I. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 401 



utes daily, with a moderately hard brush, made, preferably, 

 of coarse grass. In less than fifteen days the eggs thus 

 treated will hatch out, with a product as healthy as that ob- 

 tained in the usual way. A small proportion of the eggs 

 may prove refractory to this novel treatment, and yet, in the 

 spring, even these will hatch out earlier than those which 

 have been left to themselves. 



Susani performed a series of experiments upon about four 

 fifths of an ounce of silkworms' eggs, beginning on the 1st of 

 August. They were brushed for ten or twelve minutes 

 daily, and only about one tenth of the whole number was 

 lost. The first hatchings occurred on the 14th of the month, 

 and were succeeded by others for seventy-two consecutive 

 days ; the largest number hatched on the ninth day following 

 August 14 giving 112 worms. After this date the hatchings 

 decreased. From August 17 to September 1, 932 worms 

 were hatched out. From August 14 to November 14, 1200 

 were born. Those which came out during the first fifteen 

 days were raised and prospered perfectly, although it was 

 found that the worms earliest hatched were not by any means 

 the healthiest. No satisfactory hypothesis has yet been pro- 

 posed to account for the curious effect thus produced by fric- 

 tion upon these eggs; but new experiments are in course of 

 execution, and may lead to something more definite. Proba- 

 bly the discovery will be found to have important practical 

 bearings ; but much remains to be done in order to render it 

 available. 13 B, March 21, 1874, 250. 



REMOVAL OF BURS FROM WOOL. 



The United States Economist for November 29, 1873, con- 

 tains a communication from Mr. Thomas Crossley in reference 

 to an improved method of removing the burs from wool, which 

 he claims as constituting a very great advance in the manipu- 

 lation of this staple. Not only is the wool made thoroughly 

 clean by the process, but it is also bleached perfectly white, 

 however yellow may have been its previous condition ; and, 

 thus prepared, it will receive any desired color in a shorter 

 time and at less expense than usual, in consequence of the 

 uniform condition in which it is left by the treatment. 



By Mr. Crossley's process the wool is first simply scoured 

 and washed clean in the ordinary manner, and, after removing. 



