The Silk Industry

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XVI, Issue 1639, 30 March 1895, Page 3

The Silk Industry

Mr G. A. Sohooh, writing io the New Zealand Times sayg :— 'lt is a fact that we can grow the very best silk to be found anywhere. Experiments made m Canterbury, m Nelson, and m Auckland show that our article is very much superior to the Chineie, Japanese, Indian, or even the average French and Italian silk*. But tbe most striking advantage we possess m it' is tbe absence of disease. In Southern Europe they have never been able to get rid of the frightful desease which broke oat some 40 years ago, and which has reduced the yield of their old and glorious breeds to a fraction of what it was. They are consequently compelled to import a lot of inferior breeds from Japan and elsewhere. But they would 'sooner buy their own breeds if they could get a country wbioh could reproduce these old varieties m a healthy condition and; m large quantities. Owing to the disease every moth m France and Italy has to bs examined microscopically (Pasteur's system). One firm m Milan employs about 2000 girls during the season for the sole purpose of examining silk- worm moths. We could save all this expense and trouble, beoause disease is absent. Therefore, if we go m for the old favourite European breeds (which as I said, they have the greatest difficulty to raise on tbe Continent) with our climate and other natural advantages, combined with the superior intelligence and industry of our settlers, we could go on cheerfully producing millions per annum, and always find a ready market, so long as we produce a first class article and maintain it absolutely reliable.'