56 SILKWORMS. 



The best plan is to leave the caterpillars to transfer themselves 

 to the food. This may be done as follows : place a piece of 

 open netting or gauze such as is shown in Fig. 1 7 over the newly 

 hatched worms as they lie amongst the eggs, and on that put 

 gently either a few small separate leaves, or chopped pieces of 

 such, or a twig with small leaves on it. The little insects soon 

 become aware of the presence of their food, and pass through the 

 meshes of the gauze to it and at once set to work on the great 

 business of their life. When all have thus clambered on to the 

 food, the netting may be lifted, and the whole transferred to the 

 quarters the insects are permanently to occupy. The unhatched 



eggs are thus not interfered with, 

 and if another batch comes out 

 the next day, a similar arrange- 

 ment may be made for removing 

 them. If they are picked off 

 with the brush, they must be 

 deposited on the top of some 

 small whole or chopped leaves 

 previously placed evenly on the 



Fig. 17. Net for removing Silkworms. , /- .1 i 



bottom of the receptacle in 

 which they are to be kept. 



In small rearings, the caterpillars are best kept in shallow card- 

 board boxes or trays, without covers ; but forethought must be 

 exercised as to the number of these to be provided, for, as during 

 their larval life, the worms increase upwards of nine thousand 

 times in weight, they will, of course, require far more room during 

 their later ages than at first, and a set of boxes which would 

 afford them ample accommodation during the first week or two of 

 their life, will at the close of the fifth age be ridiculously in- 

 adequate. For large " educations," a room is fitted with shelves, 

 on which large trays can be placed, or the shelves themselves are 

 covered with clean sheets of paper and the worms placed on 

 these. In such cases the shelves have a little ledge at the margins, 

 to prevent the worms falling off. Sometimes large frames or 

 hurdles made of reeds are substituted for the trays. It is well 

 to cover the bottom of each tray with a clean piece of paper, 

 which can be changed each day, and thus prevent the tray from 

 becoming soiled. 



Silkworm rearers must not be too fond of sleep, for the cater- 

 pillars eat most heartily early in the morning and late at night, 

 and they should always be well supplied with food in a perfectly 

 fresh condition. It must be remembered that the quantity and 

 quality of the silk depend on the quantity and quality of the food 



