36 
THE ART OF REARING 
tion of mulberry trees, and that the cultivation of 
them should have been given up ; nor that we 
should see that latterly many cultivators of the 
silk-worm have totally despaired of rearing them 
with advantage. 
However, since luxury has invented the hot- 
house, to enable us, by an artificial atmosphere, 
to raise exotics, it was surely natural to apply this 
invention to the improvement of the cultivation of 
silk-worms. And yet it is but very lately that this 
application of the invention has been thought of, 
which enables us in a few days to hatch with ease 
and certainty any given quantity of silk-worms, 
and rear them favourably, offering important ad- 
vantages. Notwithstanding these evident facts, 
the art of forming these hot-houses, or stove-rooms, 
has not become as general as it ought to be ; 
and farther, those who have adopted the method 
have not learnt the manner of conducting it with 
that exactness which is necessary to its success, and 
the advantage for which it was invented. Thus 
by injudicious management, whole broods of the 
silk-worm have been destroyed, or materially in- 
jured. I propose stating, in this chapter, the care 
which the eggs require to prepare them for the 
favourable developement of the worm, and the 
care necessary to fix and continue the requisite 
degree of temperature. We shall thus treat of, 
1st, The preliminary preparation of the eggs. 
