54 



against its bad effects, id to hold it above the head, 

 and thus avoid its searching, dangerous and un- 

 pleasant exhalations. Should the mixture in the 

 bottle harden, dilute it with water. 



The following is given as the good effects of fumi- 

 gation : 



1. It destroys unpleasant effluvia : 2. it diminishes 

 fermentation: 3. it neutralizes the effects of mias- 

 mata and deleterious emanations : 4. it revives the 

 silk worms, by means of the gentle stimulating ef- 

 fect of pure vital air:---and 5thly, it influences 

 the goodness of the cocoon. This fumigating pre- 

 paration would cost about 30 cents. 



Disease frvm change of food. Ifthediet of the 

 worms aftev being fed on one kind of leaves, or food 

 of any kind, be changed to another more congenial 

 to their appetites, great danger is to be apprehend- 

 ed from their eating to bursting ; the feeder, must, 

 therefore, use his judgment in feeding them spar- 

 ingly at the onset. 



Diseases also arise from a peculiar constitution and 

 from sudden changes of the air ; but these can be easi- 

 Jj guarded against by observing what we have already 

 said on this subject. 



PARTICULAR DISEASES. 



The passis. This disease appears aftor the first 

 moulting, when the worms advance unequally in 

 growth : they are observed to be short, thin and with- 

 out vigor or appetite : it is ascribed to their being too 

 much heated in their earl} state. The remedies consist 

 in separating them from healthy worms, putting them 

 in another apartment, well ventilated, giving them ten- 

 der leaves, and in preserving them in an uniform tem- 

 perature, a little higher than that in which the healthy 

 ones are kept. 



Tlie Grasserie. This disease appears towards the se- 

 cond moulting, and in the third or fourth ages. Its 

 cause is ascribed to the food being too substantial or 

 nourishing for the young worms, occasioning indiges- 

 tion ; hence they swell, theirbodies become opaque and 

 of a green color, and their skins tear from the least 

 touch, and sometimes, spontaneously from over disten- 

 sion. Theirbodies are alsocorered with an oily, viscous 

 humour which. transudes the skin. If this be the cause 

 it is an easy matter to prevent the occurrence of the 

 disease, by feeding the young worms through the first, 

 second and third ages, with young tender leaves. 



The Lueette. About the fifth age, silk worms are at- 

 tacked with a disease called lusetteorclairette, from the 

 shining appearance of their bodies. Their heads also 

 increase in size, and they ultimately die without form- 

 ing their cocoons. The cause is neglect in the regular 

 supply of leaves. The means of prevention as well as 

 cure are easy. Regularity in feeding effects the first, 

 and separation of the silk from healthy worms, and the 

 supplying of the invalids with food in a gradual manner, 

 so as to restore them without subjecting them to an 

 opposite disease arising from a too sudden repletion, is 

 the last. 



The yellows. This disease appears towards the end 

 of the fifth age, when the worms are filled with the 

 silky fluid and are about to spin. It proceeds from ex- 

 posure to sudden intense heat, and its symptoms are 

 yellowness and swelling of the body, an enlargement 

 of the rings, an appearance of the feet being drawn up 

 from the puffiness of the surrounding parts. They 

 cease to eat and run about, leaving stains of a yellow 

 fluid, which exudes from their bodies. The yellowness 

 first appears round the spiracles or breathing holes, 

 and gradually diffuses itself over the body. It may be 

 called a dropsy of the skin, arising from the infiltration 

 of the nutritive Quid through every part of their bodies, 



and they soon become soft and burst. The acid humour 

 issuing from them, will kill any worms that touch it. 

 This disease has its origin in indigestible food and ex- 

 posure to cold during rainy weather. The diseased 

 worms must be removed to a separate apartment, where 

 a change of air, aided by fires, may cure them. Oak 

 leaves fed to the worms in two instances effected a 

 cure. 



The muscardine or numbness. This disease shews it- 

 self in the fifih age, by black spots in different parts of 

 the worm. These spots afterwards become yellow, and 

 finally red, or the color of cinnamon, which is diffused 

 over the whole body ; tho worm becomes hard and dry, 

 and is covered with a white mould. The remedy is fu- 

 migation and admission of fresh air. 



The tripes, or mart blanc. This disease appears gene- 

 rally during moist or rainy weather, but is sometimes 

 produced by the confined exhalations of the worms 

 and their litter. The symptoms are, the worms be- 

 come flaccid and soft, and when dead, preserve the 

 semblance of life and death ; but they soon turn black; 

 and become putrid. The remedies are the atmosphere 

 of the apartment should be warmed, and made to cir- 

 culate by lighting brisk fires in the chimney ; and by 

 the removal of the diseased worms to another room. 



This is a most formidable array of diseases, but the 

 discriminating reader will have perceived^ that they are 

 in fact nearly one and all the suine disease, assuming, to 

 be sure, somewhat different types and forms, but all re- 

 ferrible to the same general causes, viz : impure air, too 

 contracted room, exposure to sudden atmospheric transitions, 

 to irregular feeding, over feeding, stinted feeding, and to 

 improper food : so that afterall, there is not one^esciting- 

 cause in the whole catalogue of diseases, that is not 

 perfectly within the control of the culturist, and, there- 

 fore, if his worms suffer by sickness, the fault is with 

 himself; for there is not one of those maladies which, 

 may not be prevented by proper attention to feeding and 

 temperature. There is nothing more simple in all its 

 bearings than the management of the worms, if the 

 proper vigilance be resorted to, to preserve them in the 

 possession of health ; but if negligence and wanton 

 neglect be indulged in, these causes will assuredly prove 

 destructive to the interests of the culturist, in the genera- 

 tion of disease and production of mortality among his 

 worms. For ourself, we regard the diseases enumerated 

 as of little account, because in the vigilance, energy, 

 and good sense, of such of the American people as 

 may engage in it, we behold the sure guaranties that 

 nothing will be jeoparded or lost by want of attention 

 and care. Indeed, we hold these diseases to be of such 

 trifling account, that did we not desire to deal with per- 

 fact ingenuousness, we should not have named one of 

 them, as we believe they are formidable only in name, 

 and may all be prevented by following the rules pre- 

 scribed. 



VARIETIES OF THE SILK WORMS. 



Count Dandolo describes the following distinct varie- 

 ties of silk worms, viz : 



1. Silk worms of three casts or moultings. The eggs of 

 this kind are to be found in Lombardy ; the worms and 

 cocoons are two-fifths smaller than thoseof the common 

 sort. Their cocoons are composed of finer and more 

 beautiful silk than the common cocoon, are better con- 

 structed, and according to weight yield a greater quan- 

 tity of silk ; require four days less care than the com- 

 mon worms; are strong and hardy, and promote a sav- 

 ing of time, labor and money. 



2. Large silk worms of four casts. These worms are of 

 a very large quality, the eggs were obtained in Friuli ; 

 they yield a much larger cocoon than the common 

 species ; 150 of the large sort weigh a pound and a half, 

 while it requires 360 and upwards of the ordinary co- 

 coons to weigh as much. The silk is coarser and not 



