1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



237 



"The followini!; mcthoil nmst be pursued : 



" When the. et^^irs luive assunieil an asli color, 

 the leaves covered witli ejigs must be united two 

 by two, and exteutled u|>on a clean frame. Af- 

 terwards tl>ey must be rolled up tightly and the 

 two ends tied with a pack-thread, (of cotton or 

 bark of the mulberry tree,) and llie rolls placed 

 uprifjht in a clean, cool room, where there is no 

 smoke. 



"The cvenins: of the third day, the rolls must 

 be taken, unli)lded, and extended on the hurdles. 

 It is a very happy circumstance if none of the 

 worms are hatched. But if by chance there are 

 any hatched belbre the others, they must be taken 

 and thrown out. Afterwards the leaves must be 

 taken three too;cther, rolled in a loose manner, and 

 deposited in the room newly warmed for the silk 

 worms. The time of the rising of the sun must 

 be attentively observed, then the leaves must be 

 unrolled, and spread, one by one, upon hurdles in 

 the middle of the yard. If there is any dew the 

 hurdles must be placed in a cool room, or under a 

 kind of tent. Some time after, the leaves must 

 be transported to a room prepared for the silk 

 worms, and they must be spread, one by one, 

 upon hurdles placed on the ground. After a few 

 moments the silk worms will hatch all at once, 

 looking like small black ants. There will not be 

 one that will hatch before or after the others. 

 The hatched worms must then be weighed wiih 

 the leaves of paper, to know the number of silk 

 worms to be fed, and to calculate, in advance, the 

 quantity of leaves which will be wanted." 



Same work. — When the newly hatched worms 

 are made to descend, they must be dealt carefully 

 with, spread upon the hurdle in an equal manner, 

 and a proper space lelt between them. Care 

 must be taken not to wound them, or to press one 

 against the other. As soon as the worms are all 

 hatched, the fresh and tender leaves must be ta- 

 ken, and cut in very fine shreds, with a very 

 sharp knife ; then they must be spread, with a 

 coarse sieve, upon the sheets which are to receive 

 the silk worms, and under which a bed of chop- 

 ped straw must be previously spread. The cut 

 leaves must be spread in a unilbrm manner, in 

 very light layers. Afterwards the sheets of paper 

 must be taken, where the worms newly hatched 

 are, and they must be applied to the mulberry 

 leaves ; the worms descend themselves on the 

 mulberry leaves. Jf some worms are too long a 

 lime in descending, or if they ascend upon the 

 back of the sheet of paper, or if they do not de- 

 scend, when the leaf is turned over, they must be 

 thrown away, with the leaf to which they remain 

 attached. They are diseased worms, that it would 

 be impossible to raise. 



Same work. — The success in raising silk worms 

 depends on the precaution which is taken in the 

 beginning, and subsequently, not to expose them 

 to any danger. If the silk worms do not revive 

 all at once, from their first sleep, or moulting, it 

 proceeds from their not having changed color, "and 

 not hatching all at once. If they do not change 

 color, and do not hatch all at once, it is because 

 the rules prescribed to preserve the eggs, have not 

 been strictly followed. 



Same work. — In the work entitled Thsin-kouan- 

 tsan-chou, we read : 



" The first day of the last moon the eggs must 

 be collected and watered with cow's urine : after- 



wards they iTiust be washed with clean water. It 

 nmst be so done that the sheets of paper covered 

 with eggs be not torn. (An author advises to 

 strengthen them with threads of cotton or silk, 

 basle<l at disUnices according to their length and 

 l)readlh.") 



FOOD FOR THK SILK WORMS. 



Kcuai-ki-tchi. — The greater part of the spring 

 silk worms have four moultings, all the others 

 have but three. The inhabitants of the country 

 of Voue express the idea attached to the word 

 mein, sleep (moultinjj) by the word yao, youth. 

 Thus they say : the first, second and third youth 

 of the silk worms. 



The Book on Silk Worms. — Three brilliant co- 

 lors are distinguishable in the silk worm : 



When they are of a shining white, feed them 

 moderately ; 



When of a dazzling blue they must be abun- 

 dantly fed ; 



When their skin is wrinkled, it is a sign thai 

 they are hungry ; 



VVhen they are of bright yellow, diminish, by 

 degrees, their food. 



Thsi-min-yao-chou. — Whenever the silk worms 

 are fed, the window blinds must be raised up, and 

 closed again when they have finished eating. 

 The light excites an appetite in the silk worm, 

 (literally.: as soon as the silk worms see the light 

 they eat.) After a plentiful meal they grow and 

 become large. 



The Book on Silk Worms. — The next day, af- 

 ter the hatching of the silk worms, mulberr}' 

 leaves, or leaves of tche, dried in a well-aired 

 place, must be given to them. When the}' are 

 about the twentieth of an inch long, they wiJl eat 

 five times during the day and night. 



The ninth day they refuse food during one day 

 and night. This repose is called the first moult- 

 ing. 



Seven days after, they again moult, as the first 

 time. When they have eaten some leaves and 

 attained the length of the tenth of an inch, they 

 will feed six times during the day and night. 



Seven daj's after they moult as before. 



Five days after they leave off eating. This ab 

 stinence lasts for two days, (the sixth and seventh 

 days ;) it is called ta-mien, or the great moulting. 

 Then the silk worms eat but half the leaf They 

 will feed eight times during the day and night. 



Three days thcrealier they have a great appe- 

 tite ; then they will eat the whole leaf. They 

 will feed ten times during the day and night. Be- 

 lbre three days have elapsed, they begin to work 

 at their cocoons. 



When the silk worms begin to feed, after each 

 moulting, leaves must be spread lightly over 

 them. If the leaves are thrown in upon them, 

 sensations will be produced destructive to their 

 appetite. 



Observation by the Translator. — The preceding 

 extract relates to silk worms of four moultings, the 

 raising of which lasts a longer time than that of 

 the ordinary silk worms, that is to say : silk worms 

 of three moultings. 



