290 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[So. 5 



the silkworms have done with it, moveable frames 

 are made, by merely morticing cross and side- 

 braces into the posts near the top and bottom. 

 They may then be moved about conveniently. 

 When net hurdles are used, it is necessary to have 

 other shelves, with either board or paper bottoms, 

 to slide under the net hurdles two or three inches 

 below theni; to catch the filth that falls I'rom the 

 nettinfT above. Some have them made like the 

 frames of the hurdles, and covered with thin cot- 

 ton cloth ; others cover them with paper. But I 

 think thin boards will be found most convenient, 

 and, in the end, cheapest. The great object 

 to be gained in choosing the kind of hurdles 

 is, to accommodate the greatest number of worms 

 in the least possible space, and yet to allow them 

 sufficient room, with a free circulation of air, and 

 also to be convenient for leeding and cleaning. 

 The frames for the hurdles should theretbre, be 

 arranged in rows, with alleys between them, wide 

 enough to afford room for the attendants to pass 

 freel}'^, with, with large baskets of leaves. 'J'he 

 alleys ought to be, at least, four feet wide. 



Hatching the £ggs, and Feeding the Silkwoims 

 — next claims attention. The proper season lor 

 hatching the eggs is, when the mulberry leaves, 

 in an ordinary season, have attained the size 

 of half a dollar. Naturally, the silkworm will 

 hatch without human aid, simultaneously with 

 the developement of the mulberry leaf; but it is 

 best to keep them back a week or two if possible, 

 that the leaves may attain some size. If the egns 

 have been kept in an ice-house, it would be well 

 to take them thence to a cellar, and thence to 

 a cool room, leavinir them twenty-four hours 

 in each, and then to the hatching-room. A 

 sudden transition, from the low temperature of 

 the ice-house to that of the hatching-room, might 

 injure them. When they have been kept in a 

 cellar, they ought to remain a day or two in 

 a cool room before exposure to the warm hatching- 

 room. If the Aveather be warm, the hatching- 

 room will be warm enough without arlificial lieat; 

 but, if it be below TO'^, it ought to be raised to that 

 degree bj' means of a stove. The hatching-room 

 may be any small room that can be conveniently 

 kept warm, and should be provided with hatching- 

 tables; these may be ordinary plain tables, of 

 a sufficient size to accommodate the number of 

 eggs to be hatched. A table ten leet long and 

 three feet wide, will accommodate a million. 

 The sheets of paper containing the eggs are 

 to be spread out on the tables, and left to hatch. 

 All that is to be done, is to keep the room warm, 

 and to increase the temperaiurp. gradually, for 

 which purpose a thermometer in the room is con- 

 venient. Altera liiw days' exposure in the hatch- 

 ing-room, the eggs will becin to hatch ; but very 

 i'ew will come out the first day, and need not to be 

 attended to. On the second day, a large number 

 will come out, and then mulberry leaves must be 

 laid over them, when the little worms will soon 

 attach themselves to the leaves, and must be re- 

 moved to another table, by taking hold of the stem 

 of I he leaf, and bearing it to the table. The table 

 should be marked, to indicate the first day's hatch- 

 inir, as the produce of each day must be kept sepa- 

 rate from the others. Thesame course must be pur- 

 sued with thti next day and the day following, but 

 not longer, fbr the few worms that do not come 

 out during the lliree days arc not worth attending 



to, and should be thrown away. The worma 

 always come out in the morning, and should be re- 

 moved to their tables and led immediately, ths 

 leaves on which they were removed being their 

 first meal, and will last them till towards evening, 

 when fi-esh leaves should be laid over them. 



Cutting the leaves. — Some persons direct the 

 leaves to be cut into small pieces while the worms 

 are small ; but I never could discover any advan- 

 tage in it, as the worms will cut them last enough, 

 as Mr. Whitmarsh well remarks. A young 

 worm, not two hours old, will cut through the 

 middle of the oldest and hardest mulberry leaf in 

 two minutes. In leeding the worms, my rule is, 

 to give them a i'ew leaves at a time, and to sup- 

 ply them with fresh ones as olten as they consume 

 them — night and day. It is directed by the French 

 and Italian writers, that a certain quantity, by 

 weight, must be given them a certain number of 

 times each day ; but I have always Ibund that 

 they do best, begin to spin their cocoons soonest, 

 and make better and more silk, when ft^d as much 

 as they can eat, night and day, from the time they 

 are hatched till they begin to spin. 1 do not re- 

 commend large quantities of leaves to be laid 

 upon the hurdles at one time; but rather moderate 

 ones, and that they should be continually watch- 

 ed, and supplied with liesh food as olien as the 

 former sup|)ly is consumed, or becomes in the least 

 wilted, even if they require feeding every hour. 

 I cannot sufficiently impress upon the njind of the 

 reader the importance of this rule. On a previ- 

 ous page, I have given the results of the contrary 

 practice and that here recommended, in parallef 

 columns, and I once more assure the reader of 

 the correctness of those results. It may startle 

 some persons to be told that they must attend to 

 (he worms at night, and therelbre it is as well to 

 inform them that they need not do so; that they 

 will make excellent eilk and a fair profit, too, by 

 leeding well during the day; and giving them a, 

 full feed on leaving them at night. But they must 

 be informed that, for every two nights they omit 

 feeding the worms, one day will be added to the 

 time of feeding, and that the produce of silk will be 

 dinnnished in proportion as the time is lengthened. 



The moulting {or shedding of the skins) of the 

 worms, takes place four times, and generally from 

 five to seven days apart, depending on the manner 

 m which they are attended. Those led upon the 

 high pressure system, (above recommended,) 

 will moult every lour or five days ; and those fed 

 upon the ordinary system will generally moult 

 every seven to nine days. These periods of 

 moultin<x are of no other interest to the attendant, 

 than affording convenient periods Ibr cleaning the 

 hurdles, which should be done as soon as the 

 worms revive. The times of moulting will be 

 readily seen, by the worms neglecting their food, 

 concealing ihemselves under the leaves, &c., and 

 appearing to be asleep. At these times, no /bod 

 should be given them, nor should they be molest- 

 ed in any way. They generally remain dormant 

 about thirty hours. 



Cleaning the hurdles. — As soon as they appear 

 to have revived, some large fresh leaves shou'd 

 be laid on them, and as soon as they attach them- 

 selves to the leaves, they may be removed to clean 

 hurdles, by laying hold of the stems of the leaves, 

 as above directed. For the two first ages, this is 

 the best plan for cleaning them. However, many 



