208 THE MULBERRY TREE. 



the animal, but will never enable it to produce silk 

 proportionate to its weight. 



In various parts of France and Italy, many persons 

 rear Silk Worms, who have no means of supplying 

 them with food, except by the purchase of mulberry 

 leaves, which are brought to the market, and sold by 

 weight. It therefore requires not only judgment 

 but experience, to enable the purchaser to distinguish 

 such as are most nutritive. 



Great care must be taken to prevent the leaves 

 from heating, and thereby producing the first stage 

 of fermentation, which destroys their quality, and 

 proves too stimulating for the Silk Worms ; and they 

 ehould also be presented to the animals in a perfectly 

 dry state, otherwise contagious and other fatal diseases 

 will ensue. 



It is a remarkable fact, that no other insect what- 

 ever but the Silk Worm feeds upon the mulberry 

 tree; Various caterpillars have been put on the leaves 

 of mulberry trees, but they have always been found 

 to reject them. Even the Aphides, some species of 

 which are found on almost every other plant, have 

 never been discovered on this tree. 



THE END. 



EDINBURGH: 

 Printed by ANOBBW SHOBTIEDB, Thistle Lxa*. 



