F A R JM K R S ' li E G I S r E R 



589 



anoilier, especially when (his is done by sea, you 

 must onler ihem to be put inio a liolile, which 

 ouiiht not to be filled more thhii half fiill, that ihe 

 ejfif? mii^iit not lie loo close togiMJier, whii'h miizhi 

 run ilie ri.sli oT heatinif lliein, and caiising llieui to 

 IiaU'h. The lioiile being but half lull, leaves sul- 

 ficient room (u ihe eggs to be tossed upside ilovvn, 

 by the moiion of ihe vpgsel, which keeps tlieai 

 cool and I'rcsli, and hinders them fioai lieatin^r. 

 Afler pulling ilie eggs into ihe boiile, let it lie 

 carefully corkeil ; a cover of leather put over ihe 

 cork ; and let ihat be sealed, lo prevent any dan- 

 jxer of damaging ihe ^ff'^s. When corked and 

 .sealeil as above, put the t)olile into a douiile case, 

 or box of wood ; not only lo preserve ihe eggs 

 from all damp Iron) ihe sea, or oiherways, bui also 

 10 protect them from too much heat, which would 

 cause ihem lo hatcli. If the bolile is too full, the 

 eggs will lie too close upon one auolher, and will 

 in that case, heat of themselves, and hatch, and 

 consequently in both cases must be lost. 



The eggs that are duly impregnated by the 

 male butterfly are of a gray cindery color, which 

 color ihey preserve till they arc properly prepared 

 for hatching, as after-mentioned. The eggs 

 which are not duly impregnated, arc readily to be 

 distinguished from this circumstance, munely, thai 

 after having been kept lor some time, they alsvays 

 continue to be of a yellow color ; and i need scarce 

 add, that all such eggs are good for nothing, and 

 ought, therefore, to be thrown away. 'I'here is no 

 distinguishing between good and bad eggs, but by 

 ihe change of color, afler being kept for some 

 lime, as above-mentioned. 



One ounce of eggs will produce 40,000 worms ; 

 and so in proportion, for a larger, or smaller quan- 



tiiy. 



These things being premised, I shall now pro- 

 ceed to describe the method I observed lo be used 

 in France lor hatching ihe worms. In order lo 

 avoid the loss which must necessarily follow, if 

 ihe mulberry leaves should happen to be destroy- 

 ed by frost, afler you have begun lo prepare your 

 eggs, they reckon it advisable lo divide Ihem, and 

 prepare them lor liatching at two diflerent times, 

 at ihe distance ol' ten or twelve days, ihc one alter 

 the other. 



The advancement of the season determines tlie 

 time of preparing your eggs for hair hin<j, as you 

 proceed to Ihat as soon as you observe that there 

 is a prospect of having a sufficient quantity of ILiod 

 lor your worms, by the advancement of the leaves 

 of the mulberry. I>ut in order lo lie properly pre- 

 pared for ihie work, you must begin a mon'.h be- 

 fore the usual lime of hatching; first, lo put your 

 eggs in liltle divi^ions, from half an ounce lo an 

 ounce, which you must place upon a piece of clean 

 white paper, upon plates, |i)r example ; and put 

 those plates containing the eL'iXs in a place a little 

 warmer than where you had kept them during the 

 winter: (or example, if you have an alcove bed. 

 place them upon the shelf wilhin the alcove. Let 

 them remain in that situation for ihe first five or 

 six days, after which, you must prejiare some lil- 

 tle chip boxes, perfectly clean and neat, seven 

 inches long, lour inches broad, and four inches 

 high, and cover ihem on the inside with clean 

 white paper, into which, put Ihe different divisions 

 of your eggs, having a small box for each divi- 

 sion, and place these boxes in a basket, upon a 

 stool or chair, at the loot of your bed ; m;!king one 



of ibe mattrassee of your bed go underneath the 

 basket; and cover ihe basket on the top, first with 

 some cover of woollen cloth, which pin close over 

 it, <;nd above that place a bed cover above all, so 

 as to keef) in the iieat conmiunicaied by ihe mat- 

 irass to tiie eirgs ; in which situation, let them re- 

 main lor six days longer; after wtiich increase the 

 heat lo 14 degrees of Reaumur's thermometer,* 

 preserving ihat heat equal, night and day, by 

 means of a Utile (ire in some corner of the room 

 at a distance liom the l)ed. 



In ihe morning when you get up, put a healer 

 of one kind or other: for example, a tin bottle 

 with hot water, or a loot stove, into your bed be- 

 twixt the sheets, and proportion that heat so as lo 

 equal the heat you give to ihe bed, when you lie 

 in it yourself; keeping up the same heat as nearly 

 as you can, until you go to bed again yourself in 

 the evening. 



IJaviiiir kept ihem in this eiluailon for eight 

 or nine days, you nmst then put your different 

 divisions of eggs into little pieces of old linen cloth, 

 which must be washed thoroughly clean lor that 

 purpose, as ihe least dirtiness in the cloth would 

 prove prejudicial lo ihe eggs ; each piece of cloih 

 sliould be of the size of a Iboi square : turn up the 

 ends of ihc piece of cloth and lie ihem wiih a bit 

 of thread, as near to the top or end as possible ; by 

 means of which the eggs will lie loose, and can 

 be shook, and turned from lime to lime, without 

 untying the knoi : replace these packets in the 

 basket, and cover them up as before, turning and 

 shaking the seed in the packets three or four times 

 a drty ihat it may receive the heat equally. 



On pulling ihe eggs into these packets, increase 

 the heat to 14^- degrees of the thermometer, and 

 keep up that heat night and day as equally as 

 fossible ; for which purpose, have a couple of 

 thermometers in your room for your direction. 

 After the eags have remained in the little packets 

 for three or four days, increase the heat to 15 

 degrees; and in lour days more, if the weather 

 seen)s settled, and very promising, increase the 

 heat gradually lo 16 degrees, visiiing and turning 

 the eggs from time lo lime as before. 



When the eggs begin to turn while, and Ihe 

 mulberry trees are so fiar advanced as to be out 

 of danger fi'om cold winds, or slight degiees of 

 frost, increase the heat gradually lo 17^ degrees, 

 oris degrees at most, lo quicken the hatching of 

 your eggs?, and lo make ihe worms come out as! 

 nearly at Ihe same lime as possible. Eul never 

 increase ihe heat lo more than 18 degrees, because 

 a greato r heat never fails lo push the worms too 

 fast, and lo render them red at their first coming 

 out. 



When the worms are red at their first coming 

 out it is a sign the eggs have either been bad, or 

 ill kept over winter, or overheated ; that is, loo 

 much forced when laid lo halch. Worms of this 

 color are good lor nolhing, and are therefore lo be 

 thrown away, to avoid ihe expense of feeding 

 them, since they wid never produce cocoons. 



When the worms are entirely black, upon their 

 first appearance, it is a sign of their having been 

 perfectly well managed, which gives great hopes 

 of success. 



During the third age make use of ihe leaves 



* Or about 59 desrrees of Fahrenlieit. 



