908 THE AMERICAN FARMER 



ing round. In form the cocoon is usually oval, and in color yellowish; but in both these 

 features it varies greatly, being either pure silvery-white, cream or carneous, green, and even 

 roseate, and very often constricted in the middle. It has always been considered possible to 

 distinguish the sex of the contained insect from the general shape of the cocoon, those con 

 taining males being slender, depressed in the middle, and pointed at both ends, while the 

 female cocoons are of a larger size and rounder form, and resemble in shape a hen s egg with 

 equal ends. 



The Chrysalis. The chrysalis is a brown, oval body, considerably less in size than the 

 full-grown worm. In the external integument may be traced folds corresponding with the 

 abdominal rings, the wings folded over the breast, the antennae, and the eyes of the inclosed 

 insecf the future moth. At the posterior ^nd of the chrysalis, pushed closely up to the 

 wall of the cocoon, is the last larval skin, compressed into a dry wad of wrinkled integument. 

 The chrysalis state ^continues for from two to three weeks, when the skin bursts and the moth 

 emerges. 



The Moth. With no jaws, and confined within the narrow space of the cocoon, the 

 moth finds some difficulty in escaping. For this purpose it is provided, in two glands near 

 the obsolete mouth, with a. strongly alkaline liquid secretion, with which it moistens the end 

 of the cocoon and dissolves the hard, gummy lining. Then, by a forward and backward 

 motion, the prisoner, with crimped and damp wings, gradually forces its way out, and when 

 once out the wings soon expand and dry. The silken threads are simply pushed aside, but 

 enough of them get broken in the process to render the cocoons from which the moths 

 escape comparatively useless for reeling. The moth is of a cream color, with more or less 

 distinct brownish markings across the wings. The males have broader antennae or feelers 

 than the females, and may by this feature at once be distinguished. Neither sex flies, but 

 the male is more active than the female. They couple soon after issuing, and in a short time 

 the female begins depositing her eggs, whether they have been impregnated or not. Very 

 rarely the unimpregnated egg has been observed to develop. 



Varieties or Races. Domestication has had the effect of producing numerous 

 varieties of the silk -worm, every different climate into which it has been carried having pro 

 duced some changes in the quality of the silk, or the shape or color of the cocoons, or else 

 altered the habits of the worm. 



Some varieties produce but one brood in a year, no matter how the eggs are manipulated ; 

 such are known as Annuals. Others, known as Bivoltins, hatch twice in the course of the 

 year; the first time, as with the Annuals, in April or May, and the second eight or ten days 

 after the eggs are laid by the first brood. The eggs of the second brood only are kept for 

 the next year s crop, as those of the first brood always either hatch or die soon after being 

 laid. The Trevoltins produce three annual generations. There are also Quadrivoltins, and, in 

 Bengal, a variety known as Dacey, which is said to produce eight generations in the course of 

 a year. Some varieties moult but three times instead of four, especially in warm countries 

 and with Trevoltins. Experiments, taking into consideration the size of the cocoon, quality 

 of silk, time occupied, hardiness, quantity of leaves required, etc., have proved the annuals to 

 be more profitable than any of the poly voltins, although Bivoltins are often reared ; and Mr. 

 Alfred Brewster, of San Gabriel, Cal., says that be found a green Japanese variety of these 

 last more hardy than the Chinese Annuals. Varieties are also known by the color of the 

 cocoons they produce, as greens, or whites, or yellows, and also by the country in which they 

 flourish. The white silk is the most valuable in commerce, but the races producing yellow, 

 cream-colored, or flesh-colored cocoons are generally considered to be the most vigorous. No 

 classification of varieties can be attempted, as individuals of the same breed exported to a 

 dozen different localities would, in all probability, soon present a dozen varieties. The three 

 most marked and noted European varieties are the Milanese (Italian) breed, producing small 

 yellow cocoons; the Ardeche (French), producing large yellow cocoons; and the Brousse 

 (Turkish), producing large white cocoons of the best quality in Europe. Owing to the fearful 

 prevalence of pebrine among the French and Italian races for fifteen or twenty years back, 

 the Japanese Annuals have come into favor. The eggs are bought at Yokohama in Septem 

 ber, and shipped during the winter. There are two principal varieties in use, the one 

 producing white and the other greenish cocoons, and known respectively as the white 

 Japanese and the green Japanese Annuals. These cocoons are by no means large, but the 

 pods are solid and firm, and yield an abundance of silk. They are about of a size, and both 

 varieties are almost always constricted in the middle. Another valuable race is the white 



