336 
THE ART OF REARING 
Seven pounds and a half of cocoons, that is to 
say, 120 ounces, contain about fifty ounces of pure 
cocoon, but as in all stained cocoons there is 
always a part of the substance affected and spoilt, 
the spinner cannot foretel whether from seven 
pounds and a half of cocoons he will obtain one 
half of the quantity that the healthy cocoons 
would yield him ; the less the silk the greater 
will be the quantity of coarse floss* and the floss 
is worth less than the cocoons of the healthy 
chrysalis. 
A thousand of these stained cocoons weigh a 
pound and a half. 
Cocoons of which the Chrysalis is Decayed, or 
Gangrened, Stained, and Unstained. 
Generally, it is not possible to separate these chry- 
salides from the cocoon ; the worm or chrysalides 
being turned into a corrupt black soapy substance 
sticking to the inside of the cocoon. Sometimes 
the mummy is exceedingly black, and now and 
then detached, and most frequently it adheres to 
the cocoon. 
A part of these cocoons may be spun ; the stain 
does not always alter and spoil the silk. The 
spinners can never be sure of the quantity of 
silk they may be able to wind from them, and 
they in general dislike working on these cocoons, 
