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the temperature at birth is 76° 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 frequentlj^ over the worms, and 

 toward the fourth day begin 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 

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

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

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

 mended, it being lighter and more digestible for delicate worms. 



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 feeds than the larger 

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



Many 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 dry. Change 

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

 rainy, for the worms are going to molt in two or three days, and this 

 crisis should not occur in unhealthy conditions. It is always more 

 prudent to change beds oti the fourth day, and is, therefore, advised. 

 The space occupied by the worms must be doubled when the change 

 of beds is made. 



The bed on which the leaf and excrement accumulate is, perhaps, 

 the greatest source of danger to the worms. When there is not a free 

 circulation of air, gases are developed which almost always cause fer- 

 mentation, paving the way for future disease. Hence the necessity 

 for frequent change of beds. This is made in various ways. The 



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