262 Journal of the prof^ress of Silk Worms* 



May 15th. The continuance of cold preventing the 

 increase of vvornns, few appeared in the morning. Dur- 

 ing the day a moderate quantity appeared. 



May I6th. The same raw weather had the same effect 

 upon the nits. The worms collected this day, termi- 

 nate my collection, and limit the quantity of silk worms 

 I shall raise. 



N. B. It uoiild have been desirable to know the 

 weight of the nits hatched. On a common grocery scale 

 the original weight was nine ounces, afterwards it was 

 found reduced to eight ounces. I am tempted to pre- 

 sume the nits hatched, must weigh more, since the empty 

 shells remaining on the rags and papers, still made part 

 of the eight ounces. If next year I shall be permitted to 

 try again the raising of silk worms, I shall scrape off the 

 nits, and weigh them in an apothecary's scale. There 

 is no other way to ascertain the true result of a stated 

 weight of nits in cocoons. According to information 

 from Italy, the result is various there, like that of all 

 agricultural produce. It has been intimated to me, that 

 from an ounce of nits the crops of cocoons amounts to 

 sixty to eighty pounds, each of twenty-eight ounces. 



May 16th and 17th. The weather and temperature of 

 the air has been such, as to force the kindling of fire in 

 the apartments of houses. The thermometer, during 

 these days, never stood higher than 56°. Clouds and 

 fogs obscured the sky ; there was not even a quarter of 

 an hour of sunshine. This undoubtedly checks the 

 worms in their growth, and prevents the regularity of 

 their operations in life, so minutely observed and de- 

 scribed by naturalists, and to keep up which, the Italian 

 raisers of silk worms have adopted the various and ex- 

 pensive methods described by Count Dandolo. I deem 

 them useful in accelerating the crop of silk, but super- 

 fluous for improving it. 



