100 



FARMERS' REGISTER' 



raise the upper layers with the worms on, and 

 remove aU below. We found no ditficulty in 

 c caning our shelves in this way. 



During the whole time the worms are liicuing, at- 

 tention should be paid to cleanliness — that is, the 

 room should be kept free liom filih and bad smell. 

 In very hot weather, the windows should be 

 opened to give free air; and in cold damp weather, 

 if it can be done, fire should be U<»,pt in the fire place. 

 It is proper to observe, that unless the weather be 

 very cold, no oiher injury will be done the worms 

 than stopping their leeding and growth during its 

 continuance. We have had weather so cold as 

 to produce thin ice in our cocoonery, without other 

 injury to the worms, than stopping tlieir growth a 

 few days, that is, it required two or three days 

 longer to produce the cocoons than it would 

 have done, had not the cold weather occurred. 

 Therelbre, though it is always better to keep the 

 room moderately warm, by fire, ii necessary, 

 yet it is not indispensable to very (air success. 



Il' disease occur in the worms, particularly the 

 yellows, the best way is to take the sick worms 

 from the shelves, and throw them away as soon 

 as they are discovered. The yellows is both a 

 contagious and hereditary disease ; and hence, if 

 one worm is attacked by it, it will be sure to be 

 communicated to the others ; and, worse than this, 

 even if the sick worms get well, which they sel- 

 dom do, the eggs they produce are almost certain 

 to produce sickly worms, and, by this means, the 

 crop of the succeeding year will be lost. 



When it can be done, one or two days' sup- 

 ply of leaves should be gathered ahead, and kept 

 in a cellar, that no damage may be sustained dur- 

 ing rainy weather. But great caution should be 

 observed not to feed with lo ('Wet/ leaves. It were 

 better to give the worms wet leaves than wilted 

 ones. If kept in a cellar and occasionally shook 

 about, the leaves will keep three days in good con- 

 dition. Where no cellar is at hand, and where 

 you have plenty of trees, you can keep leaves 

 fresh three or four days, by cutting otT the tops 

 and branches of the trees, and setting the but- 

 ends in water. If the end of a branch be set in 

 water one inch deep it will keep the leaves fresh. 

 For this purpose, tubs might be used, and large 

 quantities of leaves kept in this way. 



The sun should never be allowed to shine on 

 the worms ; and if any of them are exposed to it, 

 the window should be so shaded by shutters or 

 blinds as to prevent it. 



Successive crops may be fed, if it be desired to 

 occupy the whole season, by keeping the eggs in 

 an ice-house, and bringing out portions of them at 

 each time ot hatchin<r. It is believed, that this 

 is a much better plan than commencing with the 

 whole at once. All new beginners should com- 

 mence in the spring, with one-half an ounce of 

 eggs, to be hatched as soon as the leaves put out. 

 From the cocoons Ibrmed by this crop, eggs for 

 next next year's use should be saved, and reelers 

 should be taught. The very best cocoons should 

 be selected to produce eggs. A ready calculation 

 of the number required, can be made by dividing 

 the number of eggs you want next year by 150. 

 Thus, if you want 100,000 eggs next year, divide 

 100,000 by 150, and the result will be 667 cocoons 

 required (or eggs. Let these not only be the best 

 cocoons, but be certain that they were the product 

 of healthy worms. Attention to this is one of the 



most important requirements of the art of silk mak- 

 ing. And it is a matter of much regret, that it is 

 not sufficiently attended to. Those who make a 

 business of selling eggs, are loo much in the habit 

 of selecting their best cocoons for niakifg sewing 

 silk, and leave the rubbish cocoons, and those 

 formed by sickly worms, merely for producing 

 eggs — to sell, not to use themselves, lor they know 

 the value of them too well. Hence, in purchas- 

 ing eggs, the utmost caution should be ob- 

 served in obtaining assurance of their quality. 

 The balance of the cocoons of the first crop, may 

 be used in teaching the reeler to reel. 



Many persons of course, have no ice-house in 

 which to keep the eirgs lor successive crops. A 

 very good substitute may be obtained in the use 

 of a well. 



A deep cold well will preserve the eggs from 

 hatching as well as an ice house, if they are placed 

 in it at the proper lime. If access to the well be con- 

 venient, the best way is to descend to near the sur- 

 lace of the water, take out a lew bricks or stones 

 from the wall, so as to make a place large enough 

 to contain the box containing the eggs, and place it 

 there. If there be a pump in the well, the box 

 will remain there securely. If not, of course, cau- 

 tion must be observed in drawing water, not to al- 

 low the bucket to interfere wiih the box; and the 

 place prepared lor it, should be on that side of the 

 well least exposed to ihe dripping in drawing up wa- 

 ter. It is also said, that a deep hole, say ten feet 

 deep, dug in the ground in some shady place,the box 

 of eggs placed at the bottom, and the top covered 

 with plank, has preserved eggs in excellent condi- 

 tion. I have never tried this ; but if the tempera- 

 lure in such a place be at or below 55° it will an- 

 swer the purpose; the coldness of the place, no 

 matter what place it may be, is all that is required. 

 But as we have so often remarked, the eggs must 

 be put in the cold place before the germ has com- 

 menced ; if not, even the coldest ice-house will not 

 prevent their hatching at or about the regular 

 time in spring. The egys ought to be put in the cold 

 place during the winter, belbre they have been 

 exposed io warm weather. If thus preserved, 

 portions of them may be hatched at any time dur- 

 ing the summer, and thus successive crops may 

 be raised. The advantages of successive crops 

 are these. A room that will only contain 48,000 

 worms at one time, can be made to accom- 

 modate that number seven times during the 

 summer, by hatching a crop every three weeks, 

 and keeping the young worms by themselves till 

 the old ones spin their cocoons, and thus 336,000 

 may be raised during the summer. One person 

 can attend to them, except occasionally, in clearing 

 the shelves, when more help for an hour or two 

 will be required. The person tlius employed 

 steadily tluough the season will become better 

 acquainted with the business, than could be the 

 case if only one crop were raised. 



As soon as the worms have formed their co- 

 coons, that is, four days after they begin to spin, 

 the cocoons should be gathered, and the loose 

 tow and filth stripped off as they are taken (i'om 

 the branches. The cocoons may then be reeled, 

 or must be cured. The process of reeling, has 

 been fully described in this Journal, and needs not 

 be repealed here, as also has the process of curing 

 the cocoons. Once more, however, let us urge 

 upon all persona the propriety of reeling their own 



