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by the changing of the skin they should be fed with a 

 very sparing hand. The signs by which it is known that 

 worms are sick and about to change their skins, are these : 

 they hold their heads up, are motionless and appear to 

 sleep ; this should be noticed. 



During the second age it is advisable still to continue to 

 feed your worms with leaves from the young plants, as 

 they are still preferable for them. You must now begin 

 to be attentive to clear away the litter from time to time, 

 so as to prevent all danger from its heating, which proves 

 highly injurious, though some people never clear away 

 the litter at all. These insects are remarkably fond of 

 cleanliness, which besides helps to enliven them and 

 gives them a keen appetite for the leaves that are given 

 them. The litter is taken away in the following manner ; 

 you scatter some fresh leaves upon one corner of the shelf, 

 to which the worms having attached themselves, which 

 they will readily do, you thentake up the worms by means 

 of the leaves and stalks they cling to, leaving the litter 

 underneath. Having thus taken up all the worms from 

 that corner and placed them in a clean place, you then 

 clear away the litter from that corner and carefully sweep 

 together with a little broom or wing all the dirt, which 

 you remove entirely : you then remove the worms next 

 adjoining to the clean place thus prepared and put them 

 into it ; in this manner you proceed with the rest.* 



During the third age the full grown leaves of the 



* If the worms are laid on a newspaper, it is easy to take out the 

 newspaper, lay it on a table, and transport the worms, who generally 

 adhere to the leaves and branches, to another newspaper, which is 

 put on the shelf after sweeping it. The litter on the other one may 

 then be thrown away. 



