472 



FARMJERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 8 



ehoultl be taken to place all the liule branches at 

 suitable distances, so that they, as well as ihe in- 

 tervals between, can be covered equally with 

 leaves ; and that the worms may be distributed 

 equally every where. The space which they 

 ouirht then to occupy, is 20 inches square. The 

 sheets of strong paper ought to be 23 inches long 

 and 21 broad. 01" these, the worms should not 

 occupy but 10 inches square, in the middle ; and 

 the worms hatched from one ounce oC effgs, will 

 therefore require four of such paper sheets. That 

 will suffice until the end of the first moulting ; for 

 their extent of surlace being Ibur-times that of the 

 little box, there will be no need of moving the 

 woriTis at all, during that time. The worms 

 should then be fed with a few young and very 

 tender leaves, cut up equally into small pieces, 

 spread equally upon and belvveen the branches, in 

 order that the worms may cover them regularly. 

 And if, by chance, the worms should gather to- 

 gether too thickly in some places, some whole 

 leaves should be put on these places, and after 

 enough of the worms have crept upon them, these 

 leaves should be put iti spots the least supplied 

 before. These should be led as the first; but no- 

 thing should be given to them before the sheets of 

 paper are completely furnished, in order that they 

 may all together receive their second meal. 



As the whole number of worms designed to be 

 raised together, will scarcely hatch in less time 

 than 48 hours, all the earliest hatching will have 

 gained some increase of size before the last ap- 

 pear, which difference of time is caused by the 

 diflerence of heat in different parts of the room. 

 Eut this difference of size will disappear soon, 

 upon giving the most food to the latest hatched 

 Avorms. They will soon be as large as the older 

 ones. 



After all that has been said, it may easily be 

 imagined that there will often be more than three 

 days required to hatch all the silk-worms desired 

 to be obtained from a certain quantity of eggs. 

 For, if the moths, according to the temperattjre 

 in which they are kept, take from ten to fifteen 

 days to appear, and come out of a certain quantity 

 of cocoons, it is clear that their eggs will also be 

 laid in the same space of between ten and fifteen 

 days. But it would be difficult to explain why 

 eggs which are all put to hatch the same day, ex- 

 posed to the same degree of heat, do not permit 

 their worms to come out at the same time. It 

 can only be attributed to the peculiar constitution 

 of each egg, and the care taken to confine them 

 to the degree of temperature which suits them best. 

 Ft is not the less true that a culturist who has 

 but one little box of eggs, and ol" which the worms 

 are all to be hatched and reared in the same 

 <^hamber, ought not to count upon raising the first, 

 and siill less the last hatchinsr; not that they are 

 not good, but to avoid the trouble caused by the 

 difference of age. Those persons who hatch 

 many silk worms, awd trust their rearing to other 

 persons, ought to keep together all of the same 

 day's hatching, and never mix the first with the 

 last. It is much better to lose the worms hatched 

 the first day, and all the eggs not haiched on the 

 third, than to be troubled with the care ofthem. 



As to those which have to be carried to labora- 

 tories far from the hatching-room, it is nec^essary to 

 plfice the whole ounce upon a single sheet ol' pa- 

 per, in a single square of 18 inihes, u'hich is di- 



vided into four. By passing the hands beneath 

 the litter to which the worms are attached, and 

 making the fingers penetrate to the middle, the 

 separation is made with facility, observing to di- 

 vide them as equally as possible. 



If these early attentions are neglected, a large 

 proportion of the worms will be lost, even if they 

 do not come [to the different changes of condi- 

 tion] very unequally, and do not contract particu- 

 lar diseases which will be described hereafter. 



For the i^reater facility of transporting to a dis- 

 tance all the worms which have been hatched 

 together by artificial heat, use may be made of a 

 close box, or case, made in the form of a small 

 book-case, with folding doors ; but of which the 

 shelves are only two inches apart. The shelves 

 are moveable, and slide in parallel grooves. The 

 case has two handles, or straps, on the posterior 

 lace, to enable it to be fixed to and carried on a 

 man's back or shoulders. If such a box or case 

 cannot be readily procured, a common scuttle, 

 (hotte) or hamper, may be substituted, taking 

 care that the worms are not exposed to cold. To 

 secure this object, the case should be covered with 

 paper well secured with paste. The shallow 

 paste-board boxes, containing the young worms, 

 will be placed on the shelves, which will leave a 

 space of 1:\ to 2 inches above the worms ; which 

 will aflxjrd room to sprinkle over them tender mul- 

 berry leaves, cut up into fine slips. If the journey 

 is to be of much length, it should not be made but 

 in the mildest part of the day, between 11 o'clock 

 and 2 or 3 at latest. In the morning, and still 

 more in the evening, the atmospheric variations 

 would be injurious to the worms. 



If the embryo worms experience any damage 

 from the alternations of heat and cold, they will 

 suffer much less when the temperature becomes 

 four degrees colder, than when it becomes as 

 much warmer. As to the light, its influence is 

 of a kind so little marked, that it would be dif- 

 ficult to perceive its effect. If, in the morning, 

 when the sun strikes directly on the windows, the 

 worms are seen to appear in greater quantity, it is 

 solely on account of the increase of heat. If all 

 thinss were equal in the preliminary dispositions 

 in relation to the brood, it is certain that they 

 might almost all hatch at the same time. And 

 when the worms are to be distributed among other 

 persons, to be fed and reared, they should be given 

 out upon sheets of paper which can contain an 

 ounce, all hatched at the same moment. That 

 will facilitate the proper division of the worms, as 

 hatched on the first, second, and third days. In 

 the stove department, no good eggs can pass 

 the third day without hatching. 



CHAPTER III. 



The different ages of the silk-ivorm. 



The most important part in the management of 

 silk-worms is to know well, and to maintain steadi- 

 ly and without variation, the degrees of heat, and 

 the temperature, which is most, suitable and bene- 

 ficial to them, during the term of their existence. 



It cannot be said that the silk-worm is endan- 

 jrered by any degree of heat of the climate of 

 France, however considerable it may be. Ori- 

 ginally from Asia, it supports in its natal country a 

 heat certainly more powerful than any which it 

 can experience in Europe. But it is hurt by any 



