THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
117 
be inrowa away, as theydo not always produce 
stroQo; and healihy worms. When the worms 
be^in to make their appearance, young mulber- 
ry leaves cut into narrow strips should be laid 
over them, to which they will readily attach 
thetnselvesj these should be carefully removed 
und placed conipaclly upon a cloth screen or 
tray, prepared lor them, and other leaves placed 
upon the eggs, for the worms that still remain, 
which should be passed olf as before. A sin- 
gular fact will be observed, that all the worms 
will hatch between sunrise and before noon ol 
each day. Care should be taken to keep the 
worms of each day’s hatching by themselves, 
as it is of the greatest importance to have the 
moultings and changes of all the worms as si- 
multaneous as possible. It is also important 
that the worms that have been transferred to 
the trays should not be led until the hatching 
for the day is completed, so that all may be led 
equally. Young and tender leaves should be 
selected to feed the worms with ; these should be 
cut viih a sharp knife into pieces not exceeding 
a quarter of an inch square, and evenly sifted 
over them. They should be led in this way six 
or eighttimes in twenty four hours, as near as 
possible at regular and stated periods. 
It will be impossible to lay down any definite 
rules tor the quantity of leaves necessary for a 
given number of worms for each succeeding 
day, through every age. Altera little acquaint- 
ance with their nature and habits, the intelli- 
gence and judgment of the attendant will be the 
best guide; they should, however, have as 
much as they will eat, but alter a few days care 
should be taken not to give them more than 
they will generally con^ ume, as this will in- 
crease the accumulation ol litter, which will en- 
danger the health of the worms. In the last 
age they eat voraciously, when they should be 
well supplied. A quantity ol leaves should 
always be on hand in case of wet weather. 
When the average range of the thermometer 
is between 70 and 80®, the several moultings 
will take place near the fifth, ninth, fifteenth, 
and twenty-second days after hatching. It may 
be known when the worms are about to cast 
their skins, as they cease to eat and remain sta- 
tionary, with their heads raised and occasional- 
ly shaking them. This operation will be more 
distinctly observed as they increase in size, 
through their succeeding ages. 
Assuming the above temperature as the stand- 
ard, the quantity ol leaves for the three fiist 
days of this (the first) age must be gradually in- 
creased at each feeding, after which they will 
require less at each succeeding meal until the 
time of moulting arrives, when, for about twen- 
ty-four hours, they eat nothing. But as it is 
seldom the case that all cast their skins atone and 
the same time, some will still be disposed to eat, 
when a lew leaves must be cut fins and soamig- 
?y scattered over them, sothatthose that remain 
torpid may be disturbed as little as possible 
They must now be carefully fed in this way 
until it IS discovered that some have moulted, 
when the feeding must cease altogether until 
the most of them have recovered. This rule 
must be particularly regarded through all the 
succeeding moultings, otherwise some of the 
worms will be far in advance of others; and 
this want ol uniform.ily will increase through- 
out each succeeding age, and to the period of 
winding, which vvill not only result in great in- 
convenience in gathering the cocoons, but will 
materially injure the worms, and consequently 
lessen the crop ot silk. 
When i\\e greatest portion of the worms have 
moulted and appear active, leaves a little wilted 
are laid over them, by which they are passed to 
clean trays. If any still remain that have 
moulted, they must be transferred in the same 
manner, by laying more leaves upon them 
The remnant of worms that have not changed 
their skins should be left upon the litter, and 
added to those ot the next day’s moulting. By 
closely regarding these rules throughout the se- 
veral ages, the worms will generally all co.u- 
mence the formation of their cocoons about the 
same period. 
After having gone through and furnished all 
the worms with a quantity ot leaves, it is well 
to go over a second time and add more where 
they seem to require it. 
Very young and tender leaves must be given 
to the worms in the first age; after which older 
ones can be given, as they advance in age, until 
after the last moulting, when they should be 
fed upon sound full grown leaves." 
After the second moulting, the leaves, where 
large crops are fed, maybe cut by running them 
twice through a common rotary hay or straw- 
cutter of Hovey’s, or one of a similar make. 
The worms will frequently heap together 
and become too thick, as they increase in size; 
when they are fed, the leaves must be spread 
and the space erlarged,or they may be remo- 
ved by leaves or twigs of the mulberry to places 
unoccupied. If (hey are permitted to be crowd- 
ed, disease is apt to follow, and the whole crop 
endangered. 
It will sometimes be observed, when the light 
falls mote directly on one side of the hurdle 
than the other, that the worms will incline to 
leave that side and become crowded on the 
opposite, w’hen the hurdle should be turned 
around. 
Up to the last moulting it is best to feed the 
worms entirely upon the leaves of the multi- 
caulis; atter which, the Canton or white Italian 
should be used, it a full supply can be obtained 
—the former being consumed with greater avi- 
dity, aud the accumulation of litter is conse- 
quently less. The Canton and Italian produce 
the heaviest cocoon, whilethe multicaulis yields 
a finer and stronger fibre. In pursuing this 
course, the advantages of boiti are in some de- 
gree secured. 
The worms should be removed from their 
litter immediately atter each moulting, and in 
their fourth age the hurdles should be cleaned a 
second time, and alter the last mouliing they 
should b.e removed at least every second day. 
Where nets are not used, in the last ages the 
wi'rms are changed, by laying over them the 
small branches of the mulberry. 
