THE EEAKING OF SILKWOKMS. 25 



As ripe berries are verj^ indigestible, and also cause beds to ferment, 

 care must be taken to shake the trees well before gatherino- the leaves, 

 and whatever ripe fruit remains must be taken off before feeding. 



If possible, change beds daily, especiall}^ if more than five meals 

 are given, or if the weather is very warm and damp and there are 

 signs of disease. 



The first five davs after the change the worms grow enormously, 

 and it is very difficult to satisf}^ their appetite. At the end of this 

 time the body suddenly diminshes in circumference, the excrement, 

 formerly dry and firm, )iow becomes moist and soft, and the appetite 

 diminishes and becomes capricious. This state generally lasts three days, 

 then suddenly the worm ceases to eat, and tries to get away from its 

 food. It prolongs its head, and, changing its former laz}^ habit of 

 scarcely moving except to get food, runs about in every direction, 

 stopping from time to tiiiie, and moving its head (now transparent 

 gold or white, according to race) like a blind person seeking the way. 



These signs indicate that the worm is hunting a convenient place to 

 spin its cocoon. The worm is now mature, and a spinning place 

 should be ready to facilitate its metamorphosis. The humidity, which 

 always exists at this time on account of the mass of litter, is especially 

 dangerous to the worms; and it is increased if the worms do not all 

 matui'e and mount at the same time, for those that remain below 

 are wet by the liquid dejections of those that are the first to mount. 

 For this reason do not put worms in the spinning place until they are 

 perfectly mature. They then mount, and crawl around some time 

 seeking a favorable place for their cocoons. Finding this they evacu- 

 ate their digestive canal, and begin to throw around them an irregular 

 net in which the cocoon spun later will be suspended. 



PEEPARATIONS FOR SPINNING. 



A considerable loss may occur in the spinning place even when the 

 rearing has been most successful. To avoid such loss observe the fol- 

 lowing precautions: (1) Prepare the spinning place in time; (2) arrange 

 it so that the worms may regularly mount, and have abundant room; 

 (3) have it well made, yet economical; and (4) regulate the heat and 

 ventilate the room. 



Any convenient dry bushy brush, odorless and free from gum, will 

 serve to construct the spinning place; or if such is not available, bun- 

 dles of straw, or shavings, or finely split up wood may be substituted. 

 The best and most economical arrangement is small bundles of brush 

 or straw placed upright between the feeding shelves, in rows, about 

 16 inches apart. The bundles are cut a half inch taller than the space 

 between the shelves, and their tops are spread out to form arches, and 

 to allow the worms plenty of room to spin (fig. 10). 



Branches of elm, oak, birch, etc., are used to place the worms in the 

 spinning place. These branches are spread over the shelves at the end 



