50 



THE GENESEE' FARMER 



FebT19, 1831 



shine uj)on them. A cliiimber window that 

 fronts the south, is best lor this pnrpose. It 

 is advisable to cover the papers with a bit of 

 gauze ; and especial care should be taken that 

 they arc secure from birds and cats. Having 

 thus placed the egns in a proper situation, 

 leave them until tney begin to natch, and as 

 the young worms or larva: are warmed into ex- 

 istence, remove them to the place you design 

 to feed them, leaving the unhatched eggs un- 

 disturbed. 



The larvae or caterpillar, when it is first 

 hatched, is of a dark hue, but when full grown, 

 its colour is a croamy white ; it has a small cir- 

 cle on each side, at every joint — and two half 

 circles on its back ; its fret are six in number, 

 threo being placed on each side near its head ; 

 it has also ten holders, eight in the middle of 

 the body, and two at the tail. While it re- 

 mains in tho caterpillar state, or rather from 

 the time it is hatched, until it begins to spin, 

 tbc silk worm has four sicknesses ; during each 

 of these, which lasts about three days, the worm 

 quits its food, grows thicker and shorter, and 

 at length casts its skin. 



As soon as the worms begin to come out of 

 their egijs. you must procure some young mul- 

 berry leaves, and if they are not to be had iin- 

 media'ely, lettuce leaves, which place in the 

 receivers, and as the young worms are hatch- 

 ed, place them to feed upon the leaves. At 

 this early stage of their existence, the silk- 

 worras are so small and tender that thev ought 



to be taken from tho hatching papers to the re- 

 ceiver on the point of a feather, 

 hair pencil 



Although lettuce-leaves maybe used for the 

 first three >r four day;-, mulberry-leaves, the 

 natural food for silk-worms, must be procured 

 as soon as possible, and for the first week of 

 their lives, they ought, in fact, to be led on no- 

 thing else. The receivers or trays should be 

 cleaned out every morning; and while little, 

 the worms should be removed with care, by 

 means of a hair or feather. When they are 

 about one third grown, it is as well to put new 

 leavei into the trays on the top of the stale 

 ones, the worms will soon leave tho latter for 

 the former, and then you may take the leaves 

 and worms together out into clean trays. — 

 When the worms are large, you can lift them 

 from one tray to another in your finger , ta- 

 king care not to squeeze them. Until they ar- 

 rive at their first sickness, it will be quite suffi- 

 cient to afford them leaves once a day ; thence, 

 until their thirJ, they shuuld be fed twice a 

 day, increasing the quantity of leaves at each 

 time ot feeding, according to their growth; 

 and from their third to their fourth sickness, 

 they should be fed three times, and if it is ve- 

 ry warm weather, four times a day; and after 

 the fourth sickness is past, the worms should 

 have as many leaves as they can eat. They 

 will consume more food during the few days 

 that succeed their last sickness, than in the 

 whole of the previous part of their lives. In 

 all cases, the leaves should be dry and fresh 

 as possible. If they have been closely pack- 

 ed, they should he dryed. 



If the Weather he not unseasonable, the 

 ■worms should have plenty of air, especially 

 after they have got over their last sickness. 



They must be frequently cleansed too, as 

 they make much dirt ; their trays should he 

 more commodious, and also deeper than those 

 usod for the worms when smaller ; otherwise 

 they may crawl out and be destroyed. At the 

 end of forty or furty-five days from the time 

 of their being hatched, they begin to change 

 to,a clear transparent pin'* or flesh cilour par- 

 ticularly on their taiK: soon after, they grow 

 restless, and refuse their food. When these 

 symptoms are perceived, it is time fur you ij 

 prepare'for their spinning. 



THE COCOON. 



