SILK. 



altogether, as by this means the la- 

 bour is increased, and casualties, as 

 frost, may deprive the grower of iiis 

 whole crop. The natural food is tlie 

 mulberry leaf, wliich should be fed 

 so as to suit the age of the worm, 

 the youngest worms receiving the 

 young leaves, and the full leaves 

 being fed to the large worms. In the 

 beginning, if mulberry leaves are 

 scarce, /(//i/fci will answer; but these 

 do not answer for the whole season, 

 but only at first. Mulberry leaves of 

 the previous year, carefully dried of 

 a green colour, and moistened for 

 use, will also answer for the early 

 crop of worms. The worms grow 

 about six weeks, but this depends on 

 the variety and state of the weatiier; 

 they moult, or change their skin, four 

 times in the season. Having com- 

 pleted their growth {Fig., d), they be- 

 come restless, and retire to crannies, 

 branches, or the corners of their 

 apartments to spin a cocoon ; here 

 the worm is changed into a grub, or 

 chrysalis ; this, in some 15 days, be- 

 comes changed to a moth, which eats 

 its way through the cocoon. The per- 

 fect insects live but two or three 

 days, the eggs being laid in this time : 

 the eggs are received on paper or 

 cloth, and dried before being put 

 away. 



The silk grower proceeds to obtain 

 the silk fibre from the cocoon before 

 these changes are completed, and de- 

 stroys the grub by alcohol, or boiling 

 water. Tlie cocoons are plunged in 

 hot water, and examined to find the 

 end of the silk fibre ; twelve or more 

 of these are now brought together, 

 and made fast to the reeling arrange- 

 ment. The best reel is called the 

 Piedmont reel, but this is to be tended 

 by experienced persons, and is best 

 set up at proper filatures, of which 

 there are many, especially at the 

 manufactories. Mr. Van Epps has 

 established one in New- York, and is- 

 sued the following judicious sugges- 

 tions to silk growers : 



" The nursery for worms should be 

 furnished with a stove for raising the 

 temperature in damp, cold weather. 

 Artificial heat may frequently be em- 



718 



ployed to advantage (particularly in 

 New-England), previously to the third 

 moulting, while the worms require 

 but little space and air. 



"We would here caution growers 

 against noise ; every preparation re- 

 quiring pounding or jarring should 

 he attended to before the worms aro 

 hatchcd,tiiateverythingin and around 

 the building may be pefectly quiet 

 throughout the whole feeding. 



" The feeding frames wliich we 

 use, and prefer to any other fixtures 

 we have seen, are very simple, com- 

 bining all the advantages of ' Gill's 

 ventilating cradle,' with none of its 

 disadvantages, saving much time and 

 some expense in their construction, 

 besides being a sure defence against 

 mice, rats, ants, and other enemies 

 of the silk- worm. Should any of our 

 readers be disposed to adopt our 

 plans, the following description will 

 be sufficient : 



" In the first place, attach the pie- 

 ces of timber designed for suspend- 

 ing the frames to the rafters, allow- 

 ing them to come down to within two 

 feet of the ground. These should be 

 about seven or eight feet apart at 

 the top, and four or five at the bot- 

 tom, which will cause the frame to 

 enlarge in nearly the same proportion 

 with the worms, and thus prevent 

 their becoming too much crowded : 

 this is the chief excellence (we think) 

 of Gill's cradle. Cross pieces sliould 

 be fastened at the lower ends of the 

 upright timbers, on which to lay 

 boards to receive the worms from 

 the nursery. About two inches above 

 these boards should be placed sticks, 

 one inch square, resting on pieces 

 running lengthwise at the sides ; 

 these, at first, should be six inches 

 apart (after a few days' feeding, one 

 half can be drawn out), and in feed- 

 ing, the branches sliould be laid be- 

 tween them, until they are filled up 

 to the top, when they should be laid 

 across. After two or three days' 

 feeding, the boards and dry branches 

 should be removed from under the 

 worms, and they left to feed on the 

 branches above. If care is taken to 

 feed no more than is needed, the 



