The secret was discovered by a Frenchman, but it was no accidental discovery—­he only achieved his success after forty years of patient study.

This Frenchman, Count Hilaire de Cordonnet, had watched and studied the work of the silkworm, and had long thought that there ought to be some simpler process of spinning silk than the tedious and complicated method employed by the worms.

The Count had noticed the preference silkworms have for the leaves of the mulberry and osage-orange trees, and, after experimenting with these plants for some time, he decided that if he could reduce them to pulp and treat them in certain ways, the result would be silk-fibre.  But the result was not altogether satisfactory.  He found that something was wanting to make his silk like that the silkworm produced.

He studied their work again, and found that they covered the fibre with a kind of gum, which gave it gloss and strength.

After years of patient study he discovered the materials of which this gum was composed, and then made another trial to see whether he had not learned the secret at last.

By the aid of machines he tore the plants bit from bit, until they were reduced to pulp, just as the insect reduced the leaves in the process of eating and swallowing.

He then added the gum, and with the aid of more machinery spun out the threads of fibre, imitating the methods of the insect as closely as possible.

This time the experiment proved a great success.  His fibre silk was as strong, as glossy, and as brilliant as the silkworm silk, and had one advantage over it, that when woven into breadths it did not crease so readily.

New car.—­Here is a new form of street car which is interesting.

The closed cars and the open cars have heretofore been made on different patterns, and the companies have had to provide two kinds of cars, one for summer and one for winter.  This new car is built with movable sides, which can be taken out with ease.

[Illustration]

The car companies should welcome this invention, for, if it is as simple and practical as it seems, it will save them large sums of money.

G.H.R.

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="The Great Round World” Prize contest=

The great round world is now over six months old, and it feels some anxiety to know just how much interest its readers have taken in the news and how much information they have gained from its pages.  To ascertain this, it has been decided to offer ten prizes for the best answers to the following: 

     =Name ten of the most important events that have been mentioned in
     “The Great Round World” in the first 30 numbers, that is, up to
     number of June 3d.=

     In mentioning these events give briefly reasons for considering
     them important.