120 THE CALIFORNIA 



than others. For this reason it was necessary to feed 

 them all the time they were molting, which is very 

 detrimental to the successful molting and health of the 

 worm. 



Again, young worms require the very tender and 

 young leaves, and I found it impossible to obtain such 

 in Sacramento ; most of the trees there being of some 

 age ; and standing in or near the streets, the leaves 

 were covered with dust, and were generally only fit to 

 feed worms when nearly grown. After the food was 

 exhausted in Sacramento, I had to ship leaves from 

 Marysville, Nicolaus, Lincoln, and other places, and it 

 frequently happened that they did not come when 

 expected and when I needed them ; and a number of 

 times they came heated and soured, and in this condi- 

 tion they were fed to the worms. This, of itself, was 

 more than sufficient to cause them all to be diseased. 

 I felt most certain it would do so, but I was compelled 

 to feed them aa I could get no other and I was only 

 surprised that they kept in so good condition until the 

 17th of June, when we could get no more mulberry 

 leaves, and were obliged to feed them all on the Osage 

 orange. 



From that time the disease spread rapidly, and while 

 I am satisfied it was the heated food that originated the 

 disease, I am also satisfied that this change of food, 

 from the mulberry to the orange, caused it to spread 

 with greater violence, and become more fatal. Taking 

 all the circumstances together, my greatest wonder is, 

 that the worms made any cocoons at all. In most any 



