106 On the Management of Silk- Worms. 



When they are ready to spin, they look clear, and 

 their skins shine ; they leave their food, and begin to 

 ramble in search of convenient places, which should 

 be ready prepared for them. A variety of contri- 

 vances may be found for this purpose. None are 

 more neat than paper cones ; but as it is not practica- 

 ble to make use of these for any very considerable 

 number of worms, without some expence and trou- 

 ble, we may procure old trunks or boxes, which we 

 should stick full of small bushes, stript of their leaves, 

 and so disposed that the worms can conveniently fix 

 their threads to them. Sometimes, however, they 

 are inclined to ramble about, and waste their silk : in 

 this case, it will be necessary to secure them in pa- 

 per cones. 



In a week and one day after the worms have cer- 

 tainly begun to spin, we may take them down, and 

 strip off the refuse silk, that is, such as is loose upon 

 the cocoons, and also what we find among the bushes, 

 Sec. Whatever quantity of cocoons we mean to pre- 

 serve for seed, should be strung upon long threads, 

 and suspended, with papers behind them, over a ta- 

 ble, or laid upon sheets of paper upon a table, upon 

 which the worms will come out, and lay their eggs. 



It will be proper to preserve an equal number of 

 the round and long cocoons, as it is said these differ- 

 ent shaped cones are each the produce of the two 

 sexes. Such of the cones as arc kept for winding, 

 should be laid in sieves covered closely with thick 

 cloths, and placed over kettles of boiling Mater, in 



