344 ON THE PRODUCTION OF 
As soon as the silkworms have mounted, the nets 
must, be removed, and the magnanerie be cleaned out ; 
but it must necessarily be kept as clean as possible 
throughout the whole period of education, for from the 
very beginning to the end of the time there must be 
no unpleasant smell in the place. 
From the mounting to the removal of the cocoons 
a space of eight days should be allowed to intervene, 
so that the worms which mounted last may have 
sufficient time to finish their cocoons properly, and to 
transform themselves into chrysalides. This period 
having elapsed, the business of removing and cleansing 
the cocoons (decoconnage et debourrage) must be 
proceeded with. These operations, as well as the 
laying of eggs, may perfectly well be attended to in 
the magnanerie, but I prefer doing them in a large 
shed specially appropiated to the produce of grain, so 
that the magnanerie being left free, the echelettes may 
be immediately singed, in order to remove the thick flue 
which adheres to the laths, and to admit of the whole 
building being thoroughly cleansed. The cocoons, 
being cleared of flue (dtbourres), must be weighed, an 
important operation to separate the sexes as much as 
possible, and thus prevent the coupling of imperfect 
moths. This somewhat tedious operation consists in 
weighing separately several hundred cocoons, as soon 
as the average weight has been obtained — two centi- 
grammes ; for example, all those cocoons which are 
over this weight are put on the side of the females, 
and the others with the males. The weighing being 
completed, the cocoons are to be strung in wreaths of 
a hundred, which, when they are arranged, will enable 
one to know the sum total of the crop. Each wreath 
