4 CULTURE OF SILKWOKMS. 



either luiyer or seller. Of course these are very complicated and 

 doHcate trials, and only people with a large experience in the 

 article sell on these guarantee terms, though cocoons produced by 

 silkworms from the same place, fed in the same manner and 

 under the same climatic conditions, vary very little in the silk 

 out-turns they yield. 



"The best way to get into the busmess is to ask Penangto 

 send as soon as possible about 10 kilos (16| katis) of L, and 

 the same quantity of D, removing the outer envelope, and with 

 these we will have spinning trials made by the Association, and 

 will then have a basis for future business, and know the exact 

 value of the cocoons. We will then l^e able to sell on tale quale 

 terms, without guarantee. 



"Tour cocoons are known as unpierced sjiiuning cocoons 

 {cocons non 2Jerces a filer), and produce the so-called 'satin silk' 

 {soie satince). They might be worth about 5 to 6 francs per 

 kilo, but until their silk yield is known, any valuation is very 

 loose and variation lial)le." 



THE VAEIETY OF SILKWORM. 



As has been previously stated, the Ijreed was introduced 

 from near Canton. Tliey apjjear to be the variety known as 

 hombyx smensis, which is a small multivoltine species, inferior 

 to some of the Indian breeds. It appears to be not a true multi- 

 voltine, as there is always a certain proportion of the eggs which 

 refuse to hatch, and which assume the appearance of annual 

 eggs, and evidently require the cold of a winter before they will 

 germinate. Sometimes these annual eggs form a considerable 

 percentage of the whole laying. It would appear that in China 

 these worms lay multivoltine eggs during the summer, and in the 

 autumn lay eggs which do not hatch until the following spring. 

 A second importation of eggs was made from Chijia, and I 

 ol)tained a few and reared them for three generations, and then 

 they died out in conseque::ce of all the eggs being of the kind 

 which require exposure to cold before they will hatch. Those 

 eggs which only slightly darken to a yellow are the quick-hatching 

 eggs. On the fifth or sixth day they turn to a pretty pale French 

 grey, the heads of the worms then appear as Idack dots, and 

 on the seventh day they hatch out. The other eggs, on the con- 

 trary, begin to darken soon after they are laid, and on the 

 third or fourth day have become brown or purplish brown, and 

 may then be kept for months without further change. The 

 eggs which were brought from China were all of this character. 

 They reached here in November, so were the autumn laying. 



The life history of this worm will be seen by the following 

 notes, made on some that I reared in 1890. From the laying of 



