No, 124.] 267 



Rogers, has been feeding all summer. His last worms wound' up 



Sept. 20, he says they did as well as the first. They were the mam- 

 moth sulphur, fed in an open Sam, on board shelves, took the wea- 

 ther as it came, were healthy and wound up well. 



7th. I believe I can give the cause of the loss of my last worms. 

 My first two crops did well, the third were kept in a close room till 

 past their third moulting, many had died when they were taken to 

 the cocoonery. My fourth crop were then coming on in the cocoon- 

 ery; it rained and turned cool. The third crop would not wind, but 

 wandered about. I darkened the room, but it did no good ; I built 

 a fire in the stove, they did better ; but the building had to be closed 

 to warm it. My young worms were then twelve days old, had pass- 

 ed their third moulting. I never saw anything to equal them. They 

 all came out of their moulting within three hours of each other, each 

 time, on the 4th, 8th, and 12th days j on the 12th day the building 

 was closed ; on the 15th they commenced dying by thousands, at 

 first I could not account for it, but soon found the cause was the 

 tcant of fresh air-, threw part of them away, put the rest out and let 

 it rain on them two days and nights 5 put them back, let them dry, 

 covered them with lime, and they commenced eating — a part wound 

 up. The disease they had was the yellows. The worms they came 

 from had no yellows among them for three years before. 



8th and 9th. I have made no trials, and have heard of none in this 

 county. 



10th. I am satisfied, to have successive crops, that young worms 

 s'aould not be kept in the same room or building with older worms. 

 Worms, when they are winding, sometimes need heat; it makes them 

 more lively, and they wind better. There should be fresh air let in 

 every few hours. Worms before they commence winding are better 

 without artificial heat than with it, in my opinion. 



A cocoonery should never be closed, only in extreme cases. To 

 retard the eggs, roll the papers in cotton batting, place it in a tin box 

 not air-tight, put batting around it, put it in a wooden box, close the 

 box, put it in an ice-house, in among the ice, even with the top of the 

 box, and cover it 18 inches with straw. My eggs kept in that way 

 came out perfectly dry, and did not hatch for 20 days, the best sign 

 of being well kept. 



I think the post-office department might make some arrangement 

 to carry silk-v.^orm eggs at say, 25 cents per oz. at most, while they 

 carry mammoth newspapers for 1^ cents. The same weight of silk- 

 worm e^o-s would cost three or four dollars. It is a severe drawback 

 on the business, and I think it might be remedied. 



I have not known an instance where worms were fed in any quanti- 

 ty in a close room, that they did well. It will not do to feed worms with 

 tough, yellow leaves, it binds them up, and instead of spinning they 

 turn to grubs and waste their silk. Farmers that two years ago laugh- 

 ed at the silk humbug as they called it, are beginning to make some 

 inquiry on the subject. They are getting their eyes open. We 

 have no bounty on silk in this State now, and there is no way to come 



