1839} 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



94 



two kinds of worms seem lo be suflering under 

 some disease which obstructs their moulting. 

 There perisli a number at each time lor moulting. 

 Three hundred of these, were separated this year, 

 at the third moulting, and placed apart ibr obser- 

 vation. It resulted Irom this trial, that more than 

 half of them could not moult, and were dead in a 

 few days. The large and shining ones died of the 

 gras, or yellows; and the others became contract- 

 ed and shortened in a remarkable manner. Their 

 bulk diminished more than lialf, and they were 

 soon in a stale of putrefaction. Among these 

 sick worms"which got through the difficulties of this 

 moulting, many sunk under the fourth; and none 

 made any other than bad cocoons. From this 

 fact, which, in my opinion, is at present incontesta- 

 ble, I conclude confidently, that it is best to hatch 

 at least one-fourth more worms than you intend 

 to rear. By this means, you can rid yourself, at 

 the different moulting?, of all the backward worms 

 which consume uselessly much of the leaves 

 and cause infinite trouble in attempting to equalize 

 them Willi those more advanced. For several 

 years. I have been using this method with success. 

 To put it in practice, it oniy requires at each 

 moulting a day's labor of an experienced hand, 

 who picks them out and throws them away. This 

 Httle expense is well paid for. 



II. It is best to keep an empty hurdle ready for 

 the moment at witich the worms are ready to be- 

 gin to spin their cocoons. This practice has two 

 great advantages. At first, that of allowing the 

 faggots of broom to be fixed at the first sign of 

 the climbing of the worms, and of its being done 

 with care, without the fear of seeing the worms 

 crushed under ihe unskilful hands of the opera- 

 tors; and of cleaning them more conveniently and 

 thoroughly than when they are upon the shelf on 

 which are formed the cabins: then, these boughs, 

 which ought always to be put on the upper hur- 

 dle, arc destined to receive the worms from the 

 lower shelves, which anticipate by some hours, or 

 even a whole day, the general climbing. This 

 process also permits you, before placing the 

 broom on the edges of all the hurdles, lo wait un- 

 til the greater portion show a disposition to climb. 

 When this moment comes, they are taken from 

 the shelf next below, and are placed on the high- 

 est which has been prepared for this purpose. 

 This hurdle is cleansed, the broom is put on it, and 

 the worms from the next one below are removed 

 to it, and so on, whatever may be the number. 

 In this manner, the lowest hurdle remains vacant, 

 and ought to be furnished with boughs to receive 

 from the upper hurdles the backward worms 

 which do not climb lor 24 or 36 hours at the la- 

 test. By this process, the worms are not put un- 

 der the cabins until they are ready lo spin; the 

 hedge is then covered with worms in a little time, 

 and as soon as it is perceived that those which 

 remain cannot find a place there, you must has- 

 ten to remove them, to prevent their suffering from 

 the filth of those which first climbed up. It is to 

 this method of proceeding, sir, that I attribute the 

 great advantage I have had, this year, of finding 

 very ihw worms called capelans. This fact is ea- 

 sily explained, by the vvorms which climbed first 

 being healthy and vigorous, while among the 

 backward are found a certain number which have 

 scarcely strength to climb the hedge, wlicre they 

 perish without ability to begin their work. 



III. In the twelve rearings I have made, I have 

 not found a single worm dead of muscardin. 

 Our climaie seems fitted to remove from us the 

 danger of this terrible scourge, which, in warmer 

 climates not unfrequently destroys whole laborato- 

 ries. I ought to tell you, however, that having 

 been in the liabit, for two or three years, of open- 

 ing all the cocoons intended for propagation, 

 whenever the butterfly failed to come out, I 

 have found from ten lo twelve which enclosed a 

 worm in the state of disease called muscardin, or 

 dragee. 



IV. Wishing to examine, myself, if it was pos- 

 sible to retard sufficiently the hatching of the 

 eggs, so as also to retard the rearing, in years 

 when foliage is backward, I made this year the 

 following experiment : On the same day that the 

 eggs were put in the chamber heated lo the tem- 

 perature of 19 degrees, I had a small number pla- 

 ced on a marble table, without any thing inter- 

 vening but a thin sheet of paper. This lable was 

 in a room the doors and windows of which re- 

 mained open a large part of the day, the tempera- 

 ture varying from 7 to 18 degrees. The eggs so 

 placed, have fully answered Ihe object, and ihe 

 worms were hatched four days after iliose which 

 had been warmed artificially. They have been 

 reared seperately, without much care, and have 

 succeeded well. This experiment seems to me 

 to prove two things : first, as I have already often 

 said, that worms hatched spontaneously yield 

 good products ; and secondly, that there are verv 

 lew means to impede, for any length of time, the 

 hatching when the proper season arrives, unless 

 by a procedure extraordinary, and always uncer- 

 tain ; for example, by means of ice-houses. Is it 

 not to be feared that infecundity of the eggs wil! 

 be produced by exposure in such a place Ibr a long 

 lime? It is not the cold exact I}', that I would 

 mosti}' fear, because in the winter of 1829 and 

 1830, the greater portion of my eggs for propaga- 

 tion were placed in a chamber, where the ther- 

 mometer descended more than once to 16 degrees 

 below freezing; and another small quantity which 

 was left attached to the borders of the shelves, 

 where the moths had laid them, was exposed to a 

 degree of cold as much as 2 degrees below 0, during 

 the most rigorous days of that memorable winter; 

 and, would you believe itsir! all ihese eggshatch- 

 ed well and produced fine looking worms. 



I shall have still farther observations to present 

 to you, but think it time to end my present letter. 

 In my next, I will tell you of our perplexities in 

 winding, and our efforts to overcome them. I 

 will also keep you informed of the progress of our 

 mulberry plantations, and you will be convinced, 

 sir, by my communications, that if we have had 

 to struggle for a long time against vexatious pre- 

 judices, they are on Ihe eve of disappearing li-om 

 our department. Private interests, besides, will 

 be the most able advocate lor the adoption of a 

 culture which produces so much for my country. 

 Amans Carrier. 



For the purpose of making the statement com- 

 plete, for the benefit of readers vvho have not the 

 2nd volume of llic Farmers' Register, an extract 

 will be taken from M. Carrier's sixth letter, which 

 was therein '^iven at length. 



