1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



375 



or three minutes, spread them upon a table, and 

 with a scraper, or knife, not very sharp, separate 

 the eggs from the cloths. Put them in a basin 

 and pour water on them, gently stirring them. 

 Those that are not good will float, which can be 

 skimmed ofl and thrown away. To take the rest 

 from the water, filter them on a rag. Put them 

 in a clean basin and wash them again with some 

 sound light wine, and gently stirring or rubbing 

 them. White is preferable to red wine. Strain 

 ofl' the wine, spread the eggs on cloths, place 

 them on a tight floor, or on gratings, and in two 

 or three days they will dry. When they are well 

 dried, put them on pewter plates, or copper tinned, 

 in layers, not more than half a finger high, and 

 keep them in a fresh, dry place, free from mice, 

 until the time for hatching them. 



The greater number of cultivators of silkworms 

 buy the seed. The color should be well looked 

 to. It should be bright gray or asli color. The 

 yellowish or reddish eggs do not generally pro- 

 duce any thing. The white have already pro- 

 duced. 



To hatch them, artificial heat is requisite. This 

 is produced by the stove. The eggs should be 

 placed in cartoon boxes, in proportion to the 

 quantity they are to contain. A box six inches 

 square, with sides half an inch high, is sufficient 

 for an ounce of eggs. Number the boxes. There 

 should in the room be tables or gratings jutting 

 from the wall, and an inch apart from it. If there 

 are many of them, place one above another a 

 yard apart. Place the boxes on the grating so 

 that they may be conveniently examined. Let 

 them be kept separate, that the worms may not 

 pass from one to the other. 



Place the thermometer near the boxes to ascer- 

 tain accurately the heat of the place, as the cham- 

 ber may not be uniformly heated, the heat being 

 greater in the higher than in the lower part of the 

 room, and nearer the stove than at a distance. 



The eggs which are kept in the warmest place 

 are soonest hatched. The overseer should have a 

 man with a book to note, down his observations. 

 He should note down: 1st, the number of each 

 box, and the quantity of eggs it contains; 2d, the 

 day and hour in which the worms are hatched; 

 3d, the quantity of leaves that he gives them; 4th, 

 the degree of the thermometer and hygrometer; 

 5th, whatever may appear worthy of observa- 

 tion. 



Hatching of the worms. 



When every thing is prepared, and when the 

 mulberry trees have put forth their leaves, so that 

 after ten days they may supply the aliment ne- 

 cessary for the worms that may be hatched, the 

 overseer puts the eggs in a box, and marks the 

 observations mentioned in the preceding chapter. 

 The temperature of the chamber near the place 

 where the eggs are put, should be 63J,- ; this is 

 obtained by increasing the fire, should the tem- 

 perature be less, and by opening the ventilator, 

 and even the door, should it be greater. This 

 temperature should be observed two consecutive 

 days. On the third day the temperature is raised 

 to 66; on the fourth to 68; on the fifth to 70; on 

 the sixth to 72; on the seventh to 75; eighth, 77; 

 ninth, 79; and on the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth, 

 to 81 degrees. 



It is to be observed, that the earlier or later 

 hatching of the worms depends not only on the 

 heat of the stove, but also on the manner in 

 which the seed has been kept during the course of 

 the year. If it has been kept in a temperature 

 rather warm, it will hatch sooner, and vice versa. 

 When the time of hatching draws nigh, the seed 

 should be stirred once a day with a spoon — not 

 with the fingers. 



When the eggs assume a whitish color, indi- 

 cating that the worm is already formed within, 

 pieces of white paper are placed upon them, 

 pierced, that dust may not collect there. These 

 pieces of paper should cover the whole box. Up- 

 on the paper should be placed small twigs of mul- 

 berry, having three or four tender leaves, and 

 these should extend over the whole box. The 

 worms, almost as soon as hatched, pass through 

 the holes in the paper, and attach themselves to 

 the leaves; the paper is then replaced by a fine 

 net. 



But few worms are hatched the first day, and 

 being kw, it is better to throw them away; but if 

 it is wished to keep them, put them in a corner of 

 the sheet, distinct from the others, which may be 

 hatched on the subsequent days, and in order to 

 make them equal with the last, on the two follow- 

 ing days give them only half the quantity of 

 leaves given to the others, as it is of much advan- 

 tage to have the worms alike. 



When the temperature of the apartment reach- 

 es 75 degrees, the atmosphere becomes too dry, 

 as the hygrometer will indicate, and may injure 

 their growth. Then place in the room two plates 

 of water, of about four inches diameter, and the 

 evaporation will temper the dryness. The room 

 for the worms is supposed to be prepared. 



When first hatched, they occupy but little 

 space, and may be left where they were born un- 

 til the third change, occupying as at first (the di- 

 rections are understood to be given for five ounces 

 of seed) an area of about four yards square; at 

 the second change eight, and at the third nineteen. 

 This being understood, gratings (made of reed in 

 preference,) sufficient for this area, are placed in 

 the room, and the corresponding numbers, written 

 on slips of paper, are attached to them. 



Whether the worms are kept in the room 

 where they were hatched, or removed to another, 

 the first day the thermometer should be at 75 de- 

 grees, for the heat should be diminished in pro- 

 portion as the worm grows, and gathers strength. 



If a cold unfavorable storm should retard the 

 developement of the leaves of the mulberry, and 

 make the cultivator apprehensive, for the fate of 

 his worms, the temperature should be diminished, 

 and this will retard the hatchings; and if the 

 worms are already hatched, will diminish, their 

 hunger. But it should not be reduced lower than 

 70, or 68 degrees, and the diminution should be 

 made gradually. 



When the newly hatched worms go out in 

 great abundance, and a bubbling of the worms is 

 seen, place twigs on paper with a number corres- 

 ponding with that on the box, so that those hatch- 

 ed at the same time may be near each other. The 

 twigs should not be taken up with the fingers, but 

 with a hook, so as not to touch the worms. The 

 twigs should be placed apart from each other, that 

 there may be room for placing between them 

 leaves finely cut, and the branches may beempti- 



