[ 175 3 G6 



portioned to the constltulion of the eggs. These reflections should satrsfy 

 those who have one box of eggs, and one single room to rear the worms 

 in, how much it imports that he should not reckon on the very late 

 hatched eggs, that he may not have worms of a day old mixed with 

 worms four days old, thus interfering with the general progress of cul- 

 tivation. The proprietor, on the contrary, who has many boxes of eggs 

 to bring forth, can dispose of the early or late eggs to other persons; 

 and, by these means, need never mix the silkworms of different ages. 

 Then, if one person holds those of the first day's hatching, and another 

 holds the worms hatched the fourth day, no evil accrues; all proceeds 

 with regularity and ease, as each person has equal-aged silkworms to 

 attend to. 



When the proprietor has only a small box of eggs to hatch, it is bet- 

 ter to cast away those that come forth the first day, and not to reckon 

 on those that are not come forth the third day; and thus, by having only 

 those hatched in the two intermediate days to attend to, much trouble 

 will be saved. It is far better to lose a few worms of the first day's 

 hatching, and eggs not hatched the third day, than to suffer the incon- 

 venience, during the whole progress of rearing them: by adding a small 

 quantity of eggs to those that are next to be hatched, the loss is easily 

 made up. These directions are recommended to be exactly followed 

 up; they will guide, simplify, and ameliorate the cultivation of silk- 

 worms. If they are not attended to, the exact proportion of eggs which 

 produces the worms will not be known, and there will be constantly 

 on the tables wol-ms of different sizes, with differing necessities^ and 

 failure and trouble will ensue. 



It is thought proper, in this place, to give the practice of a gentle- 

 man of Montauban, in France, who, according to Mr. >Stephenson, had 

 uncommon success in rearing silkworms. 



Having long observed that the w^orms which were first hatched, 

 turned out always to be more healthy and vigorous than those .which 

 were later in coming out, he made it a point to save no more tlian the 

 production of the three first days, throwing away all the rest. He 

 likewise made it a rule, upon their passing through their different 

 moultings, to take only the forward worms, throwing away regularly 

 all those which remain long in recovering from them: having, for 

 many years, observed that those worms which are hatched after the 

 third day, always turn out weakly, and are tedious in all their opera- 

 tions. For the same reason, he rejected all those worms which linger 

 in getting over their moultings, which he ascribed to their weakness, 

 or to their being infected, in some measure, with some disease, which 

 generally carried them off before they could make their cocoons; or, 

 if they did reach the length to make them, these were so light that 

 they were not equal to the expense of the leaves. When worms were 

 tecovering from their moultings, he saved only such as came away 

 the first two days, and threw away all that were not ready at the close 

 of the second dar. 



