12 



THE CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY SILKWORM. 



en(xl room. Cut up only a limited quantity of leaf at a time and 

 cover with a damp cloth to keep fresh, but never submerge the leaf in 

 water, as this is apt to occasion flacherie, a very destructive disease. 

 From the fourth age on there should always be a day's supply ahead, 

 so that in case of rain the worms will not have to fast. 



In gathering leaf, always strip the branches from base to top, so as 



not to tear the bark and in- 

 jure the new buds. It is 

 above all essential to strip 

 the tree entirely of its leaves, 

 for if leaves are left on some 

 branches they will there at- 

 tract the sap, while the bare 

 branches will be imperfectly 

 nourished. Always strip the 

 young trees first. The sacks 

 for holding the leaves should 

 have a hoop around the open- 

 ing and a hook to suspend 

 them to the branches. 



Restricting the height of 

 the trunk of the mulberry to 

 5 or 6 feet makes it possible 

 for old women and children 

 to gather leaf, thus diminish- 

 ing the cost of labor one- 

 half, a most important point 

 in commercial silk culture. 



It is also important to cul- 

 tivate trees that bear little 

 or no fruit, for the production of fruit not only consumes part of the 

 strength of the tree, but much labor is involved in being compelled 

 to divest the branches of fruit before they can be used as food for 

 silkworms. 



The stump nuilberry, or that growing low like a shrub, the hedge 

 mulberry, and that which grows along walls vegetate much earlier than 

 the medium and high trunk trees. Silkworm rearers should always 

 have a ready supply of leaf for the first ages of the worm, and 

 especially is this necessary if early cultures are desired with a view to 

 escaping the heated days of May and eJune. 



Fig. 5.— Light movable shelves. 



