S14 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 5 



perfectly well. Some, worms of the older lots 

 (hatched 13th) have became torpid. 



April 24th. — 8th day of first age. 



Morning. 2 P. M. 

 Temperature, ext. 52 80 68 



«< int. 65 75 75 



Clear. All the older worms, (hatchings of 13th 

 and 14th,) now torpid, and also some of the hatch- 

 ing of 16th. But little food given the latter. 



April 25th.— 9th day of first age. 



Morning. 2 P. M 9 P. M. 

 Temperature, ext. 60 86^ 69 



" int. 68^ 78-1 78 



Clear — and a continuation of a remarkable spell 

 of dry weather, for the time of year. All the 

 worms of 16th, torpid, which makes the end of 

 their first age. 

 April 26th. — 10th day, and 1st of second age. 



Morning 2 P.M. 9 P.M. 

 Temperature, ext. 54 75 50 



" int. 67 69 69 



At 6. 45 P. M., the interior temperature was as 

 high as 72. 



Largest leaves of the white mulberry (seedling 

 trees,) now 1^ inches long. 

 As indicated above, turning very cold at night. 

 After a state of torpidity and total fast lor 36 

 hours, (two nights and the intervening day,) the 

 worms hatched the 16th revived, commencing 

 their second age. After a few hours more, (belbre 

 which they do not need Ibod, and will eat very lit- 

 tle, if it be furnished,) they were given tender 

 ehoots of mulberry, and were then moved to clean 

 places. The food had been of chopped leaves 

 until the last few days. Since, of whole leaves. 

 The litter was about an inch thick, yet dry, and 

 the scent as sweet as of newly made hay. 



April 27th. — 11th day, and 2nd of second aire. 

 Morning. 2 P.M. 9 P.M. 

 Temperature, ext. 42 86^ 71 



int. 59 76| 77 



Another very cold morning followed by a hot 

 day. Difference of extremes of exterior tempera- 

 ture, in 7 hours, 44^ degrees. 



April 28th.— -12th day, and 3rd of second age. 

 Morning. 2 P.M. 9 P.M. 

 Temperature, ext. 62 87 68 



" int. 70 81 791 



Cloudy and sultry by 2, and promise of rain, 

 but only a tew drops fell in the evening. 

 29th.— 13th day, and 4th of second age. 



Morning. 2 P. M. 9 P. M. 

 Temperature, ext. 63 82 65 



« int. 74 781 76^ 



Cloudy and sultry. 



Finished examining, with great care, the last 

 hurdles of litter from which any worms have been 

 transferred. The litter of the whole has now been 

 carefully looked through, for the purpose of know- 

 ing the precise number of dead, or diseased worms. 

 Only a single one found dead, and that was not a 

 quarter of an inch long. The sluggish and latest 

 revived worms (among which the sick would be, 

 if there were any,) of every lot have been put to- 

 gether into a separate place, as a hospital, to be 

 fed and observed separately, and to note the fact 

 of any being really diseased, or dying. This was 

 done until the fourth moulting, and the worms were 

 observed until known to be as brisk and as well as 

 any, when they were removed to difierei* lots of 



like states of growth; and I will here anticipate the 

 result of all these observations by adding that only 

 two more worms, making three in all, were found 

 dead, in the litter, or known to have died, in that 

 time ; and all these were such as had not reached 

 the first moulting; and these few might well have 

 been hurt by the removal from the mas.s of eggs 

 in which they were enveloped when hatched. 



This day by 8 A. M. some of the experiment 

 lot (hatching of 16th) torpid, or about to moult 

 the second time. By 2 P. iM . nearly all of them so. 

 Some very slight feedmgs, a single leaf at a place, 

 and that only where worms were seen in mo- 

 tion — and later observation induced the belief that 

 this was unnecessary, and hurtful. At 5.30 P. M. 

 none yet moulted, though many in slight motion, 

 which was not the case in the first torpid state. 

 (The oldest worms, hatchings of 13th and 14th, 

 and some of 15lh, which were torpid yesterday, 

 revived to day, and were transferred, on fresh 

 leaves, to clean places at night.) 



This is the end of the second age of the experi- 

 ment lot. The first continued from 17th to 25th 

 inclusive, (not counting the 16th during which 

 they hatched,) 9 days, which is 4 more than Dan- 

 doio counts, with his artificial and higher and re- 

 gular temperature. The second age has been 

 from 26lh to 29th mclusive, 4 days, which is ex- 

 actly his time. But the present size of these is 

 greater than he describes. He says that at the 

 close of the second age they are rather more than 

 6 lines. The largest of these, in their second tor- 

 pid state, are nearly or quite three quarters of an 

 inch. 



At 9.30 P. M. nearly all of this lot (16lh) still. 

 A few struggling to get off their old skins, but not 

 one yet has moulted. 



April 30th.— 14th day, and 1st of third age. 



Morning. 2 o'clock. 9 P. M. 



Temperature, ext. 61 82 65^ 



int. 72 78 76 



A fine rain last night, which continiied to 6 

 A. M. Never was rain more wanting in April. 



A few worms, of the experiment lot, had moulted 

 by sunrise, but the greater number were more quiet 

 than last night. By 12, nearly all had moulted, 

 and had dropped their black muzzles, and showed 

 larger new ones, of pale brown. 



By IP. M. led with fresh shoots, to transfer 

 the revived ; found it was too soon, as less than 

 half only rose to eat, and were lilted to a clean 

 place. 'Yet it was from 28 to 30 hours since the 

 last food was given that was needed, and 22 hours 

 since a leaf had been furnished. By 5 P. M. 

 transferred as m.any more as made rather more 

 than half the lot. The remaining slower ones, 

 still refusing to eat, were left on their old litter (not 

 shifted since first moulting,) Ibrexperiment. Thus 

 the lot hatched on 16th, is now divided, by differ- 

 ence of advancement, into two parts, which will 

 be designated, the former as No. 1, the latter as 

 No. 2. 



More and heavy rain in the course of the day, 

 and the air very damp. 



May 1st.— 15th day, and 2nd of third age. 

 Morning 2 P.M. 9 P.M. 

 Temperature, ext. 64 83 < ^'^^ l 



" int. 70 78 I noted. $ 



Showery in the morning— afterwards clear and 

 warm— and rain again at sunset. 



