THE TECHNOLOGIST. [March 1, 1864. 



364 SERICULTURE IS OEDH. 



As soon as they hatch, tender leaves are to he placed upon them, on 

 which they rapidly creep. They change their skin four times, and while 

 they are moulting do rot feed, and therefore it is unnecessary to 

 give them leaves. They do not require to he handled at all. Wet leaves 

 should on no account he given to them. They should he fed several 

 times in the day, and I think feeding them once or twice in the night 

 also is a great advantage. They can he kept on trays made of any kind 

 of matting, and as they increase in size they are to he distributed over 

 other trays. They should not he too crowded. When they are removed 

 from one tray to another, the leaf on which the worms are attached is to 

 he lifted with the worms on it. The dry leaves and excrements ought 

 to he removed occasionally. This can he easily effected by placing fresh 

 leaves on the v, r orms, and when they creep on them remove them to a 

 clean tray. It must not he forgotten that silkworms have many enemies, 

 such as ants, wasps, birds, etc., from all of which they must be secured. 

 When they are ready to spin, their skins are tight, and their usual colour 

 changes into a pinkish one. At this stage they are sufficiently large to 

 allow 7 of their being handled. They are then to be placed wherever they 

 are intended to spin. The spinning lasts three or four days, according to 

 temperature, during which time they must not be interfered with. 

 When the cocoons are fully formed, they can be removed from the 

 spinning places. Those which are intended for silk are to be exposed to 

 the sun, or otherwise sufficiently heated, in order to kill the chrysalis, 

 which is the form the worm acquires after spinning, and which other- 

 wise woidd come out in the shape of a moth and spoil the cocoon for 

 reeling purposes. Those which are intended for eggs must he kept in a 

 cool place. As a rule, the cocoon containing the female chrysalis is larger 

 than the one which contains the male. Some days after the cocoons 

 are fully formed the moths emerge,* they pair, the female lays her eggs, 

 and in a few days both male and female die. The eggs are then 

 gathered, and put in a dry and cool place for the ensuing year. 



For spinning purposes, if the experiment is on a small scale to show 

 natives the nature of the insect, etc., any thin twigs will do, such as 

 the twigs of dried arliar, etc., fixed round the trays, upon which the 

 Cashmere worms will of their own accord creep when they are ready to 

 spin. 



The Bengal spinning trays will be found the best, as the worm is 

 allowed a definite space to finish its cocoon in, and so it is forced to 

 make a compact cocoon, and thus economises its silk. Among the 

 twigs, many of the worms get into a large space, and spin a large and 

 thin cocoon, which does not reel so well as a small and compact one. 



It must be remembered that, in any case, if the worms are too 

 crowded during spinning time, they often spin double cocoons, that is, 

 two worms spin into one cocoon, which not being composed of one 

 thread is not reelable. 



* The raoths should be placet on sheets of paper or pieces of cloth, in order 

 that the eggs may he easily collected. 



