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4/1/1985 - Turkish Silk: An Ancient Industry Struggles on by Kenneth Cline

INSTITUTEOCURRENTORLDALS Edgemoor Dr Kwc Z9 Norcross GA 30071 URKZSH SILK ANC INDUSTRY SRUGGLES ON Cline In green forested mountains western Turkey Bursa villagers carrying raditAon rearAug silkworms Ever sprang toward April process beginsanewe 3ome4 60farmersfromtheBursaregion which accounts percent Turkey production visit government cooperatives purcha boxes their homes newly hatched worms mulberry leaves until creatures finally SpAn white cocoons around themselves BythemiddleofJune _thevAag_ersareremy_1 llthe cocoons precAeu contained An their shells merchants Bursa reconstructed century Hart Cocoon Markee You aAght At started around D Byzantine emperor Justinian figured bypass Chinese monopoly manufacture ealOusly years By Justinian people caught worms produced earlier theories An sheld lining certain But getting problem JUsAan managed convince Persian monks living An China visit capital Constantinople modern Istabul silkworms concealed their hollow bamboo canes From those hardy smuggled worms varieties silkworm European serAculture goAug until century additional Asian strains imported The nomadic Turks wrested natolian plateau modern Turkey Byzantines continued Byzantine sericulture tradition In years after taking Burs Byzantines Turks erected there great stone market Koza Han story arcade built around courtyard Turkish government restored structure An today As again commerci center TurkeY industry The Turkish scarves hankerchiefs Kenneth Cline Village Reporting Fellow Institute studying rural An Turkey there constitute Bursa smajor tourist attractions With climate favorable cultivation mulberry trees silkonns nothing mulberry leaves Bursa renowned early Ottoman times sericulture But European Japanese technical advauces wiped production iddle East century today Turkey industry shadow former country sericulturists produce percent world total By comparison Chinese 3erchn Hassu Tun Han Tunman purchases processed cloth factories located Bursa produce ercent total The Japanese South Koreans market Turkeydoes export anymore order supplyheir textile carpet industries Turks import about ChineSe Year costs produce Turkey Officials Turkey Sericulture Institute located Bursa admit industry social economic value government primarily interested increasing Mehmet Bayram farmer culturist village BiyEbalJl Bursa village incomes agricultural technician Vedat Aksoy adding Turkish farmers gross about million their sericulture ehmet Bayram village Bursa these farmers slender haired sericulture tradition family grandfather grandfather learned father learned father Each ayram purchases cooperative containing silkworm He raises worms newspaper covered floor house feeding leaves orchard mulberry trees isarickybusiness Becauseermsve beenrededuerhce severalousdyes themselves Uess isplaceddec fronoem eywisae Awo sdebilitad sense ofecotscmberleaves placedeefeetaway Notterhowhgitmaybe aworm lacks crawl asiwormisso ateslitestbreezewl Bahasfedemfor 35days mulberry branches begin spinning cocoons middle June Mr Bayram collec kilograms worth cocoons selling merchan theKozaHanfora0nerofit HeaEreesthemoney doesn helpmyfamilythamuch busysha raising LIEorms become Eind habit Aso since earir season lasts seiculture Gener rural Turkey T feeding silkworms women children olderpeoplenoneeded fields In inerests qualiy_control 3ericulure Instituteiuusa establishedn1888 keepsa close watch illaers Bayram allowed oraise silkwrms Institute permission Government ariculural echnicians oversee handling cooperatives control number altoed laers 2hroughout 1970s TurEish government provided guaranteed support price cocoons That marEet prices enough interest villagers raising silMworms villagers willAng government cannot provide enough Mos producir countries raise worms three seasons TurEey produce cecoons seasons April June again Augus September autumn season relatively ific_an producing ograms cocoons compared mAllion duringhe spring Turkey needs sorage facilities additional irrigation produce mulberryreesA At goAug expand autumnrearAng seasons TurEish producers still tryin6 Andustry could Received Hanover