Mulberry Tree and of Silk f Forms. 257 



so that the bark taken from the trunk, and the other fas- 

 tened on the naked wood, unite exactly. To prevent 

 the air from penetrating the place where the barks unite, 

 or from entering by the truncated end, it is plastered 

 over with clay, or some other adhesive matte^r. The 

 spring being very late in Avnerica, and the winds from 

 the north-west cold, I advise all to use every means 

 practicable to retard the hatching of the silk worms. For 

 this end, it will be useful to keep them in a cool place. 

 It is important that the mulberry trees should be par- 

 tially covered with leaves before the eggs of the worm 

 are broken, as the moment the caterpillars appear, they 

 require something to feed on, and during the first days 

 after they appear, if the mulberry leaves are not in plenty, 

 it is necessary to substitute lettuce leaves. Common 

 sense tells us that if the animals do not at once obtain the 

 aliment which nature has destined for them, they suffer 

 from the want, they become sickly, of a weak and tender 

 body, which cannot be amended or corrected by good 

 treatment. This appears to me so important, that I 

 would advise that during the warm days of March and 

 April, before the mulberry is in leaf, the eggs should be 

 kept in a very cool and dry place : the coolness can be 

 increased by placing the plates which contain them on 

 pieces of ice. The moment the presence of the leaves 

 will warrant you to expect the possibility of furnishing 

 the caterpillars with nourishment, freely expose the eggs 

 to the action of the external air. They batch soon, but 

 with more or less inequality. As the worms hatch, they 

 follow their instinct in searching for food. To prevent 

 them from wandering in useless searches, place on the 

 eggs which begin to hatch, some mulberry leaves. You 

 will see them attach themselves to the leaves. Take 

 these leaves covered with little worms, and place them 

 in boxes, and continue the same operation until all the 



