540 MAN CONTROLS HIS ENVIRONMENT FOR WEALTH 



Uses of animal fibers. Pure silk goods are manufactured from 

 raw silk, which is a fiber produced by the silkworm, the caterpillar 

 of a moth. It lives on mulberry leaves and makes a cocoon from 

 which the silk is obtained. China, Japan, Italy, and France, be- 

 cause of cheap labor, are successful silk-raising countries. But 

 the manufacture of silk goods, from imported raw silk, is still one 

 of our great industries in spite of the production of rayon, one 

 kind of artificial silk produced from wood pulp. 



There are in this country more than 1000 woolen mills, with 

 nearly 200,000 wage earners. They produce, yearly, woolen and 

 worsted goods valued at about $900,000,000. These mills use both 



domestic and im- 

 ported wool. Nearly 

 45,000,000 sheep are 

 raised in this country 

 for their wool. 



Goat's hair, espe- 

 cially that of the 

 Angora and of the 

 Cashmere goats, 

 camel's hair, and 

 alpaca are much 

 used in the clothing 

 industries. 



Practical Exercise 21. 

 Give a brief report on 

 any of your local indus- 

 tries which use animal 

 fibers. 



Furs. The furs of 

 many domesticated 

 and wild animals, 

 especially the carni- 

 vores, are of much 

 economic impor- 

 tance. The Alaskan 

 fur seal fisheries, which once amounted to millions of dollars annu- 

 ally, have greatly decreased because of over-killing of the seals. 



Bureau of Biol. Survey 

 The skunk is now raised for its valuable fur. 



