234 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 4 



Thus the eggs must be left from three to seven 

 days; at the expiration of that time ihey hatch, 

 and the silic worms can be raised. They are call- 

 ed Ai-tchin^ or cherished and precious silk worms; 

 they are also named y^i-tscu, or beloved children. 

 They are of the fourth class. 



When they have ibrmed Their cocoons, the 

 moths come forth and lay their eggs. Seven days 

 after the laying of eggs, they hatch and beconie 

 silk worms. A great number of persons raise 

 worms of that kind. They are the worms of the 

 fifth class, called y^'i-tsan, or cherished silk worms. 



Care must be taken that the water surrounding 

 the vase be of the height of the eggs it contains; 

 for, if the exterior water be raised above the line 

 of the eggs, they will die, or not be halched. If 

 the exterior water be lower than the eggs, then 

 they will not feel the cool air, and their hatching 

 will not be delayed. If their hatching be not pre- 

 vented, they cannot be preserved from three to 

 seven days in the vase. If they cannot be kept 

 from three to seven days in the vessel, when they 

 hatch, they will fail to accomplish their iask, that 

 is to say: they will attempt, in vain, to spin their 

 cocoon. When the moths have come forth, and 

 the females have laid their eggs, they cannot 

 hatch at the end of seven days; these eggs will 

 not hatch until the following year; but they must 

 be deposited under the shade of a bushy tree. 

 Some persons put them in unbaked earthern ves- 

 sels. They hatch in fi'om three to seven days, 

 and the worms which proceed from them succeed 

 in forming a good cocoon. 



Tsa-hou-hing-chou. — Thirteen varieties of silk 

 worms are now distinguished: 



1st. The silk WQrms which have three raoult- 

 ings, and only hatch once; 



2d. The silk worms which have four moult- 

 ings, and hatch twice; that is to say: those whose 

 eggs produce a second crop in the same year; 



3d. The silk worms with while heads; 



4th. The silk worms called Hie-chi-tsan; 



5th. The silk worms of the country of Thsou. 

 f 7%soii is the ancient name of the present pro- 

 vince of Hou-kouang.) 



6th. The black silk worms; among them, some 

 hatch once, others twice. (See 2d ;) 



7th. Ash colored silk worms; 



8th. The silk worms hatched from an Autumn 

 moth ; 



9th. The silk worms hatched in the middle of 

 Autumn ; 



10th. The silk worms called Lao- Thsieou-eul- 

 tsan, (literally, old towards Autumn ;) 



11th. Silk worms of the last of Autumn, called 

 Lao-hia'l-eul-tsan ; 



12th. Silk worms called Kin-eul-tsan ; 



13th. Silk worms that work in the same cocoon. 

 Sometimes two, sometimes three silk worms, spin 

 together in the same cocoon. 



In general, the silk spun by the Avorms, which 

 moult thrice, differs much from that of the worms 

 which moult four times. 



Hai-ning-hien-tchi. — On the night preceding 

 the period called tsing-ming, (the 5ih of April,) 

 those who raise silk worms envelop the eggs in a 

 covering of cotton, and place it under ihem, in 

 their bed; they think the natural heat of the hu- 

 man body hastens the hatching of the silk worms. 



Same loork. — The twelfth day of the last moon 

 of the year (that is to say, at the end of Decem- 

 ber, or in the month of January, when there is an 

 intercalary moon,) all those who raise silk worms 

 bathe the eggs in salt water, expose them to the 

 fumigations of the melonsena, and envelop them 

 in a piece of rice'ball. At the end of twenty-four 

 days they take them out; they afterwards wash 

 them in fresh water, and wait for the coming of 

 Spring. 



Sse-nong-pi-yong. — The summer silk worms 

 are of another species; they are vulgarly called 

 San-tsaii, or third silk worms. 



The silk worms which are raised in the Spring, 

 lay eggs for the Summer; those that are raised in 

 Summer, lay eggs for the Autumn; those of the 

 Autumn, lay eggs for the Spring of the following 

 year. None of these eggs must be neglected, for 

 otherwise eggs will be wanted for the next raising. 



Same work. — The silk worms of Autumn, are 

 also called Youen-tsan, that is to say: second 

 silk Avorms, or silk worms of a second rearing. 

 But in gathering the leaves to feed them, they 

 never fail to injure the tree. It sometimes hap- 

 pens, that some misfortune from heaven destroys 

 the Spring silk worms, the raising of the Autumn 

 silk worms cannot be dispensed with, but must be 

 done to repair the loss. But the late crops are 

 surer and more advantageous than those of the 

 commencement of the year. 



Sin-kouang-ki, says: " The men of the present 

 day do not raise the Autumnal silk worms; they 

 are contented to preserve the ejigs of the Summer 

 for the crop of the following Spring. They suc- 

 ceed equally well." 



The same author again says : " It is a very just 

 idea to say, the Autumn silk worms serve to' re- 

 pair the losses which may have been experienced 

 in the Spring, and to supply the wants of the 

 year. In the Autumn there are many fine days ; 

 consequently, the raising at that time promises 

 more certain success, than that of the Spring. 

 But now-a-days we meet with people who say : 

 the Jlutumnal silk worms can no longer find ten- 

 der leaves. We see that they are totally ignorant 

 of the powerful reasons which may oblige them to 

 attempt a rearing in Autumn, from the necessity 

 of sometimes repairing the losses which have been 

 experienced, and of supplying the wants of the 

 year. When the silk worms are raised in the 

 Summer, or Autumn, care must be taken to pre- 

 serve them fi'om the gnats and flies." 



Same work. — After the period called Thsing- 

 ming, (after the 5th of April,) the eggs com- 

 mence to change. At first they assume a uni- 

 form color, and swell up; afterwards they grow 

 round and present a pointed side. Their centre 

 resembles the color of willow trees, in the begin- 

 ning of Spring. At last they are transformed into 

 worms, which have the appearance of small 

 black ants. The worms which fold themselves 

 in a circular manner, and resemble a mountain 

 that is seen at a distance, are those which must 

 absolutely be preserved; but those with flat heads, 

 which are dry, and appear as if they were burnt, 

 as well as those of a sky-blue, and yellow, or flesh 

 color, must not be raised. 



Same tvork. — Some persons water the eggs with 

 salt water. That operation is called sie)i-tsan, that 



