1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



231 



By this passage it is seen tlmt eilk worms 

 could be raiped in ihe counlry of Pin. 



Observation. — Tlio roiinlry of Pin corresponds 

 willi the territory of wliich Si-gan-fon is now ihe 

 capital, of the present province of (■hen-si, which 

 is situated in the nortluvest oC China. — [St. Ju- 

 hen.] 



In the ode of Tsang-tchang-tseii, of the same 

 work, we read : " Take care not lo destroy our 

 mulberry trees." 



This passaflje shows that silk worms could be 

 raised in the counlry of Tching. 



Observation. — The country of Tching corre- 

 sponds wiih the country of Tching-tcheou, a de- 

 pendency of the department of /{hai-fong-fou, in 

 the province of Ilo-nan, which is situated in the 

 centre of China. [St. Julien.] 



In the ode entitled Tchc-sin, we read : 



"The mulberry trees grow upon steep hills, 

 and poplar trees in moist valleys." 



This passage shows that silk worms could be 

 raised in the kingdom of Thsin. 



Observation. — The country of Thsin corre- 

 sponds to Thai-yn}(an-fou, which is now the capital 

 of Chan-si. That province is situated in the 

 north of China. [St. Julien.] 



In the ode entitled 3fong, we observe : 

 " The mulberry leaves have not yet fallen; they 

 are fresh and abundant." (Ibid.) " The mul- 

 berry leaves become yellow and fall." 

 Also, in the ode entitled Sang-tchong : 

 "He made an appointment to meet me among 

 the mulberry trees." 



These two passages show that silk worms could 

 be raised in the kingdom of ff'e'i. 



Observation. — The country of Wei corre- 

 sponds with the territory of TVet-hoe'i-fuu, in the 

 province of Ho-nan, which is situated, as its 

 name indicates, south of the yellow river. The 

 Ho-nan is situated in the centre of China. [St. 

 Julien.] 



In the ode entitled Hoang-i, Ave find : 



"He cuts, he lops the trees, called yen fwild 

 mulberry trees,) and tche, (thorny trees,) the 

 leaves of which serve to feed silk worms." 



This passage shows that silk worms could he 

 raised in the country of Tcheou. 



Observation. — The author continues to show, 

 by quotations from ancient works, that silk worms 

 could be raised in the country of Tcheou, which 

 corresponds with a part of the actual province of 

 Hou-nan, which is situated in the centre of Chi- 

 na ; in the countries of Lou and Thsi, (in the 

 province of Chan-tong,) in the north of China; in 

 the country of 7'hsou, (ancient name of the cen- 

 tral province of Uou-kou-ang, of which has been 

 formed, under the present dynasty, the provinces 

 of Hou-pe and Hou-nan;) in the kingdom of Z/- 

 ang, which makes a part of the actual territory of 

 Ho-nan, a central province of China, and in the 

 country of Cho, which corresponds with a part of 

 the present territory oi' Sse-tchouen, a western pro- 

 vince of China. 



The author thus terminates this article : " The 

 five kinds of seed may be cultivated, and harvests 

 obtained, in the coldest countries of' China : fur- 



tlier, mulberry trees may be successfully cultivat- 

 ed under any temperature whatever." 



COXSTRUCTION OF TIIK SILK WOUMs' APART- 

 MIO^T. 



In the Book of Kites, (written by Confucius, in 

 the fifth century belbre Christ,) it is observed : 



"Tiie emperor and his vassals were obligated 

 to keep a |)lantalion of mulberry trees, belonging 

 to the state, and a nursery lor silk worms, h was 

 established near a river or brook of ruiming wa- 

 ter ; its height was about eleven cubits, and sur- 

 rounded by a hedge ol' thorny shrubs." 



Same Work. — Lots were dravvn by the ladies ol" 

 the three palaces, and the noble-women who 

 were pure, and surrounded with happy omens, 

 thus chosen; were sent to the nursery, to li^ed the 

 silk worms, and occupy themselves with all the 

 care of their raising. 



Thsi-min-yao-chou. — The windows in the lour 

 fronts of the building must be opened, and paper 

 pasted on them, to protect the worms from the ex- 

 terior air. In the interior of the silk room, fires 

 must be lighted at the lour angles. 



Same work. — In the third month, at the period 

 called Thsing-ming, (the 5th of April,) the wo- 

 men charged with the lijeding of the silk worms, 

 are ordered to prepare their dwelling, and to stop 

 up the holes and cracks through whicii the air 

 might penetrate. 



Same ivork. — The silk worms naturally love re- 

 pose, and lear loud cries ; therefore, their house 

 should be quiet, and exempt from all noise. They 

 love the heat, and lijar the damp ; their apart- 

 ments should, therefore, be constructed of boards. 

 In a quiet and retired house they will not be trou- 

 bled with the cries and clamor of men. In a close 

 house they will be sheltered from the sudden 

 south winds. In a house constructed with plank, 

 they will be sheltered from the exhalations and 

 damp vapors of the earth. 



The Book on Silk TVorms. — The silk worms 

 like an apartment with a mild temperature ; on 

 the contrar)', the cocoons should be kept in cool 

 places. 



Wou-pen-sin-chou. — The house of the silk 

 worms ought lo be distant from all impurities, 

 and every thing that exhales a disagreeable odor, 

 such as stables, cow-houses, &c. Care must be 

 taken during the night, that no light may pene- 

 trate the windows, or suddenly be shown, in the 

 dwelling of the silk worms. Do not extinguish, 

 in the silk room, paper matches, such as emit a 

 great deal of smoke. 



When tlie worms are newly hatched, they fear 

 the dust made in sweeping. They are disturbed 

 by crying and weeping ; they do not like persons 

 to come in their apartments, who are not perfect- 

 ly clean. For example : A woman who has been 

 brought to bed less than thirty days, or who has 

 her menses. 



(That observation is drawn from another work 

 upon the same subject.) 



Same work. — Whenever Ihe silk worms are 

 raised in autumn, the time of their hatching is not 

 distant from the three periods called San-fo. (They 

 fall in the middle of summer.) The heat (of the 

 summer) yet subsists, and as it occasions a great 



