Homes in the animal kingdom

Title

Language

English

Year

1937

Subject

Silkworms.

Cocoons.

Silk.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

The mulberry silkworm or known just as the silkworm is a lowly creature that spins, it has enabled man to cloth himself in shining garments, and added thereby to the beauty of the world.

Fulltext

~G CITIZEN J11.ly, 1937 HOMES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM THE HOME OF THE SILKWORM This month you will read about the most valuable home in the animal kingdom. The lc·wly creatur~ that spins it has enabled man tu cloth himself in shining garments and added thereby to the beauty of the world. This is the mulberry silkworm or known just as the silk worm. It spins most of the real silk cloth in the world which is unwoven from the walls of its home. The silkworm's skin is s~ooth and yellowish white. This caterpillar likes the leaves of the mulberry tree better than any other food. When it has eaten as many mulberry leaves as it can. it is about two inches long, and is then ready to spin its cocoon. Its cocoon is yellow 0~ white and it is spun with unbroken fiber and without any doorway. The silk worm I iv es as a pupa inside the cocoon for about three weeks (or more if it is kept i:i a cool place) and by the end of that time it has its wings and is ready to come out of the cocoon. Although the cocoon has no doorway. the moth has a way of coming out. It squirts. some liquid against one of the cocoon. This liquid softens the gum that holds the silk together. It is then easy for the moth to push July, 1937 l'HE YOUNC its way out thru the wet end of the cocoon. The moth is cream-colored, with some faint brown lines on the forewings. There are many interesting stories about this famous insect. Long, long ago. the Chinese people found out that if they put the cocoons of the mulberry caterpillars into hot water. the gummy stuff on the silk would soften and the fiber could be unwound. They found that fibers from several of these cocoons could be twisted together into thread and then woven into cloth. This way of getting silk fiber to use was kept a secret by the Chinese. They practiced weaving ;md dyring an'd embroidering until they could make wonderful silk cloth with pictures of flowcrs and dragons and people on it. The silk robes that the Chinese princes wore were the most beautiful in all the world. The Chinrse sold some of their silk cloth to travelers from other countries. who paid great prices for ir. This cloth was so famous that China was called .. Land of Silk." But in one way and another the secret of getting silk at last reached the people living in the different countries. and they, too. learned how to cultivate the tame silkworms. Here in rhe Philippines you may watch silkworms. if you <lre interested in them, when they are exhibited every year by the Bureau of Agriculture at the Carnival. Perhaps many of you have already SH'n them and have wondered as you stared at those soft round creatures how a thing of beauty may have a very humble source.

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