Silk From Mulberry (1940-1949)

British Instructional Films presentation. Women pick leaves and place them in buckets. We then see the leaves being cut into strips by hand. Woman opens the door of a small heating cupboard (?). When a tray is pulled out it has many small eggs on it. C/U of caterpillars hatching from eggs. Gauze is placed over the tray of eggs and strips of leaves laid on the gauze. The gauze is then carefully carried over to a rack. C/U of caterpillars feeding on the leaves. More leaves are laid on the gauze. The caterpillars chomp away. We see larger caterpillars. C/U of caterpillars nibbling at the leaves. Tweezers are used to pull off the silk bud which the caterpillar has produced. Lots of caterpillars munching on leaves and straw - “silk worms“. Caterpillar builds a cocoon. C/U of a completed cocoon. Cocoon sliced open to show pupa inside. Cocoons are lifted out of an over with a shovel (the pupae are stifled by the heat.) Silk is reeled from the cocoons. Woman weighs cocoons and places them in