1882,] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



121 



thorouglily and easily ventilated, and warmed 

 if desirable. A northeast exposure is the 

 best, and buildings erected for the express 

 purpose should, of course, combine these re- 

 quisiies. If but few worms arc to be reared, 

 all the operations can be performed in trays 

 upon tables, but in large establislnuents the 

 room is arranged with deep and numerous 

 shelves, from 4 to 8 reet deep, and 2 feet (5 

 inches apart. All wood, however, should be 

 well seasoned, as green wood seems to be in- 

 jurious to the 'health of the worms. When 

 the eggs are about to hatch, moaquito-neting 

 or perforated paper should be laid over them 

 lightly. Upon this can be evenly si)read 

 fresh-plucked leaves or buds. The worms 

 will rise througli the meshes of the net or the 

 holes tn the paper and cluster upon the leaves, 

 when the whole net can be easily moved. In 

 this moving, paper has the advantage over 

 the netting, in that it is stiffer and does not 

 lump the worms together in the middle. 

 They may now be spread upon the shelves or 

 trays, care being taken to give tliem plenty of 

 space, as they grow rapidly. Each day's 

 hatching should be kept separate, in order 

 that the worms may be of a uniform size, and 

 go through their different moltings or sick- 

 nesses with regularity and uniformity ; and 

 all eggs not hatched after the fourth day from 

 the appearance of the first should be thrown 

 away, as they will be found to contain inferi- 

 or, weakly, or sickly worms. It is calculated 

 that one ounce of eggs of a good race will 

 produce 100 pounds of fresh cocoons; while for 

 every additional ounce the percentage is re- 

 duced if the worms are all raised together, 

 until for 20 ounces the average does not exceed 

 25 pounds of cocoons per ounce. Such is the 

 general experience throughout France, accord- 

 ing toGuerin-Melville,and it shows the impor- 

 tance of keeping them in small broods, or of 

 rearing on a modern scale. 



The young worms may be removed from 

 place to place by means of a small camel's 

 hair brush, but should be handled as little as 

 possible. The best mode of feeding and 

 caring for them is by continuing the use of 

 the feeding net first mentioned. As the 

 worms increase in size, the net must have 

 larger meshes, and if it should be used every 

 time fresh food is furnished, it will save a 

 large amount of time and care. If entirely 

 obviates the necessity of handling the worms 

 and enables the person having charge of them 

 to keep them thoroughly clean; for, while 

 they pass up through the net to take their 

 fresh food, their excrement drops tlirough it 

 and is always taken up with the old litter be- 

 neath. It also acts as a detective of disease; 

 for such worms as are injured, feeble or sickly, 

 usually fail to mount through the meshes, 

 and should be carried off and destroyed with 

 the refuse in the old net below. This placing 

 on of the new net and carrying away of the 

 old is such a great convenience and time- 

 savor that, in France, for many years, paper, 

 stamped by machinery with holes of different 

 sizes suited to the different stages of the 

 worms, has been used. The paper has the ad- 

 vantage of cheapness and stiffness, but a dis- 

 cussion as to the best material is unnecessary 

 here, the aim being to enforce the principle of 

 the progressive rise of the, worms. Details 

 will suggest themselves to the operator. 



Where the nets are not used, there is an 

 advantage in feeding the worms upon leaf- 

 covered twigs and branches, because these 

 last allow a free passage of air, and the leaves 

 keep fresli a longer tiini^ than when plucked. 

 In thus feeding with branches consists the 

 whole secret of the California system, so much 

 praised and advocated by M. L. Prevost. 

 The proper stamped paper not being easily 

 obtained in this country, mosquito-netting 

 will be found a very fair substitute wliile the 

 worms are young, and when they are larger I 

 have found tliin slats of some non-resinous 

 and well seasoned wood, tacked in parallel 

 lines to a frame just large enough to set in 

 tlie trays, very serviceable and convenient — 

 small square blocks of similar wood lieing used 

 at the corners of the tray to support the frame 

 wnile the worms are passing up through it. 

 Coar.se twine netting stretched over a 

 similar frame will answer the same purpose, 

 but wire-netting is less useful, as the worms 

 dislike the smooth metal. 



Where branches, and not leaves, are fed, 

 the Osage orange has the advantage of mul- 

 berry, as its spines prevent too close settling 

 or packing, and thus insure ventilation. It 

 is recommended by many to feed the worms 

 while in their first age, and, consequently, 

 weak and tender, leaves that have been cut 

 up or hashed, in order to give them more 

 edges to eat upon and to make less work for 

 them. This, however, is hardly necessary 

 with Annuals, although it is quite generally 

 practiced in France. With the second brood 

 of Bivoltins it might be advisable, inasmuch 

 as the leaves at the season of the year when 

 they have attained their full growth are 

 a little tough for the newly hatched individ- 

 uals. In the spring, however, the leaves are 

 small and tender, and nature has provided 

 the young worms with sufficiently strong jaws 

 to cut them. 



