O F S I L K. 73 



ounce of eggs, if they arc the "white mul- 

 berry, but if you ulc the black, its leaf 

 being much more grofs and broad, you 

 may reckon one of the black equal to two 

 or three of the white fort. The beft pre- 

 caution is rather to have too many trees, 

 than too great a number of worms. 



Being furnifiied witli eggs, the next 

 thing to be regarded is the time of hatch- 

 ing them J and the bell and fureft rule for 

 this is, to do it when you fhall obferve the 

 mulberry buds begin to open and fpread 

 into fmail leaves ; and it will not be fuffi- 

 cient to obferve this in one or two trees, 

 which may chance to ftand in a warm and 

 fheltered fituation, but it muil appear 

 through the bulk of all your trees, other- 

 wife, though you may have a great num.- 

 ber of trees, you may be diilreff^d for 

 want of food J for though fome have 

 taught to fupply this defeft with lettuce, 

 and other different kind of leaves, as elm, 

 mallow, bramble, rofe and nettle leaves, 

 yet it is not worth while to amule one's 

 ielf Vv^ith reariiig worms which have taken 

 their firft nounihment from any of thefe, 

 as they will neither be ftrong nor make 

 good filk. Tl^? bramble or blackberry 



has 



