434 Transactions of tiie 



turn black under the surface at any time it is an indication that they are 

 heating or fermenting, and the worms should be got off of that bed as 

 soon as possible. 



CHANGING AND DIVIDING. 



We have as yet said nothing about changing the worms from one bed 

 to another, so as to keep them clean, and dividing them up and spread- 

 ing them out as they become too crowded by their growth. 



As a general rule the worms should be changed from the old bed 

 about every other day. The best way to do this is, at the regular time 

 of feeding, instead of giving them their food in its usual condition, cut 

 fine, to select some very tender soft leaves and cut them up into strips, 

 say half an inch wide, and lay them all over each bed of worms to be 

 changed. As the worms grow larger these strips may be cut wider, and 

 when the worms are still large Avhole leaves may be used for this pur- 

 pose. The worms will leave the bed of fine leaves and climb upon these 

 strips. Now watch them, and when they are generally on the strips, 

 and before they have eaten them so much that they will not hang 

 together, lift these strips up carefully one by one and lay them carefully 

 down on a clean paper. If the worms are too crowded on the old bed, 

 and they generally Avill be so about every other day, put those from one 

 paper on two or more papers. It is very important that this matter of 

 changing and dividing be properly and most rigidly attended to. 



It may be of some assistance in aiding the judgment of new beginners 

 to observe the following directions as to the space that a certain number 

 of worms should be made to occupy during the different ages. 



For convenient reference on this subject, and to assist in determining 

 what number of eggs should be hatched or worms fed on any given 

 number of trees, we will state hero the amount of space, say one hun- 

 dred thousand worms, or those hatching from about three ounces of 

 eggs, should occupy at the close of each age and the number of pounds 

 of food they will consume during each age. 



One hundred thousand worms should be made to occup}', at the close 

 of the first age, about twenty square feet of surface, and they will con- 

 sume during that age about twenty-five pounds of leaves. During the 

 second age they should occupy about forty feet of surface, and will 

 consume about seventy-five pounds of leaves. During the third age 

 they should occupy about ninety feet of surface, and will consume two 

 hundred and thirty pounds of leaves. During the fourth age they 

 should occupj- about two hundred and twenty-five feet of surface, and 

 will consume six hundred and ninety-five pounds of leaves. During 

 the fifth and last age they should occupy about five hundred square feet 

 of surface, and will consume about five thousand nine hundred and 

 seventy-five pounds of leaves, or six thousand nine hundred and ninety- 

 five pounds in all. 



It will be seen by the above that while the worms occupy but little 

 space, and eat but little during the first half of their existence, during 

 the last half they spread out very rapidly and eat very voraciously. So 

 that while there is but little Avork to attend and feed them during the 

 forepart of their lives, the work increases very rapidly during the latter. 

 After each molting the worms may be fed once or twice before they are 

 removed from the bed where they have deposited skins, but not more 

 than that. The first feeding after molting should be light and of 

 tender food, as the worms are then weak and very hungry, and if fed 

 too much then they are apt to hurt their appetites for food when they 

 become stronger and should have good appetites. 



