care being taken to give them plenty of space, 
as they grow rapidly. Each day’s hatching 
should be kept separate, in order that the 
worms may be of uniform size, and go through 
their different moltiugs or sicknesses with regu¬ 
larity and uniformity; and all eggs not hatched 
after the fourth day from the appearance of 
the first should be thrown away, as they will 
be found to contain inferior, weakly, or sickly 
worms. It is calculated that one ounce of 
eggs of a good race will produce 100 pounds of 
fresh cocoons ; while for every additional 
ounce the percentage is reduced if the worms 
are all raised together, until for 20 ounces the 
average does not exceed 25 pounds of cocoons 
per ounce. 
The young worms may be moved about by 
means of a camel’s-hair brush, but should be 
handled as little as possible. Nets with larger 
meshes will be needed as the worms increase 
in size. The food should be renewed whenever 
the leaves have been devoured or when they 
have become dry. Worms eat most freely 
early in the morning and late at night. No 
damp or wet leaves should be fed, so that 
hatching point approaches, the egg becomes 
lighter in color, which is due to the fact that 
its fluid contents become concentrated, as it 
were, into tbo central forming worm, leaving 
an intervening space between it and the shell, 
which is semi transparent.. Just before hatching 
the worm within becomes more active, a slight 
clicking sound is frequently heard, which 
sound is, however, common to the eggs of many 
other insects. After the worm has made its 
exit by gnawing a hole through oue side of 
the shell, this last becomes quite white. Each 
female produces on an average from 300 to 
400 eggs, and one ounce of eggs contains about 
40,000 individuals. 
The worm passes through three or four 
molts, the time between which is divided as 
follows; The first period occupies from five 
to six days, the second but four or five, the 
third about five, the fourth from five to six, 
and the fifth from eight to ten. These periods 
are not exact, but simply proportionate. The 
time from the batchiug to the spurning of the 
cocoons may, aud does, vary all the way from 
thirty to forty days, depending upon the race 
of the worm, the quality of the food, mode of 
feeding, temperature, etc.; but the same rela¬ 
tive proportion of time between molts usually 
holds true. The color of the newly-hatched 
worm is black or dark gray, and it is covered 
with long, stiff bail's. When the worm has 
attained full growth it acquires a dear, trans¬ 
lucent hue, becomes restless and ceases to feed. 
It is then ready to elaborate the fluid silk. 
The cocoon (Fig. 147), consists of an outer 
lining of loose silk, known as “ floss,” which 
is used for carding and spinning. The inner 
cocoon is tough, strong and compact, com- 1 
posed of a firm, continuous thread, which is, 
however, not wound in concentric circles as 
might be supposed, but irregularly, in short, 
figure-of-S loops, first in one place and then in 
another, so that in reeling, several yards of silk 
may be taken off without the cocoon turning 
around In form the cocoon is usually oval, 
and in color yellowish ; but in both these 
features it varies greatly, being either pure 
silvery-white, cream or carneous, green and 
even roseate, and often constricted in the 
middle. 
With no jaws, and confined within the nar¬ 
row space of the cocoon, the moth finds 
some difficulty in escaping from its chrysalis 
state. For this purpose it is provided, in two 
glands near the obsolete mouth, with a strongly 
alkaline liquid secretion with which it moist¬ 
ens the eud of the cocoou and dissolves the 
hard gummy lining. Then, by a forward uud 
backward motion, the prisoner, with crimped 
and damp wings, gradually forces its way out, 
and when once out the wings soon expand and 
dry. The silken threads are simply pushed 
aside, but enough of them get broken in the 
process to render the cocoons from which the 
moths escape, comparatively useless for reel¬ 
ing. The moth is of a cream color, with more 
or less distinct brownish markings across the 
wings, as in Fig. 148. The males have broader 
antennas or feelers than the females, and may, 
by this feature, at once be distinguished 
Neither sex flies, but the male is more active 
than the female. 
