THE SILK WORM. 59 



appetite of the silk Worm, and their wish to rise upon 

 the leaves, prove that, even were they given more 

 food at one time, it would only add to the little which 

 would become dirty, because this is the period at 

 which they evacuate most. From this, it is better 

 rather to stint them in each distribution. The hours 

 of feeding cannot be fixed in this last day ; it cannot 

 even be known, whether there may not be required a 

 small quantity of leaves for the following day. 



In giving the foregoing estimates of the daily 

 amount of food consumed, and directions for feeding, 

 we must be understood as giving the estimates and 

 directions of foreign culturists, and not our own. 

 They may be of some use to the American culturist 

 in several points of light ; but we cannot recommend 

 a literal observance of them in this country. It will 

 be noticed, that, on most of the days of feeding, the 

 leaves are to be sorted and chopped. Chopping, in 

 this country, is unnecessary, and sorting is never 

 done, except in the early ages of the Worms, when 

 they require tender leaves, The voluminous direc- 

 tions for feeding and rearing Worms, may all be sum- 

 med up in the following feed well, keep them clean 

 anddry, and see that the cocoonery is well ventilated. 



MAKING COCOONS. 



The Worms having arrived to maturity, all that 

 remains for them to do, is to make their cocoons ; 

 and to enable them to do this, they must be furnished 

 with suitable accommodations for that purpose. Va- 

 rious plans have been contrived, but the method most 

 commonly adopted, is to make them little arches, or 

 cabins, of brushwood or broom corn. Several days 

 before the time of rising, branches, with spreading 



