50 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



This collection is to be made with i-eference 

 to the various classes of society in a town, and 

 deposited in some central place, where persons 

 from all sections of the town, and of various pur- 

 suits and ages, can meet, according to arrange- 

 ments made to accommodate the wiiole 



they should be introduced, and the most efficient 

 methods of inculcating them. 



Not only the various subjects of instruction, but 

 the difl'erent faculties of tiie mind, viz.— judg- 

 ment, memory, temper ana imagination, iiiight 

 justly come under the consideration of this or 

 At one time, school teachers can meet, and | another committee. The object of such a corn- 

 discuss or illustrate subjects relating to their pro- ' mittee would be to give both efficiency and sym- 



fession, and consequently for the beuolit, not of ' merry to education. 



themselves, but of their schools, and through. From several State Lyceums a General Union 



them, for the benefit of the coimnunitv and the might be formed, to be called the American Lyce- 



^orld. urn, and to perform the duties of an American 



At 'the same or anotber time, misses and lads. Board of Education, in the .nost extensive sense 



young ladies and gentlemen, who frequently of the word. 



waste then- time hi schools with little chii.lren, or Under the patronage of the American Lyceum 



have passed the age lor common school inslruc- maybe published a Journal, or the Journal of Ed- 



tion, may meet, and receive in a weekl.* or semi- ucation : small, familiar and practical treatises on 



weekly course of exercises among themselves, or the sciences ; scientific, biograpiucai, or iiistorical 



mider the assistance of regular teachers, a clergy- tracts, &.c. for the benefit of the various town ly- 



man, a lawyer, a physician, a farmer, a mechanic, ceuins, schools, workshops, taverns, steam boats 



H merchant, or any gentleman or lady competent and private families. 



and disposed to teach, instruction fitted to their More than fifty societies upon this plan are al- 



age, pursuits and wants. ready formed, and from the greater or less suc- 



At the same place, and with the same opportu- oess which has uniformly attended their opera- 



nities, farmers can meet, to bring together their tions, and from the great increase of strength and 



own views and experience, and compare them efficiency which an extensive and General Un- 



with those related by authors upon the subject of ion of the plan could not fail to give to individual 



consideration, it having been auojiled at a previ- efibrts, it is most earnestly hoped that every town 



ous meetuig. By the aid of apparatus and tests, and village in New-England, at least, wih lake the 



the correctness of views or piineiples may, per- subject into early and serious consideration, to de- 

 haps, be tried by actual experiment. \ terraine whether they cannot, during the ap- 

 Mechanics can also make use of the same proaching auttmin and winter, participate in spir- 



place, library, apparatus and specimens, to iiius- \ it, and engage in the exercises, that they may en- 



trate subjects, and prove or test principles, which joy the benefits of an institution designed for the 



they daily use, and a knowledge of which would diffusion of knowledge and the benefit of tiie j-„oj ^„f\\ gfje^ the third moultit 



Sept. 5, 18-2g. 



fourth day the appetites of the worms begin to 

 decrease, preparatory to their first moulting, and 

 their food must be diminished in proportion as the 

 previous meal has not been completely eaten. If 

 the precarious heat of the weather has been de- 

 pended upon, the first change may not appear un- 

 til the sixth or seventh day. 



In the course ofTiie fifth day all the worms be- 

 come torpid ; during this period, and in the sub- 

 seo,uent moultiugs, they must on no account be 

 disturbed. A few begin to revive at the close of 

 the filth day; some leaves may be then given. 

 After the first mouhing, the worms are of a dark 

 ash color. 



SECOND AGE. 



As the -svorms are fond of the young twigs, 

 some of these should be sjiread over them with 

 the leaves attached, upon which the worms will 

 immediately fasten, and they may then be remov- 

 ed to a clean paper ; or lay a strip of chopped 

 leaves near the worms, and they will leave the 

 old food. 



The litter is to be taken away ; but as some of 

 the worms often remain among the old leaves, 

 they ought to be examined. To this end, the Ut- 

 ter should be removed to another room, spread 

 out on a table, and a few twigs placed over it, on 

 which the worms, if any, will mount, when they 

 may be added to the others ; this rule must be at- 

 tended to after every moulting. Ten per cent, is 

 sencraliy allowed for loss of young worms. The 

 two first meals of the first day, should be less 

 plentiful than the two last, and must consist of tlic 

 most tender loaves ; these must be continued for 



increase both their satisfaction and -success in their ; world, 

 •iseful pursuits. •> 



Societies of females, for literary or benevolent 

 purposes, might improve the same opportunities, 

 to give interest to their meetings, and greater ef- 

 ficiency and usefulness to their exercises. 



