OF SILK. 107 



but if a fliower of rain have diiveii with 

 an eallei ly or weilerly wind, pull that fide 

 which lay to the leeward, as being leaft 

 moift. 



In pulling the leaves it is much better to 

 do it eafy, taking the leaves in your hand, 

 than to take the whole branch or flioot in 

 the fifl:, and thus to rake off as many leaves 

 as you can at once ; for this both bruifes 

 the leaves, which makes them bad for the 

 worms, and alfo breaks and damages the 

 branches, and fills the leaves with flireds 

 of broken boughs ; wherefore one of the 

 gatherers fhould be a Ikilful perfon in feed- 

 ing and managing the worms, and fuch as 

 can be trufted to dire6l and overfee the 

 others j for as it is common to pay the 

 gatherers by meafure for the quantity of 

 leaves they bring in, they will be apt only 

 to make it as large as they can, without 

 either choice or fkill. The leaves as they 

 are gathered fhould be thrown into clean 

 bafkets, and not too much fluffed or preiTed 

 together, v/hich would make them heat 

 and otherways damage them ; each gather- 

 er fhould have a fmall bafket, v/hich he 

 may hang befide him to the tree, by a 

 Jiooked flick, that he may not be obliged 



to 



