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22 



the beginning of the sixth century however the monks under the persuasion of the 

 Emperor Justinian contrived to bring some eggs secreted in the handles of their 

 staves from China, which being hatched and the caterpillars carefully fed, the expe- 

 riment proved fully successful, and by degrees the silk-worm became generally 

 cultivated throughout Greece. Charles VII. first introduced the mulberry into 

 France from upper Italy, and in 1480 silk manufactories were established at Tours. 

 Henri Quatre greatly exerted himself to extend the silk trade in his kingdom, and 

 by degrees it has so much increased as to become one of the principal branches of 

 French commerce. 



Up to the beginning of the sixteenth century silk was scarcely known in 

 England ; the first pair of silk stockings ever seen in the kingdom having been 

 received by Henry VIII. from Spain. Queen Elizabeth and James I. especially 

 cultivated this branch of manufacture, from which period to the present it has 

 gradually increased, so that at the present period it has been calculated that not 

 fewer than 700,000 persons are engaged in it, and that in the year 1833 the quantity 

 of silk imported for home consumption was more than four millions and a half 

 pounds weight 



The eggs of this insect when good, are of a pale slate or dark lilac colour, they 

 may be purchased in Covent Garden market at 10s. per ounce. Those of a pale 

 yellow colour are imperfect. The caterpillars are very voracious. The Count 

 Dandolo, who has published a valuable work on this insect, gives the following as 

 the result of the most exact calculations made from the observations of the cultivators 

 of silk, who know the exact weight of the leaves devoured by the caterpillars. 



1609 \ pounds weight of leaves are consumed by the progeny raised from an 

 ounce weight of eggs ; of these, 



( 6 lbs. of sorted leaves are given 1 



} to the insect, out of which \ X * lbs " are wasted as refose 



18 3 



■60 9 



180 27 



1098 102 



105 allowed for evaporation 



In the first age 



second age 

 third age 

 fourth age 

 fifth age 





Deduct further al 

 lowance for litter 

 uneatenleaves,&c. 



1362 

 j 155 



247* = 1609* 



lbs. 



1206* lbs. actually devoured, of which 745 lbs. are deposited 

 as excrement in an undigested state. 

 The several ages above mentioned are the periods which intervene between the 

 several moultings to which the silk- worm is subject. 



The cocoon consists of three distinct layers of silk, the first is loose and flossy, 

 and is unserviceable for the silk manufacture ; the second is closer, the silk crossing 

 from side to side ; and the third is still finer, being glued strongly together so as to 

 form a compact inner coating. Of course the more silk which is employed in the 