Besides exercises fitted to the pursuits or the 

 wants of particular classes of society, others of a 

 more general or popular character may be intro- 

 duced, such as popular lectures on the sciences, 

 or any other subject of useful knowledge and 

 common interest ; and these either by a citizen or 

 citizens, or by some one employed from abroad 

 for the plirpose. 



SILK. 



First Age — that is, until the worjis have 



PASSED TUEIR FIRST MOULTING, OR CHANGED 



THEIR FIRST SKIN. (Continued from our last.) 



The aiiartment must be light, but the sun must 

 not shine on the worms in any stage. 



Feed the worms with the most tender leaves, 

 four times a day, allowing six hours between each 

 meal ; give the smallest quantity for the first feed- 

 ing, and gradually increase it at each meal be- 

 tween the moultings. 



In about an hour and a half, the silk worms de- 



vour their portion of leaves, and then remain more 

 To strengthen and faeihtate the operations of ^^ ]„gg quiet. Whenever food is given, widen the 

 the several branch Lyceums, all in a county are | gpacgg for them ; scattered food may be swept in- 

 to be united by a Board of Delegates, who are to , ,q [(g place. 



meet semi-annually, to adopt regulations, and for- 1 Experiments may be made as to the compara- 

 ward measures for the general and mutual bene- j ,jyg advantages of using chopped, or whole young 

 " " ' " leaves. If chopped, a sharp knife must be used, 



to prevent the leaves from being bruised, and 



fit of the whole. A County Lyceum is intended 

 also to adopt measures for the benefit of scliools 

 in their district — to collect facts respecting their 

 state and their wants, suggest improvements, and 

 perhaps act as a Board of Examiners of school 

 teachers La the county, and of course to take the 

 place of town committees for that object. 



Each County Lyceum m a Stale is to appoint 

 one or more representatives, to meet perhaps dur- 

 ing the session of their Legislature, to organize 

 and adopt measures to advance the interests of 

 education. A State Lyceum may act as a Board 



thereby causing the exudation of water from them, 

 v/hicli would prove injurious. On the fourtii day 

 the skin becomes of a hazic color and looks shin- 

 ing, their heads enlarge and assume a silvei-y 

 ! brio'ht a|)pearance ; these are marits of their ap- 

 ' proaching first change. Their fond on this day, 

 therefore, may be diminished, or when these ap- 

 pearances take place, but not before. Enlarge 

 the spaces as the worms increase in size. The 

 leaves ought to be gathered a few hours before 



of Education ; and by appointhig committees for j they are used, that they may lose their sharp 

 specific object.", viz. one to examine and reconi- 

 aiend school books ; another to determiue upon 



rlie most es;ential branches in a system of popular 



If between the moultings any worms should ap- 

 pear sick, and cease to eat, they must be removed 

 to another room, where the air is pure and a little 

 warmer than that they have left, put on clean 

 paper, and some fresh leaves, chopped fine, given 

 to them ; they will soon recover, and then may 

 be added to the others. 



On the third day, the appetite of many worms 

 will be visibly diminished ; and m the course of 

 it, many will become torpid — tlie next day all an 

 torpid ; on the fifth day they will all have chang- 

 ed their skins ojid will be roused. 



The color of the worms in the second age be- 

 comes a light grey, the muzzle is white, and the 

 liair hardly to be seen. 



It must never be forgotten, that during the time 

 the worms are occupied in moulting, the food 

 should be greatly diminished, and no more given, 

 than will satisfy those which have not yet become 

 torpid on tlie first day — or those which have 

 changed their .skins before the others. 



THIRD AGE. 



During this age the thermometet must range ■ 

 between 71° and 73". The revived worms are 

 easily known by their new aspect. The latest 

 worms should be placed apart, as their next moult- 

 ing will be a day later also, or may be ])ut in the 

 hottest part of the room to hasten their growth. 

 This rule must be observed in the next moulting : 

 increase the spaces. 



The second day, the two first meals are to ba 

 the least copious, the two last the greatest, be- 

 cause towards the close of the daj', the worms 

 vcrv hungry. The third day will require 



ness ; they keep very well in a cool cellar three 



■lav.s; the leaves ought to be gathered ovei' night, grow ,. , 



- ■ revent the danger of about the same quantity as the preceding last 



The 



for the mormng-s meal, to pre. _ .,- -. ^ , ,. , i .i .-. /• 



education : the ,uoportionate lime and attention | collecting them in rainy weather. The leaves ; !«eais ; but on the fourth day, as the appetites of 

 proper to devote to each; the order in which must ba pulled carefully, and not bruised. Onthejtlic worms sensibly dimmish, not more than half 



