $9000 worth of Silk goods. His clear profit on 

 the capital invested was ten per cent. He has three 

 large cocooneries and commenced this season to feed 

 upwards of two millions of worms, which, he calcu- 

 lates, will yield him upwards of six hundred bushels 

 of cocoons, worth at present prices .$2000, but much 

 more to him, as he will manufacture the whole crop 

 into various fabrics. 



* Tills guide should be made ot" a plate of brass, tty dril- 

 ling a fine liole near Us upper edue .niid sawing a slit to it. 

 the upper extremity opening lilie the letter T, and made 

 perfe«tly ,jmooth. 



Botftiiy."- \tti,;ctive Ffmalo Accoinplish- 

 inents, versus, External 8Iio\v. 



M. do Candolle, Professor of Botany at Geneva, 

 while exhibiting at bis lectures a very valuable col- 

 lection of y\merican plants, took occasion to eay to 

 his audience tl;at this collection was borrowed, and 

 mugt ho rpti|ritod by a given day, much to bis regret. 

 Some ladies present immediately oflercd to copy the 

 wlmlo collection by the aid of their friends in one 

 week, and tho task was faithfully performed. Tho 

 drawings, 860 in number, filling 13 folio volumes, 

 were executed by 114 female amateurs in less than 

 six days. The principal part of each plant was col- 

 ored, the rest traced with accuracy, — tho execution 

 was invariobly good, and in some instances masterly, 

 [t is said that this taste for the arts and for knowledge 

 in general, is universal in that city. 



I once travelled on a canal boat in company with a 

 young Swiss botanist, who was educated at Geneva ; 

 his whole soul seemed filled with the grandeur and 

 beauty of our vegetable creation ; he would often 

 leave the boat an hour at a lime to walk ahead and col- 

 lect specimens of plants aiid fjowere, these be would 

 bring on board to arrange and press in hie herbarium. 

 We had several village yoiing ladies, passengers, go- 

 ing west on a visit ; they were lively girls, very ex- 

 pensively and tawdrily dressed ; but they loved art 

 better than nature ; in fact, they had no tnste for the 

 glories of the vegetable world; hence they looked upon 

 our (oreign Botanist who could not speak English, as 

 they would upon a wild animal whose genius was in- 

 ferior to their own. But to show that his opinion oi 

 them was not more exalted, than their estimate of 

 liim ; when I asked him what he felt to be the prin- 

 cipal difference between these American young la- 

 dies, and those of his own country, be quietly re- 

 plied, "«H«s ci sont des poupics, cetles III, desanges," 

 these here are dolls, there they are angels. This 

 young man bad been but two weeks in the United 

 States, but who will say that his first impression in 

 relation to our American young ladies was wide of 

 the mark. He only meant to convey the idea that in 

 his own country the intellectual pleasures are cultiva- 

 ted, instead of those senseless, expensive, fashionable, 

 and demoralizing habiis of external show, so univer- 

 sal in these United States. S. W. 



WMi:r( oOf Aug. , 1842. 



Songs ofBirds. 



It ia quite amusing as well as of real utility, assist- 

 ing as it does t'je memory to distinguish the songs of 

 various species of birds, and thus enabling the obser- 

 ver readily to identify them, — it is quite amusing to 

 observe the translations into English of their various 

 ditties. Nutlall givea on the authority of the New 

 England boys, the following os the Bob-o-link's song ; 

 " Bob o-link ! Tom Denny 1 come pay me the two 

 and sixpence you've owed me more than a year and a 

 half ago, go, it's clear, it's clear I" A tailor observed 

 to me that the song sparrow continued to prate round 

 his window, " Prick your f-i-n-ger, suck it, suck it 

 well V The iron-founder rendered the robin's song 

 into " Skillet 1 skillet 1 two legs to a skillet, three 

 legs to a skillet I" and a well known physician in 



V^ remarked that the same bird often gave him 



this admonition, "Kill 'em, kill 'em, cure 'em, cure 

 'em, give 'em physic, physic, physic I" Even the 

 frogs speak English (or rather Irish) as, "Jug o'ruml 

 jug o'rum 1 jug o' d-hrum I'' or, " Paddy got 

 dhroonk, got dhroonU, dhroonk, 'unk, 'nk I" 



X. Y. Z. 



Tar for Wheels. 



A friend informs us that the use of tar in the Esb- 

 ern States for waggons and coaches is now, or soon 

 will he entirely superseded by the introduction of 

 hogs lard and wheat flour. To prepiffe the mixture, 

 the lard must be melted over a gentle fire and flour 

 stirred in until the lard becomes of the consistence of 

 a paste. Our friend warrants us in advising farmers 

 and waggoners to adopt the plan. He says they will 

 never use tar afterwards.— /oirrt Standard. 



