Part 11 (2/2)
”Why couldn't they have cocoons shi+pped to them in bulk?” speculated Pierre
”They could not be easily packed, for they are not in form to shi+p It would be foolish Besides, there is the sa silk is often sloork Different breeds of silkworm turn out, as you know, different qualities of thread You wouldn't believe how it varies as to size, cleanliness, lustre, and perfection of filament The Americans cannot afford to pay people to classify all these varieties; nor stop their ular intervals to pick out the is, as we call them; also the many knots must be tied by hand It is fussy work It would cost an Aet the sort of thread he wants
You remember, too, how some of the best reelers that you sahen you were here before sometimes had to take as et raw silk of a necessary coarseness; even then, in spite of all their care, the skeins have to be sorted and sometimes re-reeled to perfect the thread and make it acceptable to Ain to be so particular; and in fact they often rate as _fair_ stuff that the Americans consider _poor_, and refuse to take You can readily see that all this preparation of the material can be done for less price in Europe, where workes”
”What a lot of trouble the caterpillar makes people before his silk is ready for the loouess you'll think so when you see all we have to do to it,” agreed Henri ”I hope you won't , and makes some of the men sick at first It is the oil and water in the silk Silk , otherwise it breaks It is never, even at best, thoroughly dry, for it has the faculty of absorbing and holding moisture Some time you'll learn more about how they have to allow for the h and shi+p it Raw silk will often take up as ht init Therefore, in order to be fair to the buyer who purchases his reat silk centres what they call silk-conditioning houses, where they test the goods to find out how much water is in it This is done by an apparatus known as a _desiccator_, which tells what the silk would weigh if dry To this estie, ordinarily about eleven per cent, to total what the raw silk would weigh with a nore of moisture Every purchaser must expect to pay for some moisture in his material--that is, pay hs”
Pierre regarded Henri mischievously
”There seeet through this ht here”
”I wish you could!” cried Henri ”Why didn't you plan to come home with me and stay until to-ht, Henri,” answered Pierre, ”although it is kind of you to ask me; there is so much that I have to do at home”
”Let usyet, and the ”
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XII
THE HOME-COMING
”There are about a dozen different processes which taken together are known as throwing,” explained Henri ”First the silk reeled froum; picked--which means that the uneven luer; twisted, to ain into silken yarn Then it is ready to be put into any for coles_, one thread being given a twist to er Sometimes, as I told you, it is htly together just enough to hold the or woof of woven anzine_, which foroods and is coles as desired, is ordered Organzine can, of course, be made in any size specified, its coarseness or fineness varying with the strength necessary; and it can also be twisted any nuht It must, however, be twisted in the opposite direction froles or else that tould co point and one that nettles the American buyers not a little Theit into singles, the custoard it as a raw product although nothing in the way of actual manufacture has taken place in its preparation The difference in its rating makes a difference in the duty levied on it Odd, isn't it?”
”How do you cos, Henri?” de there is to learn about silk”
”Indeed I haven't! But when you hear silk- up more or less inforh, and I should be ignorant as a baby
The proble are not in my line Here in Pont-de-Saint-Michel almost every one is e mills; and if not, the people raise silkworms Since the men have been called to the colors practically all the work of this bigdone by wo the heavier machines have either been sent home from the front because they ounded or else they are not strong enough to fight So you see, silk is the language of the whole village”
Henri gave a little shrug to his shoulders
”It seeh silk for herself and all the world,” observed Pierre, -room
”The output is, of course, very small now in comparison hat it usually is,” answered the elder boy ”The war has ood share of the world's silk But other countries do astime Asia sent most of the silk to the United States Labor was very cheap in China, as well as Canton and Shanghai The natives, however, e theirthe raw silk on bahened or broke it Frequently the thread would be a s
Merchants would not stand for this, and now Aone to China and set up their own filatures equipped with American machinery”
”How stupid of China to lose a chance like that for trade!”
”The Chinese are the slowest of all the big nations to adopt new ideas,up They have been so clever in the past, and the fores that it is a pity others should take fro It is to China, people say, that e the entire silk industry And careless preparation of their raw silk has not been their only or greatest crime”
For a moment Henri paused