4 
CULTURE OP 8XLKW0BMS, 
either l>uy<3r or seller. Of course thcae arc very complicated and 
delicate trials, and only j^eople with a large esperieneo iu the 
article sell on these guarantee terms, thongh cocoons produced hy 
silkworms from the same place, fed in the same manner and 
nuder the same climatic eonditiona, vary very little iu the silk 
out-turns tliey yield. 
"The best way to get into the bnsiness is to ask Penan^'to 
send as soon as possible abont 10 kiJo8 {16h katis) of L, ami 
llie same qnantity of D, removing the outer envelope, and wirh 
these we will have spinning trials made by the Aaaociation, and 
will then have a basis fur future business, and know the exact 
value of the cocoons. We will then he Mo to sell on tale quale 
terms, without guarantee. 
"Tour cocoons are known as unpierced spinning eocoons 
(cocona 7ion i^erces af ler), and produce the Bo-ealied 'satin silk' 
(mie satint'e). They might Ik? worth aliont 5 to 6 francs jier 
kilo, but until their silk yield is known, any valuation is very 
loose and variation hable,* 
THE VAEIETY OF SILKWOKM. 
As has l>een previously stated, the breed was introduced 
from near Canton. They appear to he the variety known as 
bomhyx sinensiit, which is a small multivoltine species, inferior 
io some of the Indian breeds. It appears to lie not a true multi- 
voltine, a& there is always a certain proportion of the egga whieh 
refuse to hat^th, and which assume the appearauee of aininal 
e^gs, and evidently re^iuire the cold of a winter l.iefore th*'y will 
germinate. Sometimes these aiinmil eggs form a considerable 
Iiereentage of the whole laying. It would aj*iiear that in China 
these worms lay multivoltine e^gs duritig the summer, and iu the 
autumn lay eggs whieh do not hateh until the following spring. 
A second importation of eggs was made from China, and I 
obtained a few and reared them for three generations, and then 
Miey died out in conset) iiL';:ce of all the eggs being of the k-ind 
which require exposure to cold liefore they wiU Ijatcli, Those 
eggs which only slightly darken to a yellow are thequiek-hatebing 
<*gg3. On the fifth or sixth day they turn to a pretty pale Freuch 
grey, the heads of the worms then apjjear as bla^-k dots, and 
on the seventh day they luiteh out. The otlier fggs, on tbe eon- 
trary, begin to darken soon after they ar*' laid, LUid on the 
third or fourth day bave become l>rown or pui-phsh browu, and 
may then kept for months without further change. The 
egga which were brought from China were all of this eharacter. 
They reacdied bere in Novemljer. so were the autimm laying. 
The life history of this worm will be at.*eu by the f^ilhAving 
notes, made on some that I reared in 1890. Prom the laying of 
