THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 162.] SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1859 [Price Id. 
SILK. 
We alluded last week to the new 
silk-worm, of which the larva feeds 
on the castor-oil plant ( Ricinus com- 
munis). 
The larva of Bombyx Cynthia , like 
that of our own Emperor Moth, con- 
structs a cocoon with a place of exit 
ready provided ; hence the cocoon is 
not injured by the escape of the per- 
fect inspct. Moreover, these cocoons 
are best treated, not by winding the 
silk, as in the case of the cocoon of 
Bombyx Mori, but by carding it. 
The silk of the Bombyx Cynthia 
is less brilliant than that of Bombyx 
Mori ; the dull cloth made from it 
has no pretensions to vie with those 
splendid fabrics woven from the mul- 
berry silk, which, as an article of 
luxury in dress, will always be certain 
to command the admiration and pre- 
ference of the public. Yet we may 
anticipate that the time will come when 
the produce of the Bombyx Cynthia 
will, from its reasonable price, attract 
considerable attention. 
The greater economy in producing 
the silk of this insect, as compared 
with the Bombyx Mori , is manifest. 
The cultivator of the latter must be 
content with only one brood in the 
year, whilst of the B. Cynthia eight 
may be obtained ; the buildings and 
utensils need not to remain unem- 
ployed during the greater portion of 
the year. Herr KaufFmann speaks of 
the low value of the food (the castor- 
oil plant), and deduces from all these 
circumstances “ that the Ricinus silk 
must claim to be ranked amongst the 
cheapest of the textile substances.” 
Adding, “ It is impossible at present 
to form a precise estimate of the saving 
that would accrue to Germany, sup- 
posing the cultivation of the Ricinus 
silk should ever become general, but 
it may fairly be assumed that the 
enormous sums now annually paid to 
America for cotton must be very con- 
siderably diminished.” 
Experiments have been made with 
the view of ascertaining on what other 
plants these larvae may be successfully 
reared, and it has been found that 
they will cat and thrive on the leaves 
of the teasel, and, after feeding ex- 
clusively on teasel for five or six gene- 
rations, “ neither cocoons, moths, nor 
larvae exhibited the slightest difference 
from those fed entirely on the leaves 
of the Ricinus .” 
This fact is of great importance to 
those Northern countries where the 
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