1881.J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



107 



increased. During the earlier ages, a woman 

 or half-ffrown cliikl can attend to the worms, 

 and a man or boy in one or two liours, two or 

 tliree times a day, can supply the leaves re- 

 quired for the worms from an ounce of ejjtgs ; 

 and even during the last age, one per.son is 

 sufficient in the cocoonery, and one to gather 

 the leaves for the hatch of half a dozen ounces 

 of eggs or more, with the apparatus above de- 

 scribed. 



3. MOLTING. 



When the time for tlieir sleep approaches, the 

 worms lose appetite and raise their heads 

 with a waving motion. Wlien any of the 

 worms of a batch are seen in this state, give a 

 light, fresh feed to hurry the tardy ones. 

 During the torpor they eat nothitig, As soon 

 as their skin is shed their activity and appetite 

 returns. This process is usually over in about 

 thirty hours. No food should be given until 

 about all of the batch are through the molt 

 and ready to make an even .start ; or if the 

 last are much delayed, give a light feed to the 

 fiist, and feed the last more copiously, and 

 keep them warmer for a day or so, that they 

 may overtake the first. This rule need not be 

 observed after the fourth molt. 



After molting, the space will generally need 

 to be doubled. If the worms come out of 

 their torpor in a feebler state, with little ap- 

 petite, especially in their younger ages, cut 

 the leaves for the first feed or two with a sharp 

 clean knife, like shredded tobacco. 



4. SPINNING. 



When ready to spin, which is eight or ten 

 days after the fourth molt, the worms cease 

 to eat, become restless and empty themselves, 

 diminish in size, becoming transparent, be- 

 ginning at the head. When any of them are 

 observed in this state, give a light fresh feed 

 to bring forward the laggards. And as soon 

 as they begin to emit silky fibre, take the 

 frames, (Fig. 2, that were used to hold the 

 young worms), tie together two and two, bot- 

 tom to top, set upright on their edges, a, a, a, 

 or b, b, b, with the slats of one opposite the 

 intervals of the other, upon the platforms, 

 among the worms. They will use these as 

 ladders and crawl up between the slats to 

 spin. Or instead of these, dry branching 

 twigs, two or three feet long, or broom corn 

 or weeds may be used, petting tliera upright 

 among the worms, and interlocking them in 

 arches above. If any of the worms fail to 

 mount, remove them on the leaves or twigs to 

 which they are attached, lest they be soiled by 

 droppings from above them. 



The spinning is finished in three days. As 

 the worms begin to spin, see that no two of 

 them spin too near each other and make dou- 

 ble cocoons, which cannot be reeled. 



To sum u\x, the points requiring special at- 

 tention are : 



1. Keeping the worms of a batch in a uni- 

 form state of progress, so that they will all 

 molt together. 2. Abundance of fresh, dry 

 food, except during the molt. 3. Plenty of 

 room, so that the worms shall not crowd each 

 other. 4. Plenty of fresh air. 5. Uniform 

 temperature, as nearly as practicable, and 

 avoidance of sudden changes. 6. The utmost 

 cleanliness. 



5. GATHERING AND SORTING THE COCOONS. 



In eight or ten days after the commence- 

 ment of the spitming the cocoons are ready 



to gather. Separate the frames or arches of 

 brush carefully. Remove first iiU discolored 

 and soft cocoons, keeping tliese separate 

 from the firm, sound ones ; if kept together 

 the latt«r would be discolored and depreciated 

 much in value. Tear off the loose (floss) silk 

 which envelops tiic cocoon. 



6. C:n()KING, OR STII'LING THE C'lIKYSAI.tDS. 



In 12 or 15 days from the time the wTtrm be- 

 gan to spin, the moth will issue from the 

 cocoon, and in the pi'occss the strands of silk 

 will be cut and spoiled. To prevent this, the 

 chrysalis must be killed— sti/fd. This is 

 commonly and best accomplished by steam- 

 ing ; but as that is troublesome, and difficult 

 without proper appliances, in our climate the 

 stifling may usually be effected by exposing 

 the cocoons to the hot sunshine from o'clock 

 till 4, for two or three days. A longer time 

 is needed if there is much air stirring, or the 

 sunshine is not strong. And the process is 

 surer if conducted in a shallow box under 

 glass; with a crevice for the escape of mois- 

 ture. In either case, guard against ants. The 

 stifling should be attended to as soon as the- 

 cocoons are gathered, lest cloudy weather 

 should intervene. In this case (and perhajJS 

 better in any case), the result may be reached 

 by packing the cocoons in a barrel carefully 

 lined with paper, so as to be nearly air-tight, 

 with alternate sprinklings of camphor, roughly 

 granulated in the hand, beginning with cam- 

 phor on the bottom, then 3 or 4 inches of 

 cocoons, again camphor, and so on, finally 

 closing the barrel for 2 or 3 days ; using about 

 a pound of camphor to the barrel. 



