58 SILKWORMS. 



before being distributed to the worms. Indeed, it is better to 

 pick the leaves for this meal over night, and keep them during the 

 the night in a cool dry place ; in this way they will be much 

 more wholesome. Considerable difficulties will, of course, be 

 experienced in showery weather, and advantage must be taken of 

 the intervals of sunshine to gather such food as may be necessary, 

 so that the stock may not come to an end before the next 

 opportunity occurs of filling the larder. If a storm threaten, a 

 considerable stock of leaves should be gathered, sufficient to more 

 than last out the probable duration of the bad weather. 



A new meal is given by simply laying the leaves carefully on 

 the worms, distributing them evenly so that all may share alike. 

 But it is necessary, at least once a day, to remove the fragments 

 of the repasts and the excrement ; when this is done, a net with 

 meshes large enough for the caterpillars to creep through, or a 

 piece of similarly perforated paper, should first be laid across 

 the tray, and then a supply of leaves on this ; then, when the 

 worms have crept through to the fresh food, they may be removed 

 to a duplicate tray already provided for their reception, or simply 

 set aside while the old one is being thoroughly cleansed. Of 

 course two nets will be required, for the first will remain beneath 

 the worms till the next meal is supplied, when the second is 

 placed over the tray with the fresh leaves on it, and the worms 

 clamber through again, thus leaving the first net free to be taken 

 out, cleaned and reserved for use at the next meal. Of late 

 years perforated paper has been largely used instead of the nets, 

 a peculiar kind being specially manufactured for the purpose. 



Cleanliness is of the utmost importance, especially during the 

 later ages, when the excrement, or " frass," as it is termed, 

 accumulates with alarming rapidity, and if allowed to remain long 

 in the trays, it is apt to become mouldy and disagreeable, and to 

 soil the leaves and engender disease. Therefore during the last 

 age, it is well to use the net at each feeding, so that the trays 

 may be kept clean and fresh. Ventilation, too, is another very 

 important matter. The insects should always have plenty of 

 fresh, pure air, but care must be taken that, in providing this, they 

 be not exposed to draughts, nor be allowed to become chilled ; 

 a uniform, moderately warm temperature is of great importance 

 to them, and a sudden advent of cold weather will, if they be not 

 well guarded against it by artificial warmth and shelter, retard 

 their development, or may even prove altogether fatal. As an 

 example of the disastrous effects of a chill, a story is told of a 

 cultivator who had successfully reared 30,000 worms, up to the 

 point when they were just ready to spin. At that very time, there 



