THE STORY OF ARTIFICIAL SILK 
in making silk goods. They had very little 
machinery. 
You can still see a few of the old craftsmen 
at work with their crude machines. They 
make ‘‘ Spitalfields Squares ”’ for men's ties. 
There is still a strong demand for these home- 
spun. squares, as they are regarded as curi- 
osities. They are in the same class with 
antiques. They are made of the purest silk 
and wear for many years—" for ever,” the 
old weavers sav. 
Such was the origin of the silk trade. As 
you can see, it could never grow into a trade 
that would benefit the great mass of the 
people. There were not enough silkworms. 
There never could be enough. 
Silkworms are delicate little creatures. 
They have diseases that destroy them. One 
of these diseases is Muscardine, caused by 
tiny germs entering their air-tubes. Another 
is Pebrine, which has at times caused a loss 
of £4,000,000 a year in France. And another 
disease is Grasserie, a sort of dropsy. Pasteur 
showed the French people how to prevent 
these diseases, but they are still liable to 
occur at any time. 
22