Silk raising® 
965 
below. We found no difficulty in cleaning 
our shelves in this way. 
During the whole time the worms are feed¬ 
ing, attention should be paid to cleanliness— 
that is, the room should be kept free from 
filth and bad smell. In very hot weather, 
the windows should be opened to give free 
air; and in cold damp weather, if it can be 
done, fire should be kept in the fire-place. 
It is proper to observe, that unless the 
weather be very cool, no other injury will 
be done the worms than stopping their feed¬ 
ing and growth during its continuance. We 
have had weather so cold, as to produce thin 
ice in our cocoonery, without other injury 
to the worms, than stopping their growth a 
few days ; that is, it required two or three 
days longer to produce the cocoons than it 
would have done, had not the cold weather 
occurred. Therefore, though it is always 
better to keep the room moderately warm, 
by fire, if necessary, yet it is not indispensa¬ 
ble to very fair success. 
If disease occur in the worms, particularly 
the yellows, the best way is, to take the sick 
worms from the shelves, and throw them 
away as soon as they are discovered. The 
yellows, is both a contagious and hereditary 
disease ; and hence, if one worm is attacked 
by it, it will be sure to be communicated to 
the others ; and worse than this, even if the 
sick worms get well, which they seldom do, 
the eggs they produce are almost certain to 
produce sickly worms, and by this means, the 
crop of the succeeding year will be lost. 
When it can be done, one or two days’ 
supply of leaves should be gathered ahead, 
and kept in a cellar, that no damage may be 
sustained during rainy weather. But great 
caution should be observed not to feed with 
wilted leaves. It were better to give the 
worms wet leaves than wilted ones. If kept 
in a cellar and occasionally shook about, the 
leaves will keep three days in good condition. 
Where no cellar is at hand, and where you 
have plenty of trees, you can keep leaves 
fresh three or four days, by cutting off the 
tops and Branches of the trees, and setting 
the butt ends in water. If the end of a branch 
be set in water one inch deep, it will keep 
the leaves fresh. For this purpose, tubs 
might be used, and large quantities of leaves 
kept in this way. 
The sun should never be allowed to shine 
on the worms; and if any of them are ex¬ 
posed to it, the window should be so shaded 
by shutters or blinds as to prevent it. 
Successive crops may be fed, if it be de¬ 
sired to occupy the whole season,- by keep¬ 
ing the eggs in an ice-house, and bringing 
out portions of them at each time of hatch¬ 
ing. It is believed, that this is a much bet¬ 
ter plan than commencing with the whole at 
once. All new beginners should commence 
in the spring, with one-half an ounce of eggs, 
to be hatched as soon as the leaves put out. 
From the cocoons formed by this crop, eggs 
for next year’s use should be saved, and 
reelers should be taught. The very best co¬ 
coons should be selected to produce eggs.” 
When the worms have finished eating, and 
are sufficiently matured for spinning, they 
will be seen to raise their heads, apparently 
seeking some place to wind their cocoons. A 
suitable place for this, Mr. Smith suggests, 
is the crib work formed by the alternate 
cross layers of the mulberry branches, which 
have been properly arranged while feeding. 
In addition, some use small bundles of clean 
straw, with the heads cut off, and tied at the 
top and sufficiently spread at the bottom to 
allow the worms convenient accommodations 
for winding. These are kept securely in 
their places, by being so cut as to touch both 
at the top and bottom between the shelves, 
and from this straw they are easily gathered 
without any loss to the cocoons. Branches 
of green poplar leaves, as recommended on 
page 49 of our paper, or boughs of oak 
leaves, are suitable for the worms in winding 
their cocoons. 
After remaining about eight days, a suffi¬ 
cient number of the best should be first se¬ 
lected for eggs, and as nearly as possible 
equal numbers of males and females, the first 
generally being indicated by one pointed end, 
somewhat drawn in at the middle, while the 
latter is nearly alike at both ends. The co¬ 
coons may be at once reeled if convenient; 
but if they are required to be kept for any 
length of time, the chrysalis must be stifled, 
which is effectually done by exposure in a 
hot sun for two or three days; or, by baking in 
an oven at not too great an elevation of tem¬ 
perature. They should then be carefully 
laid away beyond the reach of mice or other 
vermin, in a dry, safe place. 
In about fourteen days the millers come 
forth and couple; after a connection of 
twelve hours, they should be carefully sepa¬ 
rated, and the males thrown away, unless 
there is a deficiency, in which case, they 
should be retained for further use ; but it is 
believed the worms are not, in all cases, as 
good, which are produced from the male 
when used a second or third time. Soon 
after the separation, the female discharges a 
brown substance, after which, she is to be 
