134 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. [March, 



a board, leaving about an inch space between them and the 

 board, and placed at proper distances apart, have been adopted ; 

 in some, small branches of rye straw, tied near the middle and 

 spread at each end so as to form a shape like an hour-glass and 

 forced between the shelves so as to spread the ends, have been 

 much approved. Mr. McLean preferred oak branches, and 

 Mr. Deane hemlock branches laid for the worms, as being a 

 more natural resort for them, and occasioning little loss of 

 silk in removing the cocoons. Benjamin Benson of Smyrna, 

 Delaware, was kind enough to show me an invention for wind- 

 ing the cocoons, simple in its construction, and which is ex- 

 ceedingly well contrived. The subjoined is his description 

 of it. 



" Take two strips of board equal in length to the hurdle on 

 which the worms are, and four inches wide ; nail common 

 plastering laths on the edge of these boards ; the laths must be 

 just as long as the hurdles are wide — to be one and a half or 

 two inches apart ; nail a lath at each end of the top edge of 

 the boards ; cut common wrapping paper into strips one and a 

 half inch wide, and sufficiently long, and hang them over 

 each lath about two inches apart, until the whole frame is 

 filled ; take waste paper or muslin, or any other material that 

 will suit, and paste over the top, and on the laths and paper, 

 which serves to darken the inside and secure the strips of pa- 

 per ; drive a small peg in your spinning frame at each bottom 

 corner, which will bring the spinning frame near the top of 

 the hurdle ; when the worms wish to spin, slide in the frame 

 upon the hurdle." 1 am doubtful whether this description will 

 make the matter plain ; but to me, the machine itself, if so it 

 may be called, seemed extremely well designed and adapted 

 to its objects. 



XIII. Improved Cocooneries. — The same person has in- 

 vented what he calls a revolving hurdle bottom, of which I have 

 seen only a model. This is designed, by means of an apron 

 or cloth performing an endless revolution to accomplish with 



