Ailanthiculture. 243 
by the empty cocoon, suitably prepared beforehand and divested 
of its outer envelope; 2ndly, a middle portion sliding through a 
ring, secured by an upright (guide parti sur les broches) attached 
to the skewer; and 3rdly, a base, with a blunt point, which re- 
volves in a little cup worked in the thickness of the skewer. 
«‘The needles are very moveable on their pivot, and the cocoons 
being moveable also on the olive-shaped heads, turn on them in 
every direction, following the position and direction of the threads 
as they unwind. The head is olive-shaped to avoid making a 
hole in the base of the cocoon during the movement and rota- 
tion by the resulting friction, which must ensue were the 
head pointed. The needles are of different lengths to allow 
more cocoons than one to be reeled off at once, those of the first 
skewer being the smallest, those of the second bigger, and so on 
according to the number of the strands and the required thickness 
of the thread. The skewers, armed with needles of different 
height, after being capped with empty cocoons suitably prepared, 
are placed on the bason so that two or more may be used at once. 
So arranged, the skewers slide into a groove made in the frame of 
the machine. ‘They are kept apart by a little bar of division fixed 
at either extremity. When the cocoons are reeled the skewers, 
whose needles are now free, are pushed forwards and removed; 
they are immediately replaced by others prepared beforehand, and 
placed ready at the end of the groove. There is no interruption 
in reeling ; the mechanism of the skewers and needles is both 
simple and easy. ‘These, as also the plate with moveable cups, 
are easily and without cost adapted to the well-known machine, 
which seems a great advantage since the old implement for reeling 
closed cocoons is now made Seales almost without change, ie 
the simple method which I have described.” 
Mr. Forgemol afterwards observes, that he has, by means of 
these needles, successfully reeled the cocoons of B. Mori, after the 
exit of the moth, and produced therefrom silk as handsome and 
durable as from cocoons reeled in the usual way. 
I have now very feebly, and, I fear inadequately, attempted to 
delineate a leaflet as it were from the great book of nature, as 
yet undescribed in England. Numerous as are the benefits we reap 
from nature, there yet remain, even at our feet, many of her secrets 
uninvestigated, many undiscovered sources of industry and wealth, 
Pisciculture has to be applied to our river and sea fisheries. 
Ostreiculture is as yet in its infancy. Sericiculture, including 
various new species of silk-producing insects, awaits examination. 
