Ailanthiculture. ote 
thereon; these lengths were placed in boxes and carried down, 
then a pin was thrust through the leaf-stalk of the cut leaf into 
the stalk of a living leaf, and the larvee soon migrated from the 
dead to the living foliage. In practice the process was easy and 
entirely done by a boy of 12 years old, who was installed as sole 
attendant at 6d. a-day wages, during the season. It was desirable 
to choose a fine morning for this process, as sunshine rendered the 
worms active, and desirous of fresh food. It was necessary after- 
wards for a day or two to go over the ground carefully, and pick 
up any that had fallen down, and it was also found necessary to 
have paper or muslin bags pinned to the trees, wherein to place 
any larvee which were then changing their skins, or which had 
crawled away from their cut leaves on to the box. 
With the exception then of the cotton wool placed round 
the trees, there was no attempt at protection in any form for the 
silkworms. From my experience in 1865, I think that a covered- 
in-nursery for the protection of the worms during their early stages 
would be highly desirable and likewise economical, in lessening 
the ravages of their enemies and of bad weather ; and I purpose 
another year (and [ recommend others to do the same) to cover 
over with canvass the trees intended for a nursery. 
I am convinced from actual observation, first, that from 15 to 
20 per cent. of the eggs laid in 1865 never came out, since having 
examined three different lots of 100 each I found severally 19, 16 
and 15 eggs unfertile ; secondly, I believe that a very large propor- 
tion, probably half of the larvee hatched out, perished before leaving 
the nursery, partly from my want of skill in managing their early 
stages, partly because they were too crowded on the leaves, but 
mainly from attacks of spiders, lady-birds, earwigs, &c., &c.; 
whereas I believe from constant observation that if the loss in the 
large Ailanthery was calculated as between two and three thousand, 
it would be greatly in excess of the reality. My eggs which were 
laid on July 1st and successive days began to batch out on the 
13th of the same month; but it was not till the 25th July, by which 
time 10,000 eggs were hatched out, that having tried various modes 
of establishing the young worms on the trees, by the advice of 
Dr. Maclean, a very observant and astute naturalist, I hung up my 
eggs in paper cots on the trees, thereby effecting a considerable 
saving in life, labour and time; for the preceding batches of eggs 
had been deposited and hatched out upon papers, which, the leaves 
of the trees being tied up in a bunch, were deposited therein, 
whence, if much wind arose, they were violently ejected, and the 
baby worms scattered on the ground; again, many of the worms 