Recently branch feeding, as it is termed, has 
been introduced with some success and with 
great economy of time ; in the last ages ot the 
worms care should be taken to lay the branch- 
es as evenly as possible, especially where it is 
designed to use twine hurdles, otherwise it will 
be difficult for the worms to ascend through the 
netting. 
When the worms are about to spin they pre- 
sent something of a yellowish appearance; 
they refuse to eat and wander about in pursuit 
ot a hiding place, and throw out fibres of silk 
upon the leaves. The hurdles should now be 
thoroughly cleaned lor the last time, and some- 
thing prepared for them to form their cocoons 
in. Various plans have been proposed for this 
purpose. The lath irames, before described,! 
prefer. They are used by resting the back edge 
of the frame upon the hurdle, where the two 
meet in the double range, and raising the front 
edge up to the under side of the hurdle above, 
which is held to its place by two small wire 
hooks attached to the edge of the hurdle. 
A covering; of paper or cloth should be ap- 
plied to the lath frames. In using the htirdles 
and screens, I remove the screen from under 
the hurdle, turning the under side up, and let- 
ting it down directly upon the winding frame. 
This affords double the room tor the worms to 
wind in. Lath frames of this description have 
advantages that no other fixtures .for winding 
possess that I have ever seen tried. The frame 
resting upon the back side of each hurdle ren- 
ders this side more dark, which places the 
worms instinctively seek, when they meet with 
the ends of the laths and immediately ascend to 
convenient places for the formation ot their co- 
coons. Prom these frames the cocoons are 
gathered with great facility, and free from litter 
and dirt, and when they are required they are 
put up with great expedition. 
Where branch feeding has been adopted by 
some, no other accommodation has been provi- 
ded for the winding of the worms than that af- 
forded them by the branches from which they 
have fed. This is decidedly objectionable as 
the worms are always disposed to rise until their 
course is obstructed above. When this is not 
the case, they wmnder about for hours upon the 
tops of the branches, and only descend after their 
strength becomes exhausted, and the result is, 
the production of a crop of loose, inferior co- 
coons. Next to lath frames, small bunches of 
straw afford the best accommodation for this 
purpose. Rye straw is preferred. Take a 
small bunch about the size of the little finger, 
and with some strong twine tie it firmly about 
half an inch from the butt of the straw; cut the 
bunch off about half an inch longer than the 
distance between the hurdles. They are thus 
placed upright with their butt ends downwards, 
with their tops spreading out, interlacing each 
other, and piessing against the hurdles above. 
They should be thickly set in double rows about 
sixteen inches apart across the hurdles. These 
may be preserved for a number of years. 
After the most of the worms have arisen, the 
few remaining may be removed to hurdles by 
themselves. In three or four days the cocoons 
may be gathered. While gathering, those de- 
signed for eggs should be selected. Those of 
firm and fine texture with round hard ends are 
the best. The smaller cocoons most generally 
produce the male, and those larger and more 
lull at the ends, the female insect. Each healthy 
female moth will lay from four to six hundred 
eggs. But it is not always safe to calculate on 
one half of the cocoons to produce female moths. 
Therefore it is well to save an extra number to 
insure a supply of eggs. 
The cocoons intended for eggs should be 
stripped of their floss or loose tow, which con- 
sists of irregular fibres, by which the worm at- 
taches its work to whatever place it is about to 
form its cocoon. These should be placed on 
hurdles, in a thin layer, and in about two weeks 
the moths will come out; always in the forepart 
of the day, and generally before the sun is two 
hours high. It laid upon a net hurdle (which 
is best) they will immediately fall through the 
meshes and remain suspended on the under side, 
where they are not liable to become entangled 
in the cocoons. As soon as the male finds the 
female they become united. They should be 
taken carefully by the wings, in pairs, and pla- 
ced upon sheets of paper, to remain until near 
night, when the female will be anxious to lay 
her eggs. Then take each gently by the wings 
and separate them, placing the females at regu- 
lar distances, about two inches from each other 
upon sheets of paper or fine cotton or linen 
cloth ; these should hang over a line or be tack- 
ed to the side of the house. In two or three 
nights the moths will complete their laying, 
when they should be removed from the papers 
or cloths. Frequently the males appear first in 
the greatest numbers, some ot which should be 
reserved each day, in case there should after- 
wards be an excess of females. They should 
be shut out from the light, otherwise they are 
liable to injure themselves by a constant flutter- 
ing of their wings. The female is largest, and 
seldom moves or flutters. 
KILLING THE CHRISALIDES. 
After the cocoons have been gathered, those 
that are intended for sale, or for future reeling, 
must be submitted to some process by which the 
moths will be trilled,, otherwise they will perfo- 
rate and spoil the cocoons. This is doneby va- 
rious methods. The most simple and conve- 
nient is to spread them thinly on boards, and 
expose them to thedirect rays of the sun. In a 
hot day many of them will be killed in a few 
hours, but they must be stirred occasionally, or 
some will be liable to escape the heat and after- 
wards come out. At Economy they place them 
in an air-tight box containingaboutten bushels, 
(the box should always be full, or if not, a par- 
tition is fitted down to the cocoon,) sprinkling 
evenly through the whole, beginning at the bot- 
tom, about three ounces ot camphor, slightly 
moistened with alcohol, and finely pulverized. 
The box is then closed, and the seams of the 
