242 



F A R IVl E R S' REGISTER. 



[No. 4 



if they are placed too near together, the strong- 

 est will feed at the expense of the weakest. 

 It is necessary to make the tour of the frames 

 ofien, and to visit them with care. Moreover, it' 

 the air does not circulate li-eely in the apartment, 

 and the door be suddenly opened, a I'atal wind 

 may penetrate, and a great number, consequently 

 turn red and die. When the silk worms are dis- 

 tributed upon the frames, it ought to he done in a 

 tender manner; they must not be thrown down, 

 or they will be wounded by striking against each 

 other. The health of a great number of silk 

 worms will sufjier, and afterwards they will become 

 what are called la'i-lao-ong; that is to say, lazy 

 old. men. They leave a red clirysali:^. 



Nong-saag-yao-tchi. — Two frames must be 

 placed below the one where the newly-hatched 

 silk worms are. When the sun has risen above 

 the horizon, a frame must be taken away and 

 dried until the setting of the sun. It must then 

 be replaced under the frame where the silk worms 

 are. I'he next day remove a frame again from 

 beneath, expose it to the rays of the sun and then 

 replace it, as at first. In that manner the silk 

 worms will naturally receive a mild and temperate 

 heat. That frame must be removed as soon as 

 they have eaten, after the second moulting. 



Same work. — There are some silk worms which 

 turn white and die; it arises from their having 

 been injured by damp exhalations, within a short 

 lime after their hatching. When the sky is clear 

 and serene, take three or four frames and carry 

 them quickly into the apartment of the silk worms, 

 after having exposed them lor some time to the 

 rays of the sun. Then as one fi-ame is removed 

 and replaced by another, so continue to chanire 

 them, until all the fi-ames of the silk worms are 

 sufficiently warmed by the heat of the sun. 



The country people, vulgarly say : "when the 

 dung of the silk worms is dry and scattered, it is 

 a sign that they are in good health." When the 

 dung appears in damp heaps, and of a shining 

 white, it announces that the silk worms are sick; 

 the frames must then be quickly changed. But 

 if at the time, when it is proper to change them, 

 a damp rain or a cold wind comes on, it' will not 

 do to remove them; the straw of rushes, chopped 

 to the size of a bean, must be taken, and one or 

 two bushels distributed on each frame; it must be 

 spread in an equal manner upon the silk worms. 

 Then a layer of fresh leaves must be placed over 

 them. Soon after the silk worms ascend to eat 

 the mulberry leaves. The bed of rush straw se- 

 parates the silk worms from the dung, and relieves 

 them from that inconvenience. As soon as the 

 sky has become serene, they must be removed to 

 other frames; if a person has no rush straw, the 

 rice straw will supply its place. 



Sse-nong-pi-yo7}g. —The silk worms produced 

 by three ounces of eggs, which occupy a sincle 

 frame at the moment of their hatchino-, will cover 

 thirty frames at the close, or last period of their 

 lives. In general, one tenth of an ounce of silk 

 worms, newly hatched, will furnish a fi-ame of 

 silk worms, in supposing that the fi-ame is as usu- 

 al, ten feet long, and two wide. If the frames 

 are of a smaller dimension, they oujiht to receive 

 a smaller quantity of newly hatched worms. If 

 they are too numerous for the space they occupy, 



they will find themselves close, and, consequent- 

 ly, serious accidents will result from it. 



Those persons who intend raising silk worms, 

 to cover more than thirty fiames, ought to in- 

 crease the number of Irames destined for the 

 young silk worms, (hatching silk worms.) 



Those who only raise a small quantity of worms, 

 can make use of baskets with small borders. 



Savieioork. — The third day, between ten and 

 twelve o'clock, three frames n)ust be placed upon 

 a separate stage. The hatching worms, which 

 have deposited a liirht bed ol" dung, must be 

 changed. It must be done with a delicate hand. 

 A quantity of silk worms which (at the moment 

 of their hatching,) occupied a space the size of a 

 square of a chequer-board, ought lo be distributed 

 upon the middle frame. 



REMOVAL, OP THE SII.K WORMS AFTER 

 THEIR FIRST MOULTING. 



Sse-nong-pi-yong. — Place four frames upon a 

 separate stage, and the worms which have depo- 

 sited a light bed of dung must bo changed. 

 When they have eaten abundantly, a quantity of 

 silk worms, which, at their hatching, occu[)ied a 

 space as large a man at draughts, will fill the two 

 middle frames; a quantity of silk worms, which 

 occu|)ya space no larger than a small piece of 

 money, will cover the third frame. 



REaiOVAL OF THE SILK WORMS AFTER 

 THEIR SECOND MOULTING. 



A f|uantity of silk worms, which at the mo- 

 ment of their hatching occupy a space no larger 

 than a small piece of money, will cover six frames. 

 When they have eaten abundantly, the same silk 

 worms will cover twelve frames. 



REMOVAL OF THE SILK WOR3IS AFTER 

 THEIR THIRD MOULTING. 



A quantity of silk worms, which at the mo- 

 ment of their hatching, occupy a space as large 

 as two pieces of money, will cover twenty-five 

 fi-ames. When they are all torpid, the bed of 

 chopped straw must be removed; they will then 

 fill thirty fi-ames. 



To remove and separate the silk worms, in a 

 proper manner, it must be done with promptitude 

 and tenderness. They must be separated from 

 one another, and an equal space left between 

 them, for fear they should wet themselves, and 

 reciprocally injure one another. The silk worms 

 evacuate freely; for that reason they must, abso- 

 lutely, be separated. When they have deposited 

 a large quantity of dung, it is necessary to remove 

 them to other fiames. If they are not separated 

 they will be too much crowded. If the frames 

 are not changed, they will be injured by the abun- 

 dant humors which they void. For that reason, 

 these two operations ought to be performed with 

 great celerity. 



The silk worms are weak and delicate beings ; 

 they suffer much from being rudely handled. 

 When they are small, they must be treated with 

 great care and a kind of affection ; but when they 

 have become large, there are few who pay any 

 attention in removing them. They are heaped 

 together, pell mell, for a long time, and they are 



