52 
They consist, in general, of a mechanism which causes a small hook to 
revolve in a horizontal plane about the running thread, and to twist 
around it any end of the filament that may be placed in the path of the 
hook. The reeler, seeing that a new filament is needed, holds the end 
of one in the way of the attaching device and it is automatically caught. 
The temperature of the water used while reeling the cocoons varies 
from 140° to 175° F. The more cocoons have been cooked the lower 
will be the temperature required. It is customary, however, to work 
in the neighborhood of the maximum limit. Whenever the silk rises in 
locks the temperature of the water is known to be too hot, and when it 
unwinds with difficulty the temperature is, on the contrary, too low. 
The operator is supplied with a skimmer with which to remove all chrys- 
alides and refuse silk; also, with a basin of cold water, in which to cool 
her fingers, which are being constantly dipped in the hot basin. 
It is highly important that the silk be kept as clean as possible. It 
lacks cleanness when the filament ends are badly attached in lancing, 
when the figure 8 loops, of which the cocoon is composed, come off one 
or more at a time instead of unwinding continuously, or when the thread 
after breaking is not neatly knotted. All these faults show in weaving 
and injure the value of the silk. 
According to Dandolo the fresh cocoons consist, by weight, of: 
Per cent. 
CP Gil eee Meee sberces Heed encasy eae aes BRE eee be besos se. 84. 20 
AUB NUE i ie See ale o, ows ase Ve heres pra ee © wr ee ota ot ee I Sim eee ee 0. 45 
rlleennpORS os: 2 .'. Ses ate eet Tee ee San See 2a aac ene ane 15. 35 
It is from this 15.35 per cent. that the reeler draws her silken thread. 
But a large proportion of even this is lost, so that there is recovered 
but 8, 9, or rarely 10 per cent. of the original weight of the cocoons. 
From this it will be seen that it takes from 10 to 124 pounds of fresh 
cocoons, or 34 to 41 pounds of dry ones to make a pound of silk. A 
more usual working average, with good stock, is in the neighborhood 
of 33 pounds of dry cocoons per pound of silk. If cocoons are of poorer 
quality they necessarily produce less siik and their commercial yalue 
fails off in far greater proportion than their power of silk production. 
