r82 on silk worms, Oct', 5> 



supply. To save trouble, and for experiment, fhe 

 had fhoots brought her, 8, lo, or 12 incues long ; the 

 leaves on the under part were stripped off, and the 

 ends of the fhoots put into water — the water renew- 

 ed daily. By tlits' means the leaves on the upper 

 parts of the fhoots were kept in perfect good order, 

 and though sufEciently, or indeed perfectly frefh, 

 could never be wet. The few worms fhe had, were 

 supplied twice a day with these leaves, — some of 

 them attained the size of 3i inches, others 3 inches, 

 none below 25 inches. One had 4*'20 eggs, another 

 above 300, and none below 27*, which fhows the 

 leaves were in good condition. 



" The worm arrived at as large a size as Mr Art- 

 drew Wright's at Paisley, from whom the eggs came ; 

 and the average number expected from- each female, 

 that gentlemen writes, is, 250. 



" Mr Millar writes in his dictionary, or else- 

 where, that it hurts the mulberry lefs to take off the 

 fhoots altogether, than to strip the fhoots of the 

 leaves." 



There can be no doubt but by this practice, if a 

 bason were provided, with a proper apparatus for 

 receiving the fhoots, and exposed to the sun or wind,, 

 under a roof, it might be pofsihle to find dry leaves 

 even during rainy weather, though at a considerable 

 expence, where the quantity of worms is great*. 

 Perhaps the best way to have very fine leaves, and 

 healthy plants of mulberries, is to have them cut close 

 to the ground every winter, as we at present db 

 with oziers for bafkets. 



I am much obliged to mifs Rhodes for the cocoons 

 of the black worm fhe was so obliging as to send. 