MINERAL AT THE EXPOSITION. 



Doctor W. T. Strachan, the superintendent 

 of minerals for the New Mexico exposition is 

 sending out the following circular to the 

 miners of all the camps in the territory whose 

 names have been given him: 



I desire to call the attention of yourself and 

 the miners of New Mexico, generally, to a 

 rare opportunity for exhibiting to the world 

 the mineral wealth of the territory, where it 

 will do the most good, presented by our com- 

 ing territorial exposition, commencing Sep- 

 tember 18th and ending September 28th, next. 

 The association desire to make an especial 

 success of the mineral exhibits of the terri- 

 tory, and it is hoped that all who are engaged 

 in mining will render all the assistance in 

 their power. Arrangements have been con- 

 summated for free return over the i"iilroads 

 of all exhibits; the association offers liberal 

 premiums,and every arrangement will be made 

 for the convenience of the exhibitors in the 

 arrangement of their minerals. It is desired 

 that each district prepare and send or bring a 

 cabinet representing the different mines; but. 

 when this can not be done, cabinets will be 

 furnished, and, under the management of the 

 superintendent of minerals, specimens will be 

 exhibited to the best advantage. I also sug- 

 gest that each specimen be labeled plainly 

 with the name of the district, mine and owner, 



Will you not give this matter your careful at- 

 tention, consult with your neighbors, and come 

 here determined that it shall notbe your fault 

 if your district does not carry olT the fu-st pre- 

 mium ? 



The following is the list of premiums: 



Best collection from any one mining dis- 

 trict in New Mexico, first, SlOO; second, $50. 



Best collection from the territory at large, 

 •Slot). 



Best collection from any one mine in New 

 Mexico, i.jO; and a special premium of 8100 

 for tiie best exhibit from any stale or terri- 

 tory in the United States or Mexico. 



All specimens forwarded and all communi- 

 cations directed to me here, will receive 

 prompt aud careful attention. 



DIVERSIFIED FARMING IN THE 

 SOUTH. 



A few months ago, in an article designed to 

 show the importance of diversified crops in 

 the South, we presented some carefully com- 

 piled statistics pointing out that during the 

 present crop-year the foodstuffs bill that the 

 Southem States had to pay West footed up 

 nearly .?20O,O0O,000, of whicli $.".5,000,000 was 

 lor wheat, §00,000,000 for corn, and 72,000,- 

 000 for provisions. These figures have been 

 republished by the leading papers of the coun- 

 try, generally without any acknowledgment 

 of their source, and sometimes credited to- 

 wrong papers, until probably a dozen or more 

 different papers have received the credit for 

 them. 



It was natural that they should attract 

 much attention; for while it was known that 

 the South was largely dependent upon the 

 North and West for its bread and bacon, few 

 if any realized how great was this annual 

 drain. When it is remembered that the total 

 value of the cotton crop, the South's main 

 source of money, averages only about $275,- 

 000,000 to .«300,000,000 ayear,fully two-thirds 

 of which goes out for food, it is really a won- 

 der that that entire section has not steadily 

 decreased in material prosperity. With the 

 entire profits on cotton culture in any one 

 year forming but a very small percentage of 

 what was paid for Hour and provisions, it is 

 somewhat of a mystery to know hnw the 

 South could stand such an enormous annual 

 loss. The New England States, as well as 

 Great Britain, do not produce enough grain 

 or provisions for their own consumption, and 

 they are compelled to pay a good many mil- 

 lions of dollars to the West for these necessa- 

 ries of life; but then they are not like the 

 South in being dependent upon one staple, the 

 profit upon which at the most are very small. 

 They are largely engaged in manufactures, 

 which produce hundreds of millions of dollars 

 worth of goods. 



Tliat this unfavorable condition of affairs 

 in the South is undergoing a rapid change is a 

 matter of deepest interest. This of itself 

 means a wonderful improvement in that sec- 

 tion, and is fully as important as the increas- 

 ed attention given to manufacturing and 

 mining by local as well as outside capitalists. 

 The area in wheat in the South this year 

 shows an increase of 800,0tX) acres compared 

 with 1881, while in corn and oats there is a 

 proportionately large gain. The changing 

 condition of affairs is well illustrated by 



