282 THE NURSERY. [March. 



from dead leaves, and their own dirt. A man and boy will attend 

 all the worms that come from six ounces of eggs, and those, one- 

 year with another, will spin twenty pounds weight of silk. 



The method of clearing oft' their dirt is this; spread a net over 

 the worms, on which lay fresh food; they will all crawl through the 

 meshes to feed on the leaves, when they may be taken up without 

 the least injury, and their shelves cleaned effectually: after which 

 lay fresh twigs with leaves on the shelves; over these lay the nets 

 and they will return to their former places, when the nets may be 

 laid by till wanted again for a similar purpose. In some countries 

 the worms are suffered to feed and work upon the trees, but their 

 being subject, under such circumstances, to the ravages of birds, 

 unfavourable changes of weather, &c. they are generally kept in 

 houses or sheds erected for that purpose. 



In Turkey, the worms are fed in long barns, made, both walls 

 and roofs, of reed or cane; when they are fed, and afterwards spin 

 their clues upon these reeds. In Italy and Spain, they are kept to 

 feed in the same rooms wherein the people live and do their other 

 household affairs, feeding them on shelves and tables without more 

 curiosity. 



It is observed, that the worms are commonly sick three or four 

 times during their feeding, generally about ten days after they are 

 hatched, and at weekly periods afterwards. Their best treatment, 

 during these times, is to give them but little food while sick. The 

 whole time of their feeding is about seven weeks; and as they get 

 strength and grow bigger, it need hardly be said that you must give 

 them more and oftener. The leaves should not be given to the 

 worms whilst wet with the dew or rain. 



When they have fed their due time they begin to look clear, and 

 a little of the yellowish cast, and to prepare for work; at every 

 time, but at this more particularly, they should have plenty of air. 

 Then small branches, divested of their leaves, are laid over them 

 and in their way, upon which they mount and attach themselves, 

 and in a few days each will cover itself all over with silk so as to 

 be seen no more, till suffered to work its way out for the business 

 of propagation. 



In about two weeks they commonly finish their balls, and soon 

 after cut their way out, and couple for procreation; the balls so 

 perforated are then good for nothing; but it is necessary to suffer a 

 sufficient number to come out in this way, to produce a sufficiency 

 of eggs for the next season's brood. The others, when they have done 

 working, and before they begin to cut through, should be all put 

 into an oven just sufficiently hot to kill the worms. 



The method of winding the silk off' the balls, is first to find their 

 ends, which is not difficult, and then put about a dozen or fifteen 

 of them into a basin of hot water, wherein is dissolved a little gum 

 tragacanth, commonly called gum dragon; and thus they will be 

 easily wound. Sometimes the balls are gummy, in which case they 

 should be thrown into a hot clean lye of wood ashes, and after that 

 into scalding pure water, which will cause them to wind freely. 



When the animal is protruded from the egg, it is a small blackish 



