148 ON REARING 



rooms, a sort of passage must be left, large enough for a 

 man to pass freely, and prevent the danger of fire. After- 

 wards in each cocoon room, shelves of planks must be 

 arranged one above the other, and covered with dry branches, 

 on which the silk worms must be spread, leaving between 

 them a proper space. When that operation is terminated 

 the cocoon room must be surrounded with double mats. 



If one has but few silk worms and much room, the doors 

 and windows of the nursery may be opened, and the cocoon 

 room established there. That method is excellent. In the 

 first place the silk worms are well covered at the top, and 

 they have not the dampness of the ground to fear, (when 

 the cocoon rooms are placed outside.) Added to that, the 

 shelves of plank, (or frames of the stages,) offer them a 

 large and plain surface, where they can work at their ease. 

 There are some persons who warm the cocoon rooms. This 

 proceeding is excellent to dry and strengthen the thread 

 which the silk worms spin ; this improvement is one of the 

 useful things which has been borrowed from the cocoon 

 rooms of the South and the North. It would be very im- 

 portant if every body followed that method, which never 

 causes regret, and constantly offers every advantage to be 

 desired. 





