SILK-WORMS. 
205 
dent that the value of the cocoons used for the pro- 
duction of the eggs, amount to near a million and 
a half, which is thus taken from our foreign trade. 
If then, by perfecting the art of cultivating silk- 
worms, which is my present object, the produc- 
tion of cocoons is increased from 45 pounds to 
90 pounds weight from one ounce of eggs ; it is 
clearly shewn that we shall add to our exports a 
quantity of silk equal to half the number of 
cocoons employed for the production of the eggs, 
which produces a considerable sum. 
This advantage is one of the least which the 
improvement of the care of silk-worms may offer, 
as I shall shortly prove. (Chap. XV.) 
To return to the cocoons destined for seed, it 
may be said with security, that if they are taken 
from a well-managed laboratory, it is needless to 
give oneself much trouble in choosing and sorting 
them. Several experiments have proved this, 
and various persons who took some of my cocoons 
without particular choice, always obtained good 
eggs from them. 
However, in the present state of the manage- 
ment of silk-worms, it would be striking too sud- 
denly at the prejudices of the cultivators, to de- 
sire them to suppress this picking and choosing 
of the cocoon, although it be a mere waste of 
time ; particularly as every accident that oc- 
curred in the course of the rearing of the silk- 
worm would be attributed to the omission of this 