FEEDING AND REARING THE WORMS. 
The room in which the rearing is to be done 
should be so arranged, says Prof. Riley, that 
it can be thoroughly and easily ventilated, and 
warmed if desirable. A northeast exposure 
is the best. If but few worms are to be reared, 
all the operations cau be performed in trays 
upon tables, but in large establishments the 
room is arranged with deep aud numerous 
shelves, from four to eight feet deep and two 
feet six inches apart. All wood, however, 
should be well seasoned, as green wood seems 
some one would be successful. Well, the seeds 
germinated well enough, aud iu due time the 
seedlings blossomed, but instead of being what 
they were represented to he, they were a lot 
of the most miserable rubbish I ever saw in 
the way of pansies. 
“Can you grow a second crop on your 
potato land?” 
“ Yes. For several years I have grown 
Hubbard Squashes among my potat, *es. The 
first time I dig potatoes I dig here and there 
a hill—say twelve feet apart, and then I bend 
the vines away from round these spots and 
make a mellow hill and drop the squash seed. 
The weather aud laud are so warm by this 
time, that the sprouts come up very quickly 
and begin to grow at once. I Hod that planted 
any time in June, 
they will come on 
and make a good 
crop. One should 
dig the first pota¬ 
toes used round 
each of these hills, 
and the squash 
vines will grow so rapidly that you will hardly 
use the potatoes fast enough, if you have more 
than a dozen hills of the squashes. I never 
succeeded in growing Hubbard Squashes until 
I adopted this plan of planting them, as the 
bugs invariably killed them, but I have never 
had a hill disturbed by the Striped Bug when 
planted in this way. After the vines have 
run five or six feet I make a little trench three 
or four inches deep alongside of each main 
vine, and gently lift the vine into it, and bury 
it for a foot or more, about two or three feet 
from the hill. It will soon send out roots at 
the jo.nts and then if the borer or grub worm 
kills the main vine, as is often the case, the 
new roots will support it and you can still 
grow squashes. I grow late tomatoes where 
the onions grow, putting the plants out two 
or three weeks before the onions are pulled, 
and then they are ready to grow rapidly 
when the ground is cleared. Where you see 
that plot of early corn I shall have a nice bean 
patch for late use, for just as soon as the corn 
is too hard to boil, 1 shall clean it off and 
plant wax beans. In fact, I do not intend to 
have a spot of the garden idle or to ever allow 
a weed to go to seed on it.” 
“I am quite sure,” said the Squire, “that you 
get twice as ^ y 
much from your - 
garden as I have ifc-''/ 
been getting from 
mine, but I will \$f .- 1 
see that there are \*cJs 
no bare spots this v 
y ear .» Moth.—F ra. 143. 
“There is no profit in them,” I answered, 
as the Squire drove off, and I might have 
added, “ or pleasure either if the bare spots 
are allowed to run up to weeds.” 
Butler Co., Ohio. 
Edge the turf-verges of your walks, the 
rims of your flower-beds and the borders of 
your lawns with an edging spade or a com 
mon digging spade whose edge has been sharp¬ 
ened on the grindstone so that it will make a 
smooth, clean cut. This givos au air of neat¬ 
ness and finish to your garden. It is best done 
in moist weather while the sod is wet, and if 
the sod has Been rolled before it is edged, so 
much the better. Do not pare off any more 
than you can help, just enough to make your 
lines straight and your curves regular. Save 
the edgings or sod parings and lay them to¬ 
gether in a heap Co rot; this will make excel¬ 
lent soil for next year’s potting. Leon. 
Cocoon.—F w. 117. 
GARDEN TALKS.—NO. 5. 
WALDO F. BROWN. 
Double Cropping. 
I was out in the garden one morning the 
first week in J une when the Squire drove into 
the yard and caiue directly out to where I was 
at work. 
