Mr. Murray on the Culture of the Silk Worm. 59 



Art. VIII. — Remarks on the Culture of the Silk Worm in 

 the North of Italy. By John Murray, Esq. F. A. S. 

 F.L. S. M.W. S. Lecturer on Chemistry. Communicated 

 by the Author. 



Having been highly interested in the improved culture of 

 the silk worm on the principles of Count Dandolo, and which 

 I witnessed in full operation in the north of Italy, during the 

 year 1818 — 1819, I conceived that some succinct notice of 

 a few of the more curious facts connected with the subject 

 would not be unacceptable to you. For the materials of this 

 paper I am chiefly indebted to the very interesting work of 

 Conte Dandolo " DeW Arte di governare i Bachi da Seta" 

 Seconda edizione, Milano, 1818. 



The hygrometer of Bellani has its zero correspondent with 

 that of De Saussure, and I have connected the thermometric 

 expression of Reaumur, used by Count Dandolo, into the 

 scale of Fahrenheit. 



Professor Giobert of Turin informed me, that the process 

 instituted by Count Dandolo was universally successful, 

 though some of the lower class had arrayed themselves in op- 

 position to it, as was done in this country against the intro- 

 duction of machinery to supersede manual labour, — an hosti- 

 lity which dicated its value. 



I was informed that the Marchese de la Rovere had no 

 less than ihirty-jive ounces of ova cultivated, (on the princi- 

 ples published by Count Dandolo,) in the year 1819. 



The certainty to which the process is hereby reduced, — a cer- 

 tainty equivalent to the culture of an exotic in the conservatory, 

 is not the least in the train of its recommendations. A solitary 

 blast of the Schirroco frequently destroyed the hope and pro- 

 mise of the year ; but all this is now avoided. The average 

 return is more than doubled, and even successional crops may 

 be realized. It is clearly adapted to every climate, even to 

 a higher latitude than ours, and I cannot doubt that it is 

 worthy the attention of our enlightened legislature ; and 

 while it might add to our finances, it would form an important 

 and interesting feature in our industry. 



According to Count Dandolo, the amount of raw silk and 



