72 
THE ART OF REARING 
vanced. Should the hatching continue three days 
upon this plan, it would make no difficulty, as dif- 
ferent tenants would take the worms of various 
ages, and thus each would have the silk-worms of 
one period. It is a great error to imagine that it 
can be advantageous to give a tenant silk-worms 
of various days hatching to make up the quantity 
he is to receive and rear, because those of the first 
day’s production are stronger than those of the 
second day. We repeat it, the essential point is, 
to have the worms as nearly equal as we can 
bring them. 
3. Of the Diminution in the Weight of the Egg , 
before the hatching of the Silk-worm. 
I ought perhaps here to sjoeak of the treatment 
of the silk-worms when removed into the labora- 
tory, but it may be better to add some further ob- 
servations which I made ; although not directly 
relative to the art of rearing the silk-worms, I 
trust they may not appear quite irrelevant. 
The loss in weight of various thoroughly dry 
eggs, when placed in the stove room, is as follows, 
beginning by a temperature of 64°, as I before 
mentioned. (Chap. IV. § 4.) 
8 ounces of eggs lost grs. 
in weight in 5 days . 100 
6 oz. lost in 5 days . 86 
5 oz. lost in 6 days . 60 
4 oz. lost in 5 days . 80 
In 8 days 
In 8 days 
in 8 days 
In 8 days 
grs. 
. 360 
. 173 
. 168 
. 181 
grs. 
In 10 days . 440 
In 10 days . 248 
In 10 davs . 2 16 
In 10 days . 224 
In 5 days . 326 
In 8 davs 887 
In 10 days 1I2S 
