380 GRATE CULTURE AND WINE-MAKING. 



must be transferred during three or four days until nearly all the 

 ST3ace is taken up. Some worms will return from the bushes to 

 their food ; it is therefore advisable to distribute good juicy leaves 

 in such a way that they may easily reach them. Those that have 

 not begun to spin on the bushes after two or three days are best 

 taken out into the open air for a few minutes, and then placed 

 upon other branches mixed up with paper bags, wood shavings, 

 etc. By covering them up with paper or linen, they will now 

 soon be seen spinning. During this work all unnecessary troub- 

 ling or shaking them must be avoided. If the weather be fair — 

 when the free access of air and sunshine is very advantageous to 

 the worms — they will finish their cocoons within four days. 



Diseases ofihe Silk-ivorm. 



The so-called Green Pip is one of their most common and dan- 

 gerous diseases. Its signs are, the swelling of the head, a yellow- 

 ish color spreading over the whole body, and a yellow moisture 

 ejected by the w^orm. It begins ordinarily to show itself not be- 

 fore the fourth spinning period is over, and is partly attributable 

 to a sudden change of temperature or a too crowded space. 



Another still more dangerous disease is the so-called Calcino or 

 Muscardine. The worms appear as if covered with a coat of lime, 

 and must be taken off directly, as they will infect others. 



When the excrements of the worms are found to be more moist 

 than dry, it will be well to feed leaves of older trees, and stop giv- 

 ing those of bushes or hedges. Dead caterpillars are always to be 

 instantly removed, and crates upon which sick ones have been ly- 

 ing can only be used again after a careful cleaning. 



Enemies of the SiUc-iuorm. 



Of these are indeed many, always making the breeding in the 

 open air troublesome, or even impossible. Among them are ants, 

 spiders, wasps, mice, chickens, cats, and nearly all carnivorous 

 birds. All of these must bo carefully excluded from the breed- 

 ing-room. 



Propagation of the Caterjnllarj and obtaining the Eggs. 



After the cocoon has been spun, and the worm inside of it 

 transformed itself into a " nymph," this will fifteen or twenty days 

 later become a butterfly, which opens the cocoon by means of a 

 caustic and softening moisture. This it performs generally in the 

 early hours of the morning. The male is recognized by the pe- 

 culiar vivacity with which he runs about, by his smaller body, and 

 the larger dark brown feelers. The female has a bigger body, 

 and is generally quiet, at least moves very slowly. Both do not 

 fly, as their wings are as yet too short. 



As soon as the butterflies have attained their perfect form and 

 ejected a yellow or reddish moisture, their pairing is accelerated 



