MR. SMITH'S PLAN. 



'The fixtures necessary for raising silk worm 

 are, appropriate tables or shelves, in number anc 

 size corresponding with the number of worms to 

 be fed. The best form for shelves that I have 

 seen is that adopted by my friend, Mr. J. Y 

 Tornpkins, of this city. It is about 2 J feet wide 

 by 5 or 6 feet long, made of thin boards, with a 

 piece 2 inches wide nailed flat on the tipper edge 

 along the sides and ends, with legs about a foot 

 long in the corners. The legs do not pass through 

 the table, but leave a part of the hole on the up- 

 per side, for the feet of another table to set in. 

 Thus contrived, five or six of these tables are set 

 one above another, and are taken down, cleaned, 

 and again set up with facility. One of these 

 shelves will accommodate about 500 worms. If 

 I could suggest any improvement in these shelves, 

 it would be the substitution of twine net-work for 

 the board of floors, with slides under them to 

 catch the excrement of the worms.* 



The room or laboratory must, of course, be of 

 a size proportionate to the number of worms 

 raised, and should be provided with windows or 

 ventilators on the north and south sides at least ; 

 and if one or two ventilators, are opened in the 

 ceiling it will be of great service. These ven- 

 tilators, however, should have shutters that they 

 may be closed at any time when necessary. Fire- 

 places or stoves should also be provided for use 

 when necessary. For the accommodation of 

 1,000,000 worms, a room about 80 feet long and 

 40 wide would be required. A large establish- 

 ment would also require a ware-room for the de- 

 posit of leaves, and this should be large, so that 

 in wet weather the leaves may be shaken and scat- 

 tered about for drying. This room might be ad- 

 vantageously situated above the laboratory. A 

 cool, dark cellar, will also be useful, for keeping 

 the leaves fresh in dry weather: White Mulberry 

 leaves will thus keep fresh for three days the 

 native Mulberry will not keep so long." 



NUMBER OF ATTENDANTS NECESSARY FOR A 

 MILLION OF WORMS. 



Mr. Smith says that, 



" The number of attendants necessary for 



1,000,000 worms will be tioo the first week, 



four the second, eight the third, and sixteen to 



twenty the remainder of the feeding season ; 



one half of which may be boys and girls." 



In speaking of his fixtures, Mr. Cobb of Mas- 

 sachusetts, says : 



" I have used three tiers of rough pine boards 

 fixed upon upright posts, about 4 feet in width, 

 one above the other, with a space between, of 

 two and a half feet, affording sufficient room to 



*This hint has been improved upon by Mr. 

 Whitmarsh, as the reader will see in reading the 

 description of his "cocoonery." 

 6 



41 



| pass all around the frame, so that I could conve- 

 niently reach any part of it." 



The plan of Mr. Cobb, the reader will observe, 

 is that pursued by Messrs. Terhoeven, of Phila- 

 delphia county, Pennsylvania, and does not differ 

 at all from that recommended by Mr. Smith. 



On the subject of a laboratory and its fixtures, 

 we will give one other plan, which we copy from 

 the Northampton Courier. It is that of Mr. Whtt- 

 mors/j,, which, as we have before remarked, is in- 

 debted to Mr. Smith for, probably, the best part 

 of its arrangement ; we allude to the lattice work 

 frames, which are identical with those of the 

 Rev. Mr. Swayne. 



MR. WHITMARSH'S COCOONERY. 



" Mr. Samuel Whitmarsh is erecting an edifice 

 of two hundred feet in length, east of his house 

 on Fort Hill, as a Silk House and Cocoonery. 

 The plan of it is original, and promises the best 

 results. The worms while feeding, are now 

 laid out upon boards and benches by those who 

 rear them, covered with Mulberry leaves, and 

 when for health and cleanliness they are re- 

 quired to be moved, it must be done separate- 



y. 



Mr. Whitmarsh's building is intersected by al- 

 eys, and on each side tiers of sliding frames or 

 drawers rise from the floor upwards. These 

 frames are covered with lattice work of tome. 

 The top one is laid over with leaves upon which 

 he worms feed. The second frame about an 

 nch and a half below, is covered with strong pa- 

 per or coarse cotton. The stems of the leaves or 

 offal from the worms fall from the lattice work, 

 above upon this drawer, and when the usual time 

 or cleaning them comes, instead of lifting each 

 separately, it is only requisite to remove the 

 ower drawer and the cleaning is accomphsn- 



The leaf of the Chinese Mulberry, which Mr. 

 W. will use, is so tender that the worm will de- 

 vour it all. Sometimes they will fall from the 

 attice work above upon the paper drawer below, 

 n that case, when a supply of leaves is laid on 

 ,bove, the worms at once ascend, as the distance 

 s not too great between them, to prevent their 

 caching above. This is a great and important 

 ihange introduced into the method of feeding 

 .nd cleanliness, saving time and promoting the 

 health of the worms. 



Another improvement to be introduced by Mr. 

 Whitmarsh, is the aid given the worms in wind- 

 ing their cocoons. Now, when the worms have 

 terminated their feeding, easily known by their 

 movements, branches of trees and bushes are laid 

 over or suspended above them, and among which 

 the process of winding is carried on. Conse- 

 quently, they are much entangled in securing 

 themselves, and lost to sight, and a great deal of 

 labour and silk is lost, in the awkward method 

 of separating the cocoons for use, from the bushes. 



