THE REARING OF SILKWORMS. 19 



THE FIRST AGE. 



Hatchings usuall}^ occur earl}^ in the morning. The worms which 

 have cr.iwled up through the holes of the tulle or paper to get food, 

 should not be removed before 10 a. m. to the laticed shelves covered 

 with paper to receive them. Each shelf must be marked with the 

 date of the birth of the worms put upon it, and care must be taken 

 to place on the same shelf only worms born on the same day, as a remu- 

 nerative rearing demands that such alone be raised together. 



Should the hatching occur at 68"^ to 70"^ F., keep this temperature 

 during the first ages, and feed eight times during twenty-four hours; if 

 the temperature at birth is 75^ to 77'-^., slowly diminish the tempera- 

 ture one or two degrees, and feed ten times in twenty-four hours. 

 The appetite of the worm increases or diminishes with the heat. The 

 second day, in case of the worms hatched at the maximum, adjust the 

 temperature to the degree proposed to conduct the rearing. In feeding 

 sprinkle finely cut up tender leaves frequently over the worms, and 

 toward the fourth day Ijegin to regulate the number of meals so that 

 it will range from four to eight, according to the temperature. Before 

 cutting the leaf remove the stems. Distribute the leaf uniformly and 

 equally on the shelves, in order to prevent the worms from crowding 

 more on one side than another, and in order that they may be equally 

 nourished and make their changes simultaneously. Cut only a small 

 ijuantity of fresh leaf at a time, and keep the rest in jars or baskets 

 covered with a damp cloth. Never submerge the leaves in water. For 

 the first two or three ages, the white ungrafted mulberry is recom- 

 mended, it being lighter and more digestible for delicate w^orms. 



It is well during the feeding to open the door and windows to insure 

 a good supply of fresh air. After feeding, close the door and windows, 

 unless the day is warm, when they may be permanently left open, pro- 

 tected by curtains through which the air passes freely. The worms 

 should never be exposed to direct sunlight or to a strong current of 

 air, and during a thunderstorm the windows and doors should be closed. 



Worms of the same age and development should be classed together. 

 To obtain this equalization, do not feed newborn worms until all that 

 have been hatched on one day have been removed to shelves, then give 

 a general meal. If at the end of two or three days it is noticed that 

 on certain shelves there are smaller worms than on others, in order to 

 allow the less developed worms to catch up with the more advanced 

 ones, place the former nearer the fire or on the highest shelves, where 

 the air is warmer, and give them one or two more meals than the larger 

 worms. For this reason it is well to have light movable shelves 

 (fig. 5). 



Man}^ cultivators of silkworms do not change the beds during the first 

 age, and it is not absolutely necessary, if the leaf has been well cleaned 

 of stems and very finely cut up, and, above all, if the air is diy . Change 

 of bed, however, must be made if the litter is damp, and the weather 



