THE ee ———— ee —— Bellefonte, Pa., August 2, 1918. ns‘. Problem of Silk Culture in America Solved at Last. One of our first ministers to China, upon being presented to the not very cordial Emperor, was greeted with words to the effect that, in spite of our power and prosperity, we as a people were not rich enough to wear the silks and satins with which the Chinaman clothed himself, but had to restrict ourselves to the wearing of garments of heavy, coarse cloth, poor in comparison to silk. At this, so the story goes, the westerner, in no way disconcerted, opened his coat and ex- plained to the monarch that the facts were in direct refutation of his con- clusion, for whereas the Chinaman wore his silks and satins as outside raiment, we used them as linings for our more expensive woolen garments. And the Emperor had to concede that the American had scored against him. The truth is, however, that silks and satins have always been consider- ed the aristocrats among cloths in this country as everywhere, but the war, with its reversal of so many precedents, is about to give actuality to the claims of this former American diplomat, with wool taking precedence over silk as a symbol of luxury. The scarcity of wool is making gar- ments made of that poduct soar be- yond the means of many pocketbooks. Silk, on the other hand, though af- fected by increased cost of labor and material, is cheap—at least with re- gard to former standards of compari- son between the two cloths. That the price per yard of silk will continue low, comparatively speaking, is al- most certain, for the silk industry in America is making large strides. Not only, are the American mills turning out satins and taffetas which are on a par with goods previously imported, but the problem of silk culture in the United States has been solved, after more than 300 years of failure, in different parts of the country. At Austin, Tex., there has recently been firmly established a silk plantation of forty acres which gives every promise of unqualified success. The trees cov- ering this plantation were imported from France and are of the most ap- proved variety for feeding the worms. The fact that the production of co- coons is going forward at the rate of 40,000 a month shows what can be done in this industry. The conditions which seem likely to make a final and complete success of this enterprise are manifold. In the first place, it has been found that the climate and soil of Texas are so well adapted to the cultivation of the mulberry trees that they can be grown in a few months, whereas in Europe they require at least five years. Then the labor conditions are con- sidered much more satisfactory than have ever been known before in con- nection with silk production in the United States. Since the revolutions in Mexico began six years ago Mexi- can families have crossed the border by the thousands, locating all over southern Texas, Non a5 far-north. Austin. These people take kindly to any house industry, and that is what growing silk amounts to. They have many children and children can em- ploy themselves very profitably in this work. Children and women can be employed for from fifty cents to sev- enty-five cents per day. The growing season in Texas is very long, as the mulberry leaves begin putting out in March and the trees continue producing leaves until the middle of October. By forcing the feeding a little, a cocoon can be pro- duced from a silkworm egg in twen- ty-five days, so it is obvious that five or six crops of cocoons a season are not at all impossible in that climate. In Europe the season lasts only two months and only one crop a year 18 produced. Before the raw material sold at $3.50 per pound. Now the price is $8. This is due to the fact that its production in France has been greatly curtailed. In 1914 the United States imported $200,000,000 worth of raw silk. This equals in value a bumper crop of cot- ton in Texas. With the possibilities of a successful native silk farm we need not go outside of our own boun- daries; we need not pay import tax on raw material for home consump- tion. The United States will be able to produce the raw material, trans- form it into cloth that is cheaper and more beautiful than cotton fabrics, and hence take a long step in the re- duction of the cost of living. Strange as it may appear, it is much cheaper to make silk goods than it is to make cotton. The short fiber of the cotton must be spun into thread, while the silk is one unbroken strand, 1800 yards in length and is ready to be spun directly into cloth. Silk culture originated in China, the land of gorgeously embroidered cloth and tapestry. As far back as 500 B. C. efforts were made by out- siders to learn the secret of the indus- try and to obtain some of the eggs, but with true Oriental cunning the yellow men defied the robbers and re- mained snugly and safely within their walls. In 200 A. D. the Armenian king sent monks to the Empire in the capacity of teachers supposedly, but whose real motive was the acquisition of eggs and silkworms. After some time two of the monks managed to es- - cape to Constantinople with their precious booty. Here they sold a few