No. 85.] 501 



out ; accordingly a bucket of water was turned into the trough at the 

 upper end; of course the worms were carried out at the other end. 

 This immersion, as well as fasting, had not as was expected deprived 

 them of life; indeed, had made but little change in their appearance ; 

 they were therefore all secured, by placing a sieve at the lower end 

 of the trough, placed on dry shelves, food given them; and in order 

 to ascertain whether the drenching and fasting would have any unfa- 

 vorable effect, a particular place was assigned them; they went 

 through feeding in all respects as the others, and made as good co- 

 coons. 



Judging from this and other facts that subsequently came under my 

 observation, I feel warranted in saying, although drenching worms 

 for a short length of time before the fourth moulting may do them 

 no essential injury, yet nothing can be more fatal than to keep them in a 

 wet or damp place, particularly when about forming and completing 

 cocoons. Worms hatched May 28th and 29th, were put into the 

 cradles and on the lower shelves in the loft ; the last hatched on the 

 upper shelf, near the roof; as they approached towards maturity, it 

 was found that all were too much crowded, and about one-third were 

 removed to a shed. All continued healthy, and about the first of 

 July commenced winding. On the morning of the 4th, the tempera- 

 ture was 50°, — on the 5th, 48°, — and several succeeding days, about 

 the same. This was a severe shock to the worms, — indeed, it so para- 

 lyzed a considerable portion of them, (probably from 10 to 20 per 

 cent,) that they seemed to lose the power of making cocoons, grew 

 chubby and died. 



It was apprehended that the loft, in warm weather, would become 

 so hot as to have an unfavorable effect on the health of the worms. 

 But instead of this, the least loss was on the upper shelf, where the 

 last hatched were placed, and spun as early as the first hatched, and 

 made quite as good cocoons. From the fact that the worms, while 

 young, were not injured by being subjected to a temperature of 46°, 

 and about the same, at a more advanced age, had such a paralyzing 

 effect, that a considerable portion never recovered, it is inferred 

 that a warm temperature is more essential during the last than first 

 age of the worms. The product of the three ounces of eggs, was 

 two hundred pounds of good cocoons. It is deemed proper to men- 

 tion, that the lower story of the building is separated from the upper, 

 only by a partial floor, so as to give a free circulation of air through 

 the whole house. The windows have sliding shutters below, and in 

 the loft, a door at each end, but no windows or other openings in the 

 roof; also, that chloride of lime was placed, in small quantities, in 

 all parts of the building, and fine unslacked lime sifted through a 

 bag made of coarse cotton cloth, on the worms, in wet, damp 

 weather, immediately after feeding. This not only absorbed the 

 dampness, but is believed to have contributed to their general good 

 health. 



I found by experience that the chrysalides could not be destroyed 

 by the use of charcoal. A description of the plan, manner of fitting 

 up, &c., is not thought necessary. The experiment was, however, 



