282 THE NURSERY. [March, 
from dead leaves, and their own dirt. A man and bojwill attend 
all the worms that come from six ounces of eggs, and those, one 
year with another, will spin twenty pounds weight of silk. 
The method of clearing off* their dirt is this; spread a net over 
the worms, on which lay fresh food; they will all crawl through the 
meshes to feed on the leaves, when they may be taken up without 
the least injury, and their shelves cleaned effectually: after which 
lay fresh twigs with leaves on the shelves; over these lay the nets 
and they will return to their former places, when the nets may be 
laid by till wanted again for a similar purpose. In some countries 
the worms are suffered to feed and work upon the trees, but their 
being subject, under such circumstances, to the ravages of birds, 
unfavourable changes of weather, &c. they are generally kept in 
houses or sheds erected for that purpose. 
In Turkey, the worms are fed in long barns, made, both walls 
and roofs, of reed or cane; when they are fed, and afterwards spin 
their clues upon these reeds. In Italy and Spain, they are kept to 
feed in the same rooms wherein the people live and do their other 
household affairs, feeding them on shelves and tables without more 
curiosity. 
It is observed, that the worms are commonly sick three or four 
times during their feeding, generally about ten days after they are 
hatched, and at weekly periods afterwards. Their best treatment, 
during these times, is to give them but little food while sick. The 
whole time of their feeding is about seven weeks; and as they get 
strength and grow bigger, it need hardly be said that you must give 
them more and oftener. The leaves should not be given to the 
worms whilst wet with the dew or rain. 
When they have fed their due time they begin to look clear, and 
a little of the yellowish cast, and to prepare for work; at every 
time, but at this more particularly, they should have plenty of air. 
Then small branches, divested of their leaves, are laid over them 
and in their way, upon which they mount and attach themselves, 
and in a few days each will cover itself all over with silk so as to 
be seen no more, till suffered to work its way out for the business 
of propagation. 
In about two weeks they commonly finish their balls, and soon 
after cut their way out, and couple for procreation; the balls so 
perforated are then good for nothing; but it is necessary to suffer a 
sufficient number to come out in this way, to produce a sufficiency 
of eggs for the next season's brood. The others, when they have done 
working, and before they begin to cut through, should be all put 
into an oven just sufficiently hot to kill the worms. 
The method of winding the silk oft' the balls, is first to find their 
ends, which is not difficult, and then put about a dozen or fifteen 
of them into a basin of hot water, wherein is dissolved a little gum 
tragacanth, commonly called gum dragon; and thus they will be 
easily wound. Sometimes the balls are gummy, in which case they 
should be thrown into a hot clean lye of wood ashes, and after that 
into scalding pure water, which will cause them to wind freely. 
"When the animal is protruded from the egg, it is a small blackish 
