216 THE CALIFORNIA 



summer. Early in the season, I gave to Col. Warren, 

 of the " California Farmer," a lot of young silkworms ; 

 and for many reasons it was impossible for him to feed 

 them properly, and indeed they have been very badly 

 fed, being often several days without food at all ; and 

 often, having no other, he had to feed them with 

 faded, hard, dry leaves, that was impossible for them to 

 eat. Under such treatment they lived mostly all the 

 time in a torpid state, but remained small for three 

 months. At that time the Colonel sent them to me ; I 

 then fed them well, and in a few days they got fat, and 

 of pretty good size, and made their cocoons, although 

 not very good ones. I do not know, but think that 

 anywhere else they would not haVe lived such a long 

 time. 



In a regulated temperature, or such a temperature 

 as Count Dandolo has prescribed, and where the heat 

 indicated by the thermometer is gradually reduced 

 from seventy-five degrees on the first day, to sixty- 

 eight degrees on the last, though the weather is con- 

 stantly growing warmer ; in a temperature thus regu- 

 lated, their various changes, or moultings, usually occur 

 on the fifth, ninth, fifteenth and twenty-second days; 

 and they generally will quit feeding on the thirty-sec- 

 ond day ; but in warm climates, as I have shown, the 

 various mutations or changes are hastened ; but it seems 

 agreed, that the amount of food consumed is the same ; 

 it is evident that the diary, which I shall omit, is only 

 for the regulated temperature, and we have it natur- 

 ally pretty well regulated here, during the feeding 

 time. 



