146 THE AMERICAN SILK WORM. 
twigs, going from the old branch to the fresh one, are 
placed so that the worms can cross upon it without de- 
scending upon the table. When the worms are attached 
for the purpose of moulting, they should not be disturbed 
or taken away from the place where they are, as they 
could not so easily change their skin. Three times a day 
the excrements should be swept from the table. In warm 
days some water should be sprinkled with a watering-pot 
upon the leaves, as the worms are fond of drinking water. 
The worms should be handled as little as possible, and 
only when it is absolutely necessary. The space that re- 
mains open between the branch and the table should be 
filled with paper or hay, so that the larvee may not crawl 
under the table, as they would be drowned in the water 
contained in the bottle. 
For cultivating Silk Worms upon a large scale, it 
would be very well to select a place with a brook running 
through it, as the water could be made to flow under the 
table, in reservoirs, where the branches could always dip 
in fresh water; as the water put in the bottles is soon 
corrupted, and the branches absorb much of it, they need 
to be filled up several times a day. 
When a cocoon is well begun, the best way will be to 
separate from the branch the twig and leaves between 
which it is built, so that other worms will not disturb the 
larvee working inside; this cocoon should be placed upon 
lines stretched for that purpose in a special room, where 
the sun cannot reach it. Ten or twelve days after, they 
will be completed, and may be placed in baskets, and 
kept as I have indicated above. 
Some experiments made on our Silk Worm show how 
hardy it is, being the easiest of all the silk worms to 
take care of. O E im nce na 
