88 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



found that trees raised from seed produce a large quantity of 

 fruit and but comparatively few leaves. The leaves of course 

 are of more value than the fruit. 



The time for the hatching of the ova of the silk-moth 

 varies from " 20th April to 5th May," according to the 

 altitude and season. The larvae when first hatched are fed 

 on the chopped buds of a species of mulberry which puts 

 forth its leaves the earliest of any of the sorts cultivated : 

 this is called the yotsume mulberry. The larvae when first 

 hatched are kept, by some of the cultivators, on a sparing 

 allowance of food, and the later-hatched larvae have abun- 

 dance of food, so as to render the development of the worms 

 as equal as possible. On the other hand, some rearers 

 prefer the hatchings to extend over a longer period, so that 

 all the larvae may not reach the final stages at once, and 

 thereby cause too great a pressure of work at the same 

 moment. The larva3, when first hatched, are kept on mats 

 covered with a layer of rice-husks, but as they increase in 

 size they are moved to wooden boards or tables standing 

 upon legs about six inches in height : the tables are placed 

 one upon another in tiers. In these the larvae are sometimes 

 allowed to remain until ready to spin, but more frequently — 

 and this is the course pursued by the more careful breeders — 

 they are removed, after the second or third change of skin, 

 to bamboo-trays of trellis-work : these trays are placed on 

 shelves fixed along the walls of the rooms, one above 

 another. The juvenile larvae are fed upon finely-chopped 

 leaves, and as they grow the leaves are not so finely divided: 

 when the larvae have cast their skins for the third time, the 

 leaves are given entire ; and when nearly full-grown the food 

 is given as it grows on the branches. On the subject of 

 food a curious custom obtains amongst the Japanese ; it is 

 this : when the larvae seem sluggish and not inclined to eat, 

 " sake," a liquor fermented from rice, is mingled with water, 

 and the food sprinkled with the mixture. The Japanese are 

 fully aware that moist food is injurious to the larvae, and yet 

 at the very time when the larvae do not seem flourishing 

 their food is damped with what 1 should think would be 

 \yorse than pure water; and I should feel disposed to doubt 

 the utility of this plan, the object of which is to stimulate the 

 appetite of the larvae. When the larvae are about to spin, 



