44 
ANNALS OF THE 
of silk-worms is in fact very simple. The difficult part is when the cocoons pass 
into the loomsters' hands to be woven into the different garments, ribbons, velvets, 
satins, stockings, nets, and blond. There is no secret in the rearing of the silk-worm, 
no complexity, no mystery, but far otherwise ; it involves but few principles, and 
those of great simplicity. All that is required is a sufficient allowance of space 
for the insects, an abundance of fodder for their consumption, a constant supply 
of fresh air, and unremitting diligence in regard to cleanliness. This attention is 
needed only for the space of six weeks, which is the length of the silk harvest. 
Men's labor is not required ; it is women's and children's work. Two persons (a 
woman and a girl) could attend the quantity of silk-worms that produce sixty 
pounds weight of cocoons, at twenty shillings a pound. Surely £60 for six 
weeks' work is a very good return. 
The silk-worm's egg is the size of a pin's head. From each egg, in the month 
of June, a caterpillar emerges, a thin black speck, which immediately commences to 
feed, and each day we see a perceptible difference in size. The caterpillars devour 
an enormous quantity of fodder, and for nearly six weeks are continually feeding. 
When these little laborers have satisfied themselves they look for a suitable place in 
which to spin their cocoons. Having found a convenient corner, they envelope 
themselves in their silken shroud, there to remain until they are metamorphosed 
from the caterpillar to the moth with wings. The moth emerges from the cocoon, 
lays her eggs, and her allotted task is finished. In three weeks or a shorter time 
she dies. The eggs are preserved until the next season. In the case of the 
Cecropia silk-worm the caterpillar lies in the chrysalis state all winter. 
There are many insects that produce silk, but some are inferior to others. The 
principal species are, the common silk-worm that feeds upon the white mulberry ; 
the Ailante silk- worm that feeds upon Ailanthus glandulosa; and we have also the 
Cecropia, Polypheme, Luna, and Promethea moths, which make very large silk co- 
coons. These last are natives of North America. All are inferior to the common 
Chinese silk-worm, which feeds upon the mulberry. Now although this paper is 
expressly written for ladies, yet I have a favor to ask of the gentlemen of the horti- 
cultural societies, market gardeners, and nurserymen. It would be useless to hatch 
silk-worms' eggs, or the eggs of any other silk yielding insect without food for 
them to subsist upon ; therefore I ask those gentlemen to aid in the cultivation 
of silk by planting the insect's food permanently in Canada. Horticultural socie- 
ties might offer prizes for the largest white mulberry tree and Ailanthus glandulosa. 
Nurserymen could sell the young plants, and market gardeners could bring fresh 
leaves to market every day during the silk-worm's feeding season, which continues 
about six weeks. Silk-worms will subsist on lettuce leaves, but the silk produced 
on such food although similar in appearance to mulberry silk, (as will be seen from 
the specimens handed round,) is found to be quite useless for purposes of manufac- 
