On Sat, 26 Jul 2014 12:56:51 +1000, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 26/07/2014 8:10 AM, Pam Moore wrote:

It was Charles 2nd I think who wanted to start an English silk
industry, and bought in lots of young trees and had them planted in
all the stately homes, only to find that it is the white mulberry
which is favoured by the silk worns. They feed perfectly well on black
mulberry though. I have 2 skeins of silk to prove it!

I've also used my black mulberry to feed silk worms and, like you foudn
that they eat the black mulbery leaves and grow well.

I never managed to harvest their fibre though even though I am a
spinner. I really enjoyed raising the silk worms - they have the most
gorgeous little faces once they reach the moth stage.

I persuaded the then Lullingstone silk farm in Dorset to harvest the
silk from the coccoons, in the interests of education! I had raised
the silkworms with a class at school. I was raiding trees in our town
(with permission!) to access enough leaves!
I never got further than skeins, which I stiil have.

Pam near Bristol