“ I have come over to have a talk about 
Piedmontese Reel —Fig. 150. 
those for the morning meal should be picked 
the night before. Signs of the first molt will 
appear on the approach of the fifth or sixth 
day, when feeding should cease, and trays or 
shelves be made clean, As soon as the great 
majority have molted they should be copiously 
fed, and, as they grow very rapidly after each 
molt, and as they must always be allowed 
plenty of room, it wifi probably become ne¬ 
cessary to divide the hatch , and this is readily 
done at any meal by removing the net when 
about half of the worms have risen and re¬ 
placing it by an additional one. The space 
alloteii to each batch should, of course, be in¬ 
creased proportionately with the growth of 
the worms. The same precautions should be 
observed in the three succeeding molts as in 
this first one. The temperature of the room 
should not be allowed to change suddenly, 
and should remain at about SO deg. Fah. Dur- 
ingthe last few days of the molting the worms 
require the greatest care aud attention. All 
excrement and litter must he removed often, 
and the sickly and diseased ones watched for 
aud removed from the rest. The quantity of 
leaves which they devour iu this fifth age is 
something enormous, aud the feeding will keep 
the attendant busily employed. 
The arches for spiuuing must be prepared 
after U) days from the last molt. These can 
be made of twigs two or three feet long and 
made to interlock over the worms on the shelves 
in the form of an arch. The temperature now 
should be above 80 deg. Spinning will cease 
iu two or three days. The cocoons will be 
ready to gather in about eight days from the 
time spinning commenced. 
If the reeling is done by the raiser, or if some 
time must elapse before the cocoons can be 
sent to a reeling establishment, some means 
must be used to kill the contained chrysalids 
before the cocoon is injured for reeling pur¬ 
poses by the egress of the moth. This can be 
done by stittiug them with steam or choking 
them by dry heat. Steaming is the surest, 
quickest, aud best method, if the facilities are 
at hand; it cau be doue at any steam mill. 
The cocoons are laid upon shelves in a tightly- 
sealed box and the steam is turned in. Twenty 
minutes will suffice to do the required work, 
and the cocoons are then dried iu the sun. 
The dry-heat method occupies a much longer 
time. The ooeoous are placed in shallow bask¬ 
ets and slipped on iron drawers into an oven 
which is kept heated to a temperature of about 
200 deg. F. This should not be increased for 
fear of burning the silk. This operation lasts 
from two to 24 hours. A certain humming 
noise continues so long as there is any life, 
and its cessation is an indication that the 
chrysalids are all dead. Where the choking 
is well done there is little loss, only about one 
per cent, of the cocoons bursting at the ends. 
After choking in this manner, the cocoons 
should be strewn upon long wooden shelves in 
the shade, with pleuty of air, aud, for the 
first few days, frequently stirred. After re¬ 
maining on these shelves for about two months 
with occasional stirrings, the chrysalids be 
come quite dry and the cocoons will preserv 
indefinitely. 
Reeling. 
Much skill is required to reel silk properly. 
In the best cocoons the silk will measure over 
1000 feet in length, each thread of which is in 
l reality composed of two threads glued to- 
Silk Worm.—fig. 140. 
double cropping,” said he, after the usual sal¬ 
utation. 
“You will see that you have hit the right 
time,” I replied, “ for I am just clearing the 
ground where my early peas grew, and shall 
plant another crop. I am hoeing up the four 
rows of Tom Thumb and Little Gem Peas 
that we have been using from for two weeks or 
more.” 
“ Why don’t you plow them under?” asked 
the Squire. 
“ Because,” I answered, “ there is not room 
enough to get in here with a large plow and 
roller, and if 1 should plow this deep now it 
would turn up rough and cloddy, hut if I take 
the vines off and work it flue from the surface 
with a good cultivator I can get it in nice 
order.” 
“Why, look here! There are lots of pods on 
these yeti What are you going to do with 
them?” 
“Throw them to the pigs,” I answered. 
