82 Silk Manufacture. 



he considers necessary for properly saving and preparing the 

 seed. In climates where this delay in sowing is not neces- 

 sary, the operation is more simple. The plan pursued in 

 France is curious : it is thus described : — " Take the ripe 

 "berries when they are full of juice and seeds. Next take a 

 rough horse-hair line, or rope such as we dry linen on, and 

 with a good handful of ripe mulberries, run your hand along 

 the line, bruising the berries and mashing them as much as 

 possible as your hand runs along, so that the pulp and seed 

 of the berries may adhere in great abundance to the rope or 

 hair line. Next dig a trench in the ground where you wish 

 to plant them, much like what is practised in kitchen gardens 

 in England for crops of various kinds. Next cut the rope or 

 hair line into lengths, according to the length of the trench 

 you think fit to make, and plunge the line full of mashed ber- 

 ries into the trench ; then cover it well over with earth, 

 always remembering afterwards to water it well, which is es- 

 sential to success. The seeds of the berries thus sown will 

 grow, and soon shoot out suckers, which will bear young 

 leaves, which are the best food for the silk worm. The facility 

 and rapidity with which young leaves may by this means be 

 produced, is evident ; for as many rows of trenches can thus 

 be filled as can be wished ; and it can never be necessary to 

 have mulberry trees higher than our raspberry, currant or 

 gooseberry bushes. Whenever they get beyond that, they 

 lose their value ; and if these branches succeed, you may 

 have a supply coming fresh up day after day, or any quantity 

 you please." 



* Snails and slugs are found to be very destructive to the 

 young mulberry shoots, committing great devastations in a 

 short period. In moist seasons a whole nursery is sometimes 

 threatened by them with ruin. To protect the tender plant 

 from this evil, it is recommended to surround the beds or 

 trenches with dry soot or ashes, sprinkling afresh after rain. 

 This protection might be advantageously adopted with other 

 plantations, as slugs will not pass over such a fence, especially 

 while it is dry. 



' In England, and countries of similar temperature, seedlings 

 will not attain a greater height than three inches in the first 

 year. In warmer climates their growth is much more rapid ; 

 so that in some parts of India large quantities of seed are 

 sown, whose crops are mowed down in the ensuing season as 

 food for silk worms. Sprouts again spring forth from the 

 roots the same year, and are used for a second brood. The 

 silk produced by worms fed on these tender shoots is supposed 



