REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 2A 
soon as the leaves of their food-plant has commenced to put forth, be 
placed in trays and brought into a well-aired room where the tempera- 
ture averages about 75° I. If they have been wintered adhering to the 
cloth on which they were laid, all that is necessary to do is to spread 
this same cloth over the bottom of atray. If, on the contrary, they have 
been wintered in the loose condition, they must be uniformly sifted or 
spread over sheets of cloth or paper. The temperature should be kept 
uniform, and a small stove in the hatching-room will prove very val- 
uable in providing this uniformity. The heat of the room may be in 
creased about 2° each day, and if the eggs have been well kept back 
during the winter, they will begin to hatch under such treatment on the 
fifth or sixth day. By no means must the eggs be exposed to the sun’s 
rays, Which would kill them in a very short time. As the time of hatch- 
ing approaches, the eggs grow lighter in color, and then the atmos- 
phere must be kept moist artificially by sprinkling the floor, or other- 
wise, in order to enable the worms to eat through the egg-shell more 
easily. They also appear fresher and more vigorous with due amount 
of moisture. 
FEEDING AND REARING THE WORMS. 
The room in which the rearing is to be done should be so arranged 
that it can be thoroughly and easily ventilated, and warmed if desirable. 
A northeast exposure is the best, and buildings erected for the express 
purpose should, of course, combine these requisites. If but few worms 
are to be reared, all the operations can be performed in trays upon tables, 
but in large establishments the room is arranged with deep and numer- 
ous shelves, from 4 to 8 feet deep and 2 feet 6 inches apart. All wood, 
however, should be well seasoned, as green wood seems to be injurious 
to the health of the worms. When the eggs are about to hatch, mosquito- 
netting or perforated paper should be laid over them lightly. Upon this 
can be evenly spread freshly-plucked leaves or buds. The worms will 
rise through the meshes of the net or the holes in the paper and cluster 
upon the leaves, when the whole net can easily be moved. In thismoy-_ 
ing, paper has the advantage over the netting, in that it is stiffer and 
does not lump the worms together in the middle. They may now be 
spread upon the shelves or trays, care being taken to give them plenty 
ot space, as they grow rapidly. Each day’s hatching should be kept 
separate in order that the worms may be of a uniform size, and go through 
their different moltings or sicknesses with regularity and uniformity ; 
and all eggs not hatched after the fourth day from the appearance of 
the first should be thrown away, as they will be found to contain inferior, 
weakly, or sickly worms. It is calculated that one ounce of eggs of a 
good race will produce 100 pounds of fresh cocoons; while for every 
additional ounce the percentage is reduced if the worms are all raised 
together, until for 20 ounces the average does not exceed 25 pounds of 
cocoons per ounce. Such is the general experience throughout France, 
according to Guérin-Méneville, and it shows the importance of keeping 
them in small broods, or of rearing on a moderate scale. 
The young: worms may be removed from place to place by means of a 
small camel’s-hair brush, but should be handled as little as possible. The 
best mode of feeding and caring for them is by continuing the use of 
the feeding-net first mentioned. As the worms increase in size the net 
must have larger meshes, and if it should be used every time fresh food 
is furnished, it will save a large amount of time and care. It entirely 
obviates the necessity of handling the worms, and enables the person 
15 AGR 
