148 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 3 



ments of a refined civilization. On the contrary, 

 Mr. Camiile Beauvais' first brood, gave him sixty- 

 seven pounds of cocoons, for each ounce of ego-s. 

 He has been constantly progressing, during the 

 years 1830, 1831, 1832 and 1833; in 1834, he ob- 

 tained 10 1 pounds ot cocoons. Ail these liicts are 

 generally linown. His last brood gave him 137 

 pounds; this brood was fi-om eight ounces of eggs, 

 and the worms were kept in a temj)erature equal 

 to from 18 to 20 degrees of lieat according to Reau- 

 mur's thermometer — [equal to 72 and 77 of Faren- 

 lieit.] They continued their labors tor thirty-seven 

 days, and consumed 16,830 pounds of leaves, llie 

 product of trees, halt" ot" which were gralled, and 

 the other half seedlings. They yielded 1,101 

 pounds of cocoons, of the most beautiful quality,' 

 large, firm, and of an adaiirable whiteness. It 

 does not appear, that such a result has been ob- 

 tained anywhere else, in any large establishment; 

 nevertheless, Mr. Camiile Beauvais, is the first to 

 inform you, that one of his pupils, Mr. Henry 

 Bourdon, who had recently left the Polytechnical 

 School, and is a proprietor at Ris, terminated an 

 experiment, in which the proportional product, 

 amounted to one hundred and seventy pounds of 

 cocoons, to an ounce of eggs. 



We have seen that an ounce of eggs produces 

 42,000 worms; Mr. Camiile Beauvais employed 

 eight ounces of eggs ; he should, therefore, liave 

 had 336,000 yilk-worms. He actually realized 

 1,102 pounds of cocoons; it requires, at Bergeries, 

 but 360 cocoons to make a pound; he has then ob- 

 tained only about 286,520 silk-worms. He lost 

 4,000, when they began to rise, to form their co- 

 coons, by the bad arrangement of" the lieaths, or 

 twigs, and an imperfect ventilation. He has then 

 lost in the first ages, including the eggs which did 

 not hatch, 45,480. 



It results from an analysis, which Mr. D'Arcet 

 has been so kind as to communicate to me, that 

 the air ot the magnanery of Bergeries, during the 

 Iburth age vvas slightly alkaline. Tlie water, 

 Avhich was there condensed, by means of a globe 

 filled with ice, and which was found to be as limpid 

 as distilled water, wag slightly alkaline. The ni- 

 trate of silver did not form a precipitate at the 

 moment of admixture, but it immediately af"ter as- 

 sumed a fiiint brownish red color. At this period 

 of the brood the ventilation was well regulated. 

 The air was so little altered, that it was difficult to 

 discover carbonic acid upon the tub of" water, and 

 ediometrical experiments made with this air, either 

 by phosphorus or deutoxide ot azote, indicated as 

 much azote and oxygen as the atmosphere; it con- 

 tained very feeble traces of ammonia, combined 

 with carbonic acid. 



At the period the worms began to ascend, the 

 ventilation, as has been stated, was interrupted 

 and in part suppressed, by the heath; the air of 

 the magnanery ceased to be pure. Mr. Henry 

 Bourdon, who made the analysis of" the air, found 

 it to be composed of 



Azote and carbonic acid 82,57 parts 

 Oxygen 17,43 



100,00 

 It is known that atmospheric air contains 79 

 parts ot azote and 21 of oxygen. It is apparent, 

 then, that the air bail become very much vitiated. 

 At this period the water in the magnanery, and 

 which was condensed, by the means of ice, was 



limpid; it had neither odor, nor savor, was alkaline, 

 and not rendered turbid by the addition of nitrate 

 of silver; but almost immediately assumed a faint 

 brownish red color, and that there was suddenly 

 formed, an abundant brownisii red precipitate, 

 which did not appear to have been perfectly de- 

 fined. 



An opinion can be formed of the effect produced 

 on silk-worms, which are constantly confined in 

 the magnanery, which is not properly ventilated, 

 by the fbllowing experiment, which i\Tr. D'Arcet 

 made upon some udiich were reaching their last 

 state, anil wliich were bred in a pure air; he con- 

 fined twelve large silk-worms taken in their fourth 

 state, in a quart bottle, in which had been placed 

 some mulberry leaves; at the end of twenfy-lbur 

 hours, the air contained in the bottle had diminished 

 in volume, was alkaline, and contained. 



Azote 79,11 parts 



Carbonic acid 17,50 



Oxygen, 3,39 



100,00 

 The air, therefore, in the bottle, was almost com- 

 pletely vitiated, one of the worms was dead ; the 

 others were shortened and shriveled, and of a dir- 

 ty greenish yellow color, and scarcely moved; 

 three died soon alter being placed on fresh leaves; 

 the eight others ate but little, three only made a 

 small (luantity of silk before they died, two 

 changed into the chrysalis state, without spinning, 

 and three died without spinning or chaniring. 



I have belbre stated, that Mr. Camiile Beau- 

 vais should have had 336,000 silk-worms, fi'om his 

 eight ounces of eggs. He then realized f"rom one 

 hundred eggs only 85,27 cocoons, and lost 14,73 

 worms and eirirs, which did not hatch. By ad- 

 ding to the 286,520 worms which spun, the 4000 

 which died, at the time of" ascension, we have 

 290,520, which completed their growth. These 

 worms consumed 16,830 pounds of leaves. Fresh 

 leaves contain, of 



Dried vegetable matter 32 parts 



Water 68 



100 



Each silk-worm, then, had eaten, in the whole 

 course of its liftj, 29 grammes of fresh leaves, or 

 6,28, g. of dry vegetable matter.* 



I have, gentlemen, pronounced the word Pu- 

 pils. Mr. Camiile Beauvais defines himself to be 

 a man of conviction and progression; but that con- 

 viction, that progression and his ardent and disin- 

 terested zeal loyally seeks to establish an empire, 

 an extension, in which their influences shall inde- 

 finitely increase. To attain that object, he has 

 gratuitously opened a school of theory and prac- 

 tice, whither resort the young projirietors from all 

 parts of France. This year they hurried — that is 

 the word, to his establishment, to the number of 

 fifteen. Among them are to be found, with Mr. 

 Henry Bourdon, the pupils of" Roville, the Mar- 

 quis Amelot, a large proprietor in Gatinais, the 

 son of Baron Mallet, who has an extensive sugar 



* Mr. D'Arcet has ascertained, that there are 5,oS 

 parts of azote in 100 parts of the dry vegetable mat- 

 ter of the leaves. A silk-worin, then, does not find in 

 all the leaves it eats during its whole life but 0,518, g. 

 of azote. Snic contains 11,33 parts of azote in 100. 



