SILK. 



brush will remain very open, allow- 

 ing all the pieces of leaves and the 

 excrements from the worms to fall 

 directly through to the ground, from 

 which they should he often swept 

 out, furnishing a free circulation of 

 air from beneath. At the sides and 

 ends of these frames it is necessary 

 to have something to keep the branch- 

 es in order, and prevent the worms 

 from falling off; these may he made \ 

 of narrow boards or lath ; between ; 

 these and the brush most of the co- 

 coons will be placed, as it secures 

 the worms from the light, and fur- 

 nishes them with places for fasten- 

 ing their floss whenever they have 

 finished eating and are ready to spin. 

 These directions, of course, are ap- 

 plicable only where branch feeding is 

 practised. Cocoons should not be 

 gathered until dried, that is, in six or 

 seven days from the time the worms 

 began to spin. Those designed for 

 eggs should be selected first, taking 

 such as have been spun by the most 

 healthy worms. These should be 

 closely flossed, and spread out thin 

 on the shelves in the nurserj'. 



"We now come to the destruction 

 of the chrysalis, and the curing of 

 the cocoons, upon which the value of 

 the silk must depend. We cannot 

 dwell upon this point with too much 

 care. We have received at our fila- | 

 ture cocoons that had been almost 

 ruined by the means used for stifling 

 the chrysalis. Our standing ofier is j 

 from $2 50 to S3 50 per bushel ; yet | 

 we have had cocoons sent us which 

 would not pay the expenses of reel- 

 ing and transportation. Among the 

 many means resorted to for this pur- 

 pose, alcohol is doubtless the best, as 

 it not only destroys the chrysalis, but 

 leaves the fibre of the cocoon in fine 

 order for reeling, and is supposed by 

 some actually to add to its original 

 beauty. JN'ot more than half a pint 

 (some use only a gill, others a pint) 

 is needed for a bushel of cocoons. 

 They should be placed for this pur- 

 pose in a tight box ; first a layer of 

 cocoons (very thin), then a slight 

 sprinkling with alcohol, and so on till 

 the box is filled, which should then 



be nailed up tight. After remaining 

 m the box ai)out 24 hours, they should 

 be removed and spread out for dry- 

 ing, which will take several days, 

 even in very warm weather. If the 

 chrysales arc not entirely dry, tliey 

 undergo a putrefaction, which fre- 

 quently injures the silk, and renders 

 them very offensive to the reeler. 

 Persons designing to send their co- 

 coons to our filature are re(}uested to 

 adopt the above method, and as soon 

 as dried the cocoons should be for- 

 warded, as it is exceedingly hazard- 

 ous purchasing when they have been 

 lying for some months and become 

 very dry." 



The following important facts are 

 gleaned from the correspondence of 

 various silk conventions : 



1st. That of the varieties of mul- 

 berry, the Canton is the most val- 

 uable, then the multicaulis ; the broo- 

 sa is as early, and larger leaved than 

 the white. The worms are fed with 

 small branches. 



2d. It is best to feed in open sheds, 

 which may be of tarred canvass, and 

 temporary. The cradles of iMr. Gill, 

 or those just described by Mr. Van 

 Epps, are the best places to feed 

 them on : shelves should not be set 

 up. The greatest attention should 

 be had to cleanliness. 



3d. There should be no attempt to 

 raise two crops the same year. Early 

 hatching is altogether to be preferred 

 to late. 



4th. The best varieties are the pea- 

 nuts ; they are hardiest, mature ear- 

 ly, and produce a cocoon that reels 

 well : the sulphur and white are also 

 esteemed kinds. The eggs are hatch- 

 ed from the papers on which they 

 were laid in seven to ten days after 

 being brought out, and at a tempera- 

 ture of 70^ Fahrenheit: the rooms 

 should be kept at that heat. 



5th. It is best to sell the cocoons 

 at $3 or $3 50 the bushel than to at- 

 tempt reeling without experience. 



6th. On an average, 3500 worms 

 will yield a bushel of cocoons, which 

 reels into from one pound to 20 oun- 

 ces, and sells at upward of So the 

 pound. The cost of raising is $2. 



719 



