244 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



ably the largest proportion of these eggs were purchased of myself, and 

 while I am now conscious that many of them were not good when delivered, 

 I was then ignorant of that fact. It was always understood, however, 

 that the buyer took his risks, with this condition : that the eggs sold 

 were to be, or had been, treated in the same manner as those retained 

 for my own use. My eggs were all kept in my cellar, which,*being very 

 dry and cool, I considered a very good place for them. Here they 

 remained in apparent good condition until about the tenth of March, 

 when, after some very warm days, I observed some of the Japanese 

 trivoltines had commenced to hatch. This variety will hatch at a con- 

 siderable lower temperature than the French annuals, and I hoped that 

 the latter had not been effected. To avoid such a contingency, however, 

 I immediately took all my eggs up to Truckee and placed them securely 

 under a house, in a small cellar, where I supposed they could remain 

 without injury from heat until such times in the spring and summer as 

 they would all be wanted for use. I told all my friends who bad eggs 

 what I had done with mine, and the result was that nearly all the eggs 

 in this part of the State were very soon packed away under a large 

 house at the Summit, exposed to the most severe freezing weather, aud 

 this after many of them had shown visible signs of hatching. 



Nearly all the mulberry trees in the State were transplanted the last 

 spring, and those that were not were cut back to the ground, to supply the 

 demand for cuttings, and the season being very backward, it was unu- 

 sually late before there was sufficient foliage to commence feeding. 



On the thirty-first of May I went to Truckee for some of my eggs, for 

 my own use and to fill orders, aud was surprised to find the Japanese, 

 both annuals and trivoltines, nearly all hatched, and some of the French 

 annuals hatching on nearly every package. I brought down all the 

 Japanese and as many of the French as 1 needed at the time, and trans- 

 ferred the balance to the cellar of the Summit House, leaving at the latter 

 place a thermometer, so that I might learn whether it would do to 

 risk them there. The thermometer, on the following day, indicated 

 sixty-two degrees of heat. I had all my eggs sent down immediately, and 

 placed them all, with the exception of three ounces delivered to T. B. 

 Flint, of Sacramento, and one ounce to H. G. Ballou, of Yolo, in a large 

 refrigerator, or ice chest, in my cellar, which was constantly supplied 

 with plenty of ice to keep it cool, being determined not to let the cocoons 

 hatch until they were wanted. The eggs delivered to Flint and Bqllou 

 were not placed in the ice chest at all, but were at once allowed to 

 hatch. Both lots were fed in buildings so open that a candle could 

 scarcely be kept burning on a windy evening in either of them. Flint 

 used no artificial heat whatever, and Ballou but very little. Flint's 

 feeding was a' perfect success. There was no loss of worms, and the 

 cocoons were of excellent quality. Ballou was not quite so successful, 

 though he did very well. The want of perfect success in his case is 

 attributable to a change of food at nearly the last stage of the worms — 

 which I shall notice hereafter — rather than to the condition of the eggs 

 or the artificial heat. I will also state here that James Haj'worth, of 

 Yolo, at about this time, commenced feeding the worms from thi*ee 

 ounces of eggs, of the same lot as my French, but which had been kept 

 in his cellar all the spring, packed in charcoal. His building was also 

 very open, and he used no fire, although, as he says, some nights the 

 worms would almost stiffen with the cold. His success was also good. 



Now, as to the eggs hatched by myself and those afterward delivered 

 to other parties : They all remained in the ice chest from a week to two 