eggs at a fabulous price, but for lack of knowledge and proper care on the part of the owners these specimens died. In Armenia, under the care of the two monks, a successful farm was started. From this nucleus the indus- try spread to include principally Ja- pan and France. Its introduction in- to Texas was the result of the efforts of Walter E. Long, secretary of the Austin Chamber of Commerce. The average price of silkworm eggs is $6 per ounce. An ounce of eggs will produce from 150 to 200 pounds of fresh, or fifty to seventy pounds of dry cocoons. By subjecting the fresh cocoon to a heating and steaming process, the chrysalis in the silk co- coon is killed and the cocoon rendered thoroughly dry and light. For the production of 250 pounds of cocoons a quantity between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds of mulberry leaves is required as. as feed for the silkworms from the time they are hatched out from the eggs until they assume the chrysalis form. The white mulberry is the best and is preferred by successful growers at the age of one or two years. A one- year-old tree will produce from five to ten pounds of leaves; a two-year- old tree will produce from fifteen to twenty-five pounds, and a three-year- old tree will produce from thirty-five to forty pounds of leaves. Mulberry trees are properly planted about fif- teen feet apart, allowing 190 trees to the acre. It will thus be seen that for the production of the above crop of dry cocoons two acres of land will be sufficient, but as the trees grow they rapidly increase in food-furnishing capacity. A five-year-old tree will furnish eighty-five to one hundred pounds of leaves; an eight-year-old tree will make from 140 to 175 pounds. The product of a ten-year-old tree will be proportionately larger. By increased attention and addi- tional help during the last period of feeding the worms, the crop can be virtually doubled from six ounces of eggs and two acres of land. Two acres of one or two-year-old trees will produce from $150 to $200, represent- ing the income from the first crop. But since the raising of six crops is possible in one year, $800 to $1000 may be safely expected of the mul- berry trees. This involves very little trouble; indeed, all that is needed to keep the trees in good condition is to keep them well trimmed and clear of weeds. Also, it is possible to raise good crops of corn and garden truck between the trees. Silkworms may be kept in cold stor- age at a temperature of 32 to 35 de- grees for a period of ten to twenty years. When desired for hatching they are placed on trays, preferably made of cheesecloth or netting stretched on frames about three inches deep, which are piled up in racks or tiers one above the other about sixteen inches apart and kept in a well-ventilated and lighted room at an even temperature of 73 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. After five days a tiny, ugly and ravenously hungry worm appears. He grows slowly until about ten days old, shed- ding his skin at the end of the first five days and repeating this process thereafter "every six or seven days. The reason the worms change their skin so often is because they grow so rapidly that the skin becomes tight and must be cast off. From the age of ten days the worm devours at a rapid pace the tender mulberry leaves which are offered him, and up- on attaining full growth, at the age of twenty-eight days, is 14,000 times his size at hatching. The grown worm is now ready to begin his envelope. noses around the branch offered him until an advantageous spot is found. This is usually at the fork of two small branches, where he can easily fasten his gelatinous framework. He works sluggishly at first, gluing to- of silk that come from the large glands on either side of the body, and weaving a glistening silk web of thin, scarcely discernible threads. In three days the worm is hidden in a thick envelope of soft threads. As the co- coon grows the worm diminishes, so that at the'¢ stion’ of thé web he is one-third of his original size. At this time there are two possi- bilities for the grower to consider. Either the worm must be sacrificed that superior silk may be obtained or the perfect quality of the silk must be sacrificed for the propagation of metamorphosis, wets the end of the cocoon, forces apart the closely-wov- en silken threads and crawls out of its capsule. After a few .days the fe- male settles on a piece of paper and begins to lay. Three hundred eggs are laid the first day, the same num- ber the second day and two hundred the third day. Then, her labors ac- complished, the moth dies. These eggs do not hatch until the following sea- son. : Since the exit of the moth weakens tse end of the cocoon, in order to ob- tain the best quality of silk the worm must be sacrificed. The cocoon is placed in a chemical substance which kills the inclosed moth. It is then soaked in warm water for a couple of hours. Finally the tiny loose end of the thread is found and placed on a four-pronged cop, which revolves and gradually unwinds the 1800 yards of the cocoon into a smooth hank. Dr. V. K. Osigian, an Armenian and a graduate of the Universities of Turkey and France, is in charge of the Austin farm. He is at work on one of the most interesting problems connected with the production of silk. Like the magicians of fable and fairy- land, he possesses a secret compound which he sprinkles on the mulberry leaves, and the worms react to this and produce colored threads. To what point this formula and its reactions in producing fadeless, dyed-in-the- making silk can be carried is as yet problematical. But Doctor Osigian is hopeful that a species may eventually be found which will be characterized by the production of certain colors, and that from these cross colors may be evolved.