As soon as the indications mentioned in the 

 last paragraph are perceived, roll up small 

 square pieces of paper, corner-wise, and pin 

 '.tiem to a tape stretched across the wall of a 



oom. and with the pointed end downward. — 

 When a worm has altogether quit its food, place 

 it in one of these little work-shops, as they 

 may with great propriety be called, for in these 

 the worm spins its silk. It disposes of its 

 web in such a manner as to leave a cavity 

 within; this is called the cocoon; and here 

 the worm again casts its skin, and changes its 

 appearance altogether, becoming short, iluck, 

 anil enclosed in a hardish, dark-brown, shining 

 case. It is now called an aurelia, chrysalis, 

 or nympha. It should be left undisturbed in 

 its labours, until, by gently shaking the co- 

 coon at the ear, the aurelia may be heard rat- 

 tling within. It is then pruuer to wind off the 

 silk. 



WINDING. 



Were the cocoon to be left for about twen- 

 ty days after the caterpillar has become an au- 

 relia, it would effect another change in its ap- 

 pearance, and become a moth, and eat its way 

 out of the cocoon. This, however, must noi 

 be suffered, if the silk is to be preserved. The 

 loose outward silk is to be removed, and the 

 cocoon should then be placed in warm water, 

 in order that its end may more readily be f jund, 

 and also that the silk may be more easily 

 wound off. A common card is often used for 

 this purpose, but those who have large stocks, 

 wind the silk off, joining second threads to- 

 gether, by meaas of little reels. In those pla- 

 ces where the silk is wound off for the purpose 

 of commerce, a certaiu number iinly of the 

 cocoons are preserved for the purpose of pro 

 ducing ag!(s, and laid aside. The others are 

 placed in boiling water, and the nympha thus 

 killed. The silk varies from white to reddish 

 yellow, but the lightest cocoons are the most 

 esteemed. 



THE MOTII — LATINO. 



All the silk being wound off, the aurelia, or 

 grub, must be placed in a l-ttle bran, juet under 

 the surface ; in this situation it will effect its 

 change as soon as if left in the cocoon. As 

 soon as the moths have emerged from their 

 shell, place them together, in paper trays,' sim 

 ilar to those in which they were fed. (-'over 

 the bottom of the trajs wilh clean white pa 

 per, for the mollis to lay on. The male nyui 

 iha are much smaller than the female, and are 

 in general about one half their weight. Their 

 existence in the moth state is but brief; the 

 female lays her eggs soon after she assumes her 

 wings, and dies a day or Iwo after; the male 

 frequently drops off before the female has 

 finished laying. The moths eat noihing ; they 

 flutter about with their wings, but do not fly ; 

 and are by ,10 means admirable for their exter- 

 nal appearance, being ordinary in shape, and 

 almost entirely of a pale yellow, or mealy co- 

 lor. The eggs should be put away in a draw- 

 er, or other secure dry place, upon the papers 

 on which they are laid, for nse, in the follow- 

 ing spring. 



When silk-worms are bred to a large ex- 

 tent, the females are placed to lay on a coarse 

 cloth, and when the eggs have acquired an ash 

 colour, the cloth is immersed in fresh water, 

 which dissolves the mucilage that makes the 

 eggs adhere ; they am then collected, proper- 

 ly dried, and carefully preserved for the fol- 

 lowing year. Particular care should be taken 

 that the trays for laying be not only out of 

 reach of cats and birds, but that hey be not 

 placed near, cobwebs, lest the moths should 

 crawl out, and become a prey to the spider. 



doubt in my mind but that the Carolina Potato 

 will succeed, and may yet become a staple cu- 

 linary article for domestic use, and lor market, 

 and even forexportation to the eastern counties 



I have tried several times to keep the sweet 

 potato purchased 111 New York, over winter : 

 but have not been able to sneced. Ill one case 

 I took a common glass box, clean soarse sand 

 well dried, and with an aliernate layer of sand 

 and roots, filled it stratum super stratum, till it 

 was full, closed it weli, and put it in an inner 

 cellar which was of brick with a good plank 

 floor, and which was warm and dry; in the 

 spring my box was not half lull, and my potatoes 

 all gone — vanished into " air, thin air," and 

 nothing left but wet sand, and a very thin skin 

 like dead leaves. 



