35 



This suggests forcibly a promising economy in store for 

 the produce of all silk-making worms. There are many 

 species unknown to commerce, rejected because of their not 

 being capable of being reeled or wound in the ordinary 

 way ; but now that spinning machinery is in such a 

 perfected state, all cocoons and waste silk may be spun 

 and converted into materials of some use or other. 



In Simla alone there are said to be eight or nine 

 species of Bombyx, which, no doubt, might be utilised in 

 this way as well as many, if not all, the species enumera- 

 ted in Mr. Moore's list at p. 3. I strongly recommend 

 that all the waste of Tusser be collected ; the outer part 

 of the cocoon, being removed by the native reeler, should 

 be put aside for this purpose. It is only practicable to 

 obtain one pound of reeled silk from 11 lbs. of cocoons 

 minus their chrysalides, and the remaining 10 lbs. of 

 waste is eagerly sought after by the European spinners. 



Messrs. Clayton, Marsdens, Holclen, & Co., silk spinners 

 of Halifax, have made for me several beautiful specimens 

 of fabrics woven in different designs from pierced cocoons 

 and waste Tusser, with which I furnished them from 

 material collected for me in India by the order of Her 

 Majesty's Government of India. They have been suc- 

 cessful in perfecting to a surprising degree the manufac- 

 ture of fabric from Tusser-silk waste, which a few years 

 ago could not find buyers at 4>d. per lb., and which lay 

 about the English ports for some time quite unsaleable, 

 So much is it now in demand that it is worth 2s. per lb. 

 I also mention the successful weaving of reeled Tusser by 

 Messrs. J. Birchenough & Sons, of Macclesfield, who have 

 made in this branch a special effort of late years. Messrs. 

 Brocklehurst & Co., Messrs. Smale, Bros., and a few other 

 Macclesfield manufacturers, have also recently helped to 

 develop this industry. 



Considerable quantities of Tusser silk have also been 

 manufactured in France by manufacturers unknown to me, 

 and not a little has been used in France and England for 

 the black gauffred braids so much worn of late for fringe ; 

 they have been almost as effective as mulberry-silk 

 braids. 



In March 1878 there were nearly 2,000 bales of Tusser 

 raw silk in London that could not find buyers even at so 

 low a price as from 2s. 3d. to 2s. 9d. per lb., organzine and 

 tram being at that time 3s. Gd. to 4<s. 6d. per .lb., whilst at 

 the present time there is scarcely a bale to be bought in 

 the market, and the value of Tusser raw has risen to not 



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