—Robert H. Moulton. Good Maple Sugar Crop. The 1918 maple sugar crop in Penn- sylvania was estimated at 993,000 ounds and the syrup at 440,000 gal- ons. The weather in the maple tree sections was favorable for a good flow of sap, the cold nights, alternating with warmer days. The early flow furnishes a very ood quality of sap. It is estimated that there were during the season and that the aver- age as sugar was 3.7 pounds to the tree and as syrup .46 gallons. This is a much better flow than a year ago and an increase in production, as near- iy 100,000 more trees were tapped than a year ago. Last year the estimated yield of sugar was 988,000 pounds and syrup 370,800 gallons from 1,130,000 trees. Too Ponderous to Pet. Mrs. Stout (fondly reminiscing)—I remember, Henry, when you used to chuck me under the chin. _Husband—Yes, my _dear, but you didn’t have so many chins then.—Bos- ton Transcript. { —Subscribe for the “Watchman.” Carefully he *® gether in his mouth the two threads the species, since the worm, after its | 1,220,000 trees tapped in the State] CAREFULLEST MAN IN THE WORLD. The Spring’s work’s done an’ it’s up to the sun—all the crops an’ the garden sass— S He’s banished the cold an’ sowed his gold on the flats in the medder grass. Le’s raise the flag—a better one was never yet unfurled— But first I want to tell ye 'bout the Carefullest Man in the World. Kings are kind But no one can, o’ careless-like with others’ blood an’ bone, I swear to man! be carefuller o’ their own. When I read about the German dead before the heated guns I think of the King of Germany with six uninjured sons. Each fireside has its martyrs who have either died or bled; The millions grieve for the sons who But the Kaiser’s brood 3 leave an’ join the host o’ the dead, is safe and sound—it either shirks or runs— He's the only man in Germany with six uninjured sons. The halt an’ blind an’ crippled line its byways an’ its roads; Once swift an’ strong, they creep along ’neath everlastin’ loads, An’ some with crippled intellects still hear the roarin’ guns, Yet there’s a King in Germany with six uninjured sons. Such caution in a It stands the while The death an’ woe fightin’ man was never seen before; like a lonesome isle in a mighty sea o’ gore. he recommends to all the other Huns Is not for him—you bet your life—or his uninjured sons. Each Hohenzollern battles in a steel-clad limousine, When the big shells come he’s goin’ some the reckless hero runs, With rubber feet, hell-bent for home, on legs o’ gasoline; Oh! speed’s the great preserver o’ the Kaiser an’ his sons. They're like the bold jackrabbit an’ other tribes accursed Who have lightnin’ in their sinews an’ the motto “Safety first;” All clear the road an’ stan’ square-toed an’ look with rested guns When the Kaiser starts While hun, No gizzards yearn When the trumpe?’, for safety with his fat uninjured sons. er starves the German host, how fat the Kaiser’s brood! with cash to burn or mind the price o’ food. calls the Teuton dead in the line o’ crippled Huns Just think o’ the Kaiser marchin’ up with six uninjured sons! —Irving Bacheller. Southern Chivalry. Chad and Jule, a.young colored couple, every morning walked to the village where they both worked. One misty morning Chad discover- ed a catamount stretched along a limb which hung directly over the path. Like every one else in that country, he carried a shotgun, hoping to get a Sites! or rabbit for supper. He fir- ed at the brute, luckily blinding it. It fell to the ground and Chad killed it by beating it with the gun. Between them the two carried it to town where it was admired, weighed, and meas- ured. Chad proudly told his story over and over. At last one of the by- standers asked: “Weren't you frightened, Chad?” “Yah! yah!” laughed Chad, “ Iwas mighty skeered when I saw the var- mint right over my head, and I didn’t know what to do, ’ca’se my shot waren’t big ‘nough to kill him; then I *membered I could run a heap faster than Jule—so I jes’ up an fired!”— Harper's Magazine. To Fly 250 Miles an Hour. “It would be very easy for any Eng- iish airplane manufacturer to produce a machine which could make better than 250 miles an hour,” declared Capt. W. G. Aston, one of the leading English experts on air mechanics, the other day. “This could be accomplished,” he explained, “by merely altering the curvature, or camber, of the planes. But this would mean a minimum landing speed of about 150 miles an | hour, and there is the great difficulty. The machine would be unquestionably flyable, but its successful landing would require an aerodrome five or six miles long, to say nothing of extraor- dinary skill on the part of the pilot.” “What's your time?” asked the old farmer of the brisk salesman. “Twenty minutes after five. What can I do for you?” “I want them pants,” said the old farmer, leading the way to the win- dow and pointing to a ticket marked, “Given away at 5.20.” TT ET —————..e.