3i6 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



the forthcoming" moths 



which should 

 appear in from two to three weeks af- 

 ter the cocoons have been formed. 



EGG-LAYING. 



The room in which moths are pro- 

 duced should be darkened, only suffi- 

 cienu light being admitted to enable 

 one to distinguish objects. In from 

 eleven to eighteen days from the spin- 

 ning time the moths begin to come 

 forth from the cocoons laid aside for 

 breeding purposes. 



The male is more slender, and will 

 be observed fluttering his wings and 

 moving about actively, whereas the fe- 

 male is heavy, and she remains very 

 quiet. Several hours after emerging 

 take them gently and place them by 

 pairs, a male and a female together, on 

 small pieces of cheese cloth. 



The eggs adhere to whatever the 

 moth deposits them on by a natural 

 gum, and being fastened, the worms 

 when hatching issue from the eggs 

 better. 



FOOD-PLANTS. 



The natural plant food of the silk- 

 worm is the white mulberry. There 

 are a number of species of the mul- 

 berry, but the one best adapted for the 

 feeding of the silkworms is the white 

 mulberry (Morns alba) and its varie- 

 ties. Osage orange, commonly called 

 Osage hedge plant is an excellent sub- 

 stitute and may be used where the 

 mulberry is not available. 



This brief description of the method 

 of cultivating the silkworm is not in- 

 tended for those persons wishing to 

 engage in it for profit or on a commer- 



A MODERN AND UP TO DATE COCOON CONTRIVANCE. 



The worm in spinning its cocoon wishes something of this sort so man has tried 

 to please the little creature by furnishing it with a ladder so constructed that the insect 

 can ascend easily through the spaces and throw out its silken threads from one side to 

 the other. Within the silk network is the pod which is the cocoon of commerce. 



