166 ON REARING BILK WORMS. 



roof, where they will be well exposed to the air. From time 

 to time the cord must be shaken, until the air has perfectly 

 dried them ; but if they are dried with the palm of the hand 

 they will become warm and lose their lustre. In the 

 end the color given to the silk will not fail to tarnish and 

 fade. 



Whenever the worms are fed before their moulting, it is 

 very important to fill them well ; but when they recover 

 from their moulting, they can, without inconvenience, wait 

 half a day before being fed. The damp leaves which are 

 gathered in rainy weather are injurious to the silk worms. 

 If then there is any fog in the morning, the leaves must not 

 be gathered, but wait until the mist has disappeared. Then 

 the leaves may be gathered whether the weather be clear or 

 rainy. If the leaves are wet with dew, they ought not to 

 be gathered until they have been dried by the rays of the 

 rising sun. 



DISEASES OF THE SILK WORMS. 



The silk worms often contract diseases while yet in the 

 egg. After they are hatched, it depends on man to prevent 

 those which arise from dampness, heat and accumulation of 

 the worms. When the worms are changed from the frames, 

 at the time of their first sleep, that is to say : after the 

 first moulting, and varnished baskets are used for that ope- 

 ration, they must not be covered, in order to allow the 

 dampness in which they abound to evaporate. 



Whenever a silk worm is on the point of falling sick, the 

 top of its head becomes brilliant, and all its body takes a 

 yellow tint. Its head gradually grows larger, and its tail 



