2!2 
THE ART OF REARING 
all apertures to the sunny side carefully closed, 
to establish thorough draughts of air, to dry the 
humidity which exhales from the chrysalides. 
It is also beneficial to stir the cocoons round 
once a day, even when they are thinly spread out, 
if the atmosphere continues loaded with moisture; 
but should the temperature rise to 78° or 82°, the 
cocoons must, without delay, be put into a cooler 
place. Moderate temperatures are, without ex- 
ception, best adapted to the silk- worm, the chry- 
salis, and the moth. 
4. Daily loss of weight suffered by the Cocoon 
from the time of its Formation, till t he Moth 
escapes from it. 
No branch of information, however minute, can 
be useless when it can in any degree contribute 
to improvement, when it diminishes losses, and 
when it increases the profits of any art whatever ; 
and as my object is to enable any body to rear 
silk-worms, and to draw from them every possible 
advantage they can offer, I have even tried to 
ascertain the exact loss of weight of the cocoon 
each day. 
It is a common opinion, that for a certain pe- 
riod the cocoon diminishes in weight, and then 
increases. This old error induces several persons 
to give the cocoons too soon to the spinner, before 
they lose weight ; or too late, when they keep 
them back, in hope they will soon recover weight. 