—————————————— store. ments increase. The “Busy Hours” of the Telephone T= past months have been busy ones in telephone service—and busier months are in The volume of telephone calling has increased in an unparalleled way, reflecting the great industrial activities of the times. Studies of the hourly volumes of telephone calling, made at our central office switchboards, show that the “busy hours” are from 9 to 11 in the morning and from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. If we may flatten the “traffic peaks” that charac- terize these busy hours, we may provide better service and care for more calls as the require- We ask this co-operation on the part of all users of our service: that they distribute their telephone calls throughout the day; that they make only the necessary telephone calls during the busy hours; that they make those calls that must be made as brief as possible. conditions make this request necessary; we feel that we may count on your help. THE BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY OF PA. C. W. HEILHECKER, Local Mgr. BELLEFONTE, PA. War-time subject. DRY We also handle a KILL EM! Of course we refer to Potato Bugs and other pestiferious insects. in a preparation made purposely for the purpose intended will save days of toil and will most thoroughly exterminate the bugs. 1 TUBER TONIC is a combination of Insecticide and Fun- gicide put up in powder form. Will kill potato bugs and prevent Potato Blight. ARSENATE OF LEAD will kill potato bugs as well as other insects to which growing garden truck is INSECTO is a combination of Insecticide and Fungicide for Garden and Tree Spraying. : BORDEAUX MIXTURE .CONCENTRATE for Fungicide and can be used in connection with our Dry Arsenate of Lead. . All these preparations are put up in dry powdered form One to three pounds will make 50 gallon spraying solution. full line of Spraying Machines in prices from 50 cents to $25.00. HEADQUARTERS FOR ROYAL ROOFING. 1-ply guaranteed for 10 years........................ $1.65 the roll * 2-ply guaranteed for 15 years...................c.... $2.15 the roll 3.ply guaranteed for 20 years...................eus $2.65 the roll A small investment DUNLOP STREET Dubbs’ Implement and Seed Store, 62-47 BELLEFONTE, PA. | ; | | | | Shoes. YEAGER'S SHOE STORE EE ————_“"a™ ”e™———_-_|, sd AA Ue Shoes Shoes Reduced Reduced All my stock of Ladies’ Low Shoes at cost and less than cost. On account of labor shortage and other conditions the firm from whom I purchase my stock of Ladies’ Low Shoes for spring could not deliver the shoes until this last week—they should have reached me on March 1st. Realizing that the season is far advanced I am going to sell these shoes at cost and less than cost. These shoes were purch- ased to sell for $6 and $7. They are made of the very best leather that can be put in shoes and in the very latest styles. These shoes will be put on sale at once for $4.85 Per Pair. Here is an opportunity to purchase your needs in low shoes at a saving of over $2 per pair. EE ERR YEAGER'S SHOE STORE THE SHOE STORE FOR THE POOR MAN Bush Arcade Building 58-27 BELLEFONTE, PA. LYON & COMPANY. Clearance Sale OF ALL SUMMER GOODS. BARGAIN NO. 1. Ladies’ Summer Vests, low neck and sleeveless ; valve 25c., sale price 14C. BARGAIN NO. 2. House Dresses, sizes 34 to 44 ; while they last $1.48. BARGAIN NO. 3. Splashed Voile White Shirt Waists, all sizes; value $1.75, sale price g8c. BARGAIN NO. 4. Ladies’ White Pique Skirts; value $2.50, sale price $1.98. Also Plaid Skirts, white ground and combina- tion of colors in the over plaids; value $2.50, sale price $1.50. BARGAIN NO. 5. Ladies’ and Misses’ Middies and Middie Coats, all sizes and all colors; value $1.50 and $1.75, sale price g8c. COATS AND SUITS. Special price Reductions on all Coats and Coat Suits. Corset Bargains in Bon Ton and Royal Wor- cester. One lot of good models in corsets which the manufacturer has discontinued, will be sold at less than cost. SPECIAL RUG SALE. We have just received a big assortment of fine Rugs, Tapestry, Body Brussels, Axminster and Wilton at prices less than cost to manufacture to-day. This sale of Rugs will mean a saving of one-third or more of the regular price. Do your rug buying now for fall and get the benefit of this bargain sale. SHOES. - SHOES. Shoes for Men, Ladies and Children. Ladies’ white high canvas Shoes, real value $3.50, sale price $2.49. Ladies’ white low canvas Shoes, real value $3, sale price $2.00. Ladies white low canvas Pumps, real value $3.50, sale price $2.49. Ladies’ low black Pumps, real value $3.50, sale price $2.49. Ladies’ high black Shoes, real value $7.50, sale price $6.00. Men's and Children’s Shoes at special prices. Lyon & Co. -- Bellefonte.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers