Each cocoon produced by a silkworm consists of a continuous strand of silk fiber varying in length from 800 to 1200 yards, wound up and bound together by a natural glue. JT released the fiber contained in cocoons by eliminating this glue in a process called “ degumming ” . It then spun the resulting fiber into yarn in a facility adjacent to its sericulture operation . This activity utilized fourteen automated spinning machines and employed 250 operator. Its output in 1993 was 38.5 tons of yarn, down from a peak of 48.5 tons the previous year.