I once asked a Virginia skipper who war 

 selling the ariicle in INew York, how they 

 managed to keep tlieio over the winter. Why 

 said he, " I reckon it is tho easiest thing in nit- 

 lur, you must first dig a big hole in a sanri 

 bank, then tote your taturs in a cart and dump 

 them in, cover 'em with pine skadou>s, and so 

 heap up the sand on the top, and I Tcclion you 

 will have no trouble." . 



1 am this winter trying tho experiment, but 

 am told it will not succeed, hut why, I am una- 

 ble to divine, if the doctrine broached bv 

 some of your correspondents, be true, that 

 seeds, tree*, and amphibious animals, will lie 

 buried for centuries, if they are below the- 

 reach of heat, light, and air, without loosing 

 their vital energies. 



I remember of seeing in two or three instan- 

 ces, sweet potatoes selling m the Rochester 

 market, which were the growih of the neigli- 

 boriiood ; ami I am told thai a Mr. Miller, wiio 

 lives on the Ridge Hand has made quite a con- 

 siderable and profitable ijusmess of it. If he 

 or any of your readers should be able to eluci- 

 date this uubjeutjby their own experience, they 

 would perhaps perform ihat benefit to their 

 fellow citizens, which is said to exceed all the- 

 abstruse and Hypothetical speculations of mo- 

 dem philosophy, viz — '• muke one blade of gran 

 grow where none gicw before." DICECIA.* 



FOR THE QENKSEE FARM1.R. 



SWEET POTATOES. 

 Messrs. Editors— Your correspondent, II. 



G. S.. in your last paper, has given very plain, 

 easj , and intelligible directions for the cultiva- 

 tion of the sweet potato Now if be would 

 inform us how we arc lo preserve the tubers 

 through the winter for seod, he would com- 

 plete the object of his intentions, and render 

 1 great benefit to this region of country, which 

 from the ease and safely with which the peach. 

 Grape, almond, &s. is propagated, leaves no 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



HT Can H. G. 8. or any of the readers of 

 the Genesee Farmer, inform me where the 

 slips of the sweet potato can be had in this 

 section of country ? I have long been of the 

 opinion that they might be cultivated here, 

 but hitherto have no', been able to procure 

 seed. O. W. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



How beneficent has been the author of na- 

 ture, in supplying the necessary wants of man, 

 in great abundance. Water which is of the 

 first necessity, is every whereto to be met 

 .vith — Iron, which is the most valuable of any 

 of the metals, is found in every clime — Sail 

 so necessary to the comfort of man and beast, 

 is disseminated throughout the globe. 



The following extract is taken from a work , 

 written by Dr. Van Rensselaer, of New Y'ork, 

 and published in 1^24, and now copied r ron> 

 an English Journal. O. W. 



OS THE USK OF SALT IS AGRICULTURE AND 

 MANUFACTURES. 



Sal ammoniac, or muriate of of ammonia, is 

 made in abundance from common salt. The 

 manufacture of this article was abandoned in 

 England in consequence ofthe heavy duly of 301. 

 pr ton being laid on salt. In consequence, how- 

 ever, of bittern, from the salt works, being allow- 

 ed in Scotland for the manufacture, the price has 

 been redured nearly one half. In the maim- 

 factures of glass, salt is largely employed: so- 

 da, which is procured from common salt, is u- 

 sed for plate glass ; potash for llint glass ; and 



CO u.ii salt, with kelp, for crown glass. I11 



England, the heary duty on salt, is almost a 

 prohibition to its use for those purposes. — 

 Oxvmuriate of lime, and other oxyiBtiriatia 

 sails, employed in bleaching, are made from 

 salt, and consume a large quantity of it in the 

 111 in ufceture. Spirit of salt, or muriatic acid 