“These pods are too old to he eaten, and as all 
the earliest and best have been gathered I do 
not think these fit for seed.” 
“ What will you plant here?” 
“A row of cucumbers,” I auswered,” “I 
have them in pots now in the cold frame, in 
the rough leaf so that I think the striped bugs 
will not hurt them, but for fear they might 
I shall drop a few seeds in each bill, and then 
if from any cause I lose the hill 1 set out, the 
others will soon come on. I expect to grow 
still another cr >p here this season.” 
“ What can that be! ” asked the Squire. 
“Turnips,” I answered. “I have hardly 
ever failed to grow a good crop of turnips 
amoug my cucumbers. The vines shade the 
ground and keep it moist so that it is eusy to 
get a stand, and I think the fly does not dis¬ 
turb them so much among the cucumber 
viues. The first cold night—even before frost 
—kills the cucumber vines, and then the tur¬ 
nips come on and occupy the land. 1 once 
grew an acre of Torn Thumb Peas for seed; 
theu au excellent crop of pickles, and I 
gathered ten wagon-loads of turnips, fifty 
bushels to the load, from that acre the same 
Fall.” 
“ Well what else is there hero iu the garden 
that you will follow with a second crop?’’ 
“I shall dig up that row of lettuce and 
spinach next week aud plant snap beans 
there,” I answered. 
“ Why they are both growing as vigorously 
as ever,” said the Squire. 
“ That is true, but both are past their prime, 
aud we have a Summer variety of lettuce, 
that is very much better that will be ready 
for the table and we never care for spinach 
after our beets are ready to use, and so there 
is no use in lotting these stand. Theu, where 
those two rows of early beans are growing I 
shall plant sweet corn. I shall not wait till 
the last pod is used, hut as soon as the next 
plauting is ready aud I begin to see that 
these arc not quite up to the standard, I shall 
pull them up, because the land is worth more 
for something else. It is a mistake that most 
farmers make in their garden management 
that they do not utilize the laud as they 
should, but after the first crop matures they 
let the land ruu up to weeds which fill the soil 
with seed for the next year or even seven y ears. 
arm 
SILK CULTURE. 
There is a growing desire, on the part of 
the public, for information on the subject 
of silk culture, whatever may have been the 
success of this industry in the past. This new 
interest is made evident by the largely in¬ 
creased correspondence of the Agricultural 
Department at Washington on this subject, 
and in order to give accurate information, 
Prof. Riley, Entomologist to the Department, 
has prepared a pamphlet on the silkworm, 
being a brief manual of instructions for the 
production of silk. From this we have re-eu- 
graved the accompanying engravings. 
The silkworm proper is the larva of a small 
moth known entomologically as Sericaria 
mori, and is shown at Fig. 146. Prof. Riley’s 
Improved Lombardy Reel.—Fig. 149. 
to be injurious to the health of the worms. 
When the eggs are about to hatch, mosquito 
netting or perforated paper should be laid over 
them lightly. Upon this cau be evenly spread 
freshly-plucked leaves or buds. The worms 
will rise through the meshes of the net or 
the holes in the paper and cluster upon the 
leaves, wlieu the whole net can easily he moved. 
In this moving, paper has the advantage over 
the netting, in that it is stiller aud does not 
lump the worms together in the middle. They 
may now be spread upon the shelves or trays, 
description of the various life stages of the 
insect is, briefly, as follows : 
The egg of the silkworm moth is called by 
silk-raisers the “seed.” It is nearly round, 
slightly flattened, and in size resembles a tur¬ 
nip seed. Its color when first deposited is 
yellow, and this color it retains if unimpreg- 
uated. If impregnated, however, it soon ac¬ 
quires a gray, slate, lilac, violet, or even dark- 
greeu hue, according to variety or breed. It 
also becomes indented. When diseased it as¬ 
sumes a still darker and dull tint. As the 