After 3 or 4 days, spread the cocoons on 

 boards or shelves to dry in an airy room or 

 attic, stirring frequently the first 2 or 3 days^ 

 and afterwards occasionally, for about two 

 months, when they will be thoroughly dry and 

 may be packed for market. Guard must still 

 be kept against mice, ants and smaller insects, 

 which will penetrate the chrysalids and injure 

 the silk. The latter may be expelled by a 

 sprinkling of camphor or other inscctifuge 

 drugs, or by the bark of sassafras root, or 

 chips of red cedar, tobacco stems, &c., &c. 



7. REELING. 



This process cannot be readily understood 

 without instruction with a reel or fdnlure. 

 The price of the silk is doubled by reeling, 

 and as there are whole months of idle lime of 

 women and children or an ordinary farm in a 

 year, which might be turned to good account 

 in this way, it is very desirable that the ma- 

 chinery and the process should be generally 

 understood. 



8. EGG RAISING. 



There is at present more profit in raising 

 eggs for the markets of France, Italy and this 

 country, than in making cocoons of reeled 

 silk. The female moth lays 300 to 400 eggs, 

 and an ounce will be produced by every 200 to 

 2.50 moths. The worms from an ounce of 

 eggs, which, as has been .stated, will yield 100 

 to 12.5 pounds of cocoons, at .$1.25 to S2.00 a 

 pound, will produce 100 to 120 ounces of egge 

 at l?3.00 to S.5.00. But this requires much 

 care in raising and preserving, and more de- 

 tailed instruction than can here be given; and 

 moreover it requires a specuil selection nf eg(js 

 to begin with. 



9. MARKETS AND PRICES. 



There is a good market in this country for 



reeled silk, at Patterson, New York, and 

 elsewhere, and of cocoons and eggs the 

 Women's .Silk Culture As.sociation will take 

 all that are .sent them, and pay regular market 

 rates for same. The price at present is 81.25 ' 

 to $1.50 a pound for dry cocoons ; it ranges 

 from this up to S1.76 to 82.00. 



A gentleman in New York, however, has 

 recently invented a new process of reeling, of 

 which there are great liopes, and which, if 

 successful, will revolutionize the silk industry 

 of the world, and establish this as one of the 

 leading occupations of our people. This gen- 

 tleman promises to erect a machme as soon as 

 enough cocoons are produced to supply it. In- 

 formation will be given from time to time of 

 the i)rogress and success of this invention. 

 General Information. 

 1. THE SILKWORM. 



1. TiiK Egg. — An ounce of eggs Qontains 

 40,000, and this nnmbi'r of worms will pro- 

 duce 100 to 120 pounds of fresh cocoons (or 

 one-third of that weight of dr^'.) An ounce 

 (or even a quarter of an ounce) is sufficient for 

 a beginner, for an experiment. They are 

 readily sent by mail. The co.st is about §5.00 

 an ounce. 



2. Ages. —The silk caterpillar ca.sts its skin 

 four times, at intervals of 5, 4, 6, 6, and ft 

 days, after a short sleep or rest ; this change 

 of skin is called molting, and the interval be- 

 tween two molts, an age ; the life of a worm, 

 from hatching to spinning is alrout thirty 

 days, a few days more or less, according to 

 the decrease or increase of temperature and 

 supply of food. 



j On the approach of the sleep or torpor, the 

 woiTTi ceases to eat and becomes motionless, 

 with raised head. 



2. FOOD. 



The silkworm eats and thrives on a great 

 variety of food ; the leaves of the lettuce, 

 common (or black) mulberry, the osage orange, 

 &c., hut the white (often miscalled "English") 

 mullierry furnishes the best silk. 



3. ROOM. 



Any sort of house or room may be used as a 

 cocooncri/, for hatching and raising silk worms, 

 provided it is well lighted, well aired, and can 

 be kept tolerably uniform in temi)erature by a 

 stove ; fire will be needed on cool nights and 

 rainy days. Direct sunshine should be ex- 

 cluded, which may be done by tacking white 

 paper or cloth over the sash on the sunny 

 sides of the room. For a small crop, a room 

 on the north side of the hou.se is better, for 

 avoiding excessive heat. Ventilation should 

 be secured from the upper part of tlie room, to 

 avoid direct dnifts upon the worms. A close 

 hot air is injurious, and any sudden or great 

 change of temperature. Cleanliness is very, 

 important. Rats and ants must be excluded, 

 as they are very fond of the .silkworm larva. 

 The odor of smoke and tobacco an fatal. 



4. APPARATUS. 



Both room and apparatus should be arrang- 

 j ed to secure, as nearly as may be, the same 

 ! conditions which the worm finds on the tree. 

 1 Any frame, or platform, or structure, there- 

 I fore, which will allow the freest circulation of 

 I air,/roni helow, as well as on all sides, and the 

 I ready removal of litter and stale leaves, will 

 I answer. The uprights are about one foot 

 I apart in the sets, and the sets running the 



