208 THB CALIFORNIA 



needful by currents of heated air, caused by a furnace 

 placed beneath or without the main apartment. 



Broussa, a city at the foot of the Mount Olympus, 

 like many other cities of Turkey, says Commodore 

 Porter, is surrounded with plantations of the mulberry 

 trees ; and asses laden with the limbs and leaves are 

 continually going into the city. 



Mrs. Rhind says, that in Turkey the production of silk 

 is confined to the cities, or largo towns, in the vicinity 

 of which the mulberry trees are chiefly cultivated by 

 the farmers and landed proprietors, who do not raise 

 the silkworms themselves ; at the suitable season, the 

 leaves are daily collected by them, and sold in the 

 market of the city as fruits or vegetables are sold. 

 When the season commences, almost every family clear 

 out all the rooms in the house, except the one in which 

 they live. The worms being hatched, they purchase 

 sufficient leaves, and strew them over the floor of each 

 room, leaving only a small space round the four walls, 

 for the convenience of feeding ; they then place the 

 worms on the leaves, who rapidly attack them. New 

 quantities of leaves are daily added to supply the 

 wants of the worms : the litter is never removed, but 

 is suffered to accumulate frequently to the height of 

 three feet. When the worms are ready for winding, 

 branches and brushes are planted immediately over the 

 collected mass, and on these the cocoons are formed ; 

 and these being collected, the rooms are then cleared 

 out, and the reeling is commenced. 



This is the rude and abominably negligent mode 



