June 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
209 
The few which hatch the first day had better be thrown 
away. If the stove-room be sufficiently large conveniently 
to bold the necessary hurdles, the worms may remain there 
till they are well grown. If not large enough, let them bo 
removed to an adjacent apartment, arranged as nearly as 
J possible like that of the stove. Such a room is necessary 
j for those who would act methodically, for as the worms 
grow they occupy much space. If too thick and crowded, 
as is too often the case with us, they can neither breathe 
j nor perspire, and the weaker get no food, consequently do 
not attain their proper size, work little, or die. It is essen¬ 
tial, that wherever they are kept the temperature should be 
! equal, and that there should be sufficient room for the 
I necessary wicker frames or hurdles, so that every ounce of 
| eggs should have a hundred and fifty square feet of room, 
i As soon as they are properly placed, leaves, fresh, and quite 
dry, must be given them, torn into small pieces, and placed 
between tbc twigs on which the worms are, that they may 
by degrees spread themselves all over the leaves with which 
the hurdles are covered. 
Some people cut the leaves with a knife or scissors, but 
they thus lose some of their sap, and the worms do not 
readily eat the edges which have been touched by steel; 
therefore, it is better to tear them into small pieces, espe¬ 
cially in the first two stages of the worm’s life. Thus they 
are more easily fed, food is saved, and the insect’s life 
shortened, and the shorter its life the more easily it gets 
over its sickness or torpidity. 
"We have said, that if Silkworms are to succeed, they must 
have plenty of room to move at pleasure. From their 
hatching to their first change, six square feet should be 
allowed to the ounce; to the second, twelve; to the third, 
thirty ; to the fourth, seventy; and in the fifth stage, that is 
- from the fourth change till they go into the bush, they 
should have about one hundred and forty square feet. 
Whoever lias more room should give it them, as it is of 
the greatest importance that in this stage the worms should 
be thinly scattered. They eat, grow, breathe, perspire, 
digest, and rest the better for it. They consume less food, 
are better tended, and the effluvia arising from the bed 
being carried ofF will not be so injurious. 
In spreading the worms over the hurdles, or changing 
their beds, they must never be touched with the hand, for 
they will suffer from it whatever care be used. It makes 
one shudder to see them thrown by handsful from dishes, 
or other vessels, upon the hurdles, and kept heaped together 
for many minutes. Such a proceeding proves that the care 
of the worms is entrusted to those who are ignorant of their 
constitution, so delicate in all its stages. Wishing, then, to 
move the worms from hurdle to hurdle, to scatter them, or 
to remove the remains of the food, and other impurities, let 
some shoots of the mulberry be laid upon the little worms, 
who will quickly cover them. When loaded, let these twigs 
be carried upon a table to other hurdles. Then those from 
which they have been removed must be thoroughly cleaned, 
and all extraneous matter quickly taken out of the apart¬ 
ment—they are then fit for the reception of other worms. 
The operation of scattering the worms and cleaning the 
hurdles must be performed once during the two first stages, 
twice during the third, and every day after the last, taking 
care that the worms occupy the prescribed space. Those 
worms which are just awaking should not be disturbed, but 
allowed one or two meals before they ai’e touched. To 
facilitate the dispersion of the worms, the laden twigs should 
be placed in rows, at equal distances, and the leaves between 
them. At first it will appear that the worms are very thinly 
scattered, but as they grow it will not be so. It is certain 
that we keep our worms too crowded, and that, conse¬ 
quently, they do not thrive as they otherwise would. 
In changing the bed in the last stage, some persons use 
a packthread net, on which they spread leaves, and lay 
upon the hurdle. The worms ascend, leaving the hurdle 
free to be cleaned from all foetid matter; this done, more 
leaves are scattered upon it, and the net put upon it, and 
the insects go down, attracted by the fresh food. One 
of the most difficult things to accomplish, and on which 
so much depends, is to have the worms of the same age. 
Care should be taken that they all eat equally, by an equal 
distribution of leaves. Those which are hatched some 
hours after the rest should be placed nearest the stove, and 
in the highest frames; they should be fed oftener, and 
kept farther apart, that, having had as much food as the 
older worms, they may all become torpid at once. If such 
precautions be not used, the smaller worms, who had not 
strength to ascend the leaves, remain without nourishment, 
while the older ones sleep, and, perhaps, become sick, and 
infect the rest, to the great detriment of all. In feeding 
the worms, most people act by chance, though there are 
rules, the observance of which benefits the insect and saves 
the food. In the first four stages the worms may have a 
repast every five or six hours, that is, four or five times 
a-day, but in the fifth they eat voraciously, and must have 
six meals, the quantity being regulated by the appetite 
they evince. If after the meal they keep quiet, it is a sign 
they are satisfied. Until the fourth change, the leaves are 
given torn, because it is observed that the worms, allured by 
the smell of the bruised leaves, eat more greedily. By 
degrees they may be given in larger pieces, and in the 
last stage whole, but (that there may be no unnecessary 
matter in the bed) stripped of twigs and fruit. I think 
it well to repeat, that the leaves must not be given as 
soon as they are gathered, but must be dried for some 
hours. 
With regard to the heat of the room. From the hatching 
to the first change, the thermometer should stand at 19° r. 
(75° f.) ; from the first to the second, at 18° k. (73° f. ) ; 
from the second to the end of the third, at 17° r. (71° f.) ; 
and after the fourth, at 16° r. (68° f.). Should the rooms be i 
cold, the stove must be kept burning; if too warm, the 
windows exposed to the sun must be closed, and the means 
before-mentioned must be resorted to. If the temperature 
be a degree or two higher, it will do no harm, only, in that 
case, the worms must have more food, because the warmth, 
increasing their powers of digestion, and making them 
perspire, provokes their appetite. It has been observed, 
that when good rules are observed, when the season is 
regular, and the food uniformly of a good quality, the in¬ 
terval between each change is abridged. 
From the hatching to the first change, five or six days 
intervene, or less, if the food be given in very small pieces, 
as it is then more equally divided among the worms; from 
the first to the second sleep, four days pass. At this stage, 
those which remain in the beds, or are below the average 
size, should be removed. The interval between the second 
and third change occupies five days, and, to preserve them 
in health, fires must be lighted in the chimney, while the 
opposite ventilators are open to freshen the air, not for¬ 
getting to increase the space between the worms, according 
to the above - mentioned proportions. Eight days pass 
between the third and fourth stage. This is the most 
dangerous age for the worms, and they must be sedulously 
watched night and day. The bed must be frequently 
changed; fires must be kindled, of wood that emits no 
smoke, or of dry straw; every impurity must be scrupulously 
removed from the chamber, that the worms thus reared 
in-doors may have the same advantages as those in the 
open air. The only difference between them should be that 
which arises from a more even temperature; thus, if the 
atmosphere becomes oppressive, we must have recourse to 
the most approved methods of freshening it, and then the 
worms will continue healthy. The fifth stage is the longest, 
and on its result depends the harvest of cocoons. 
As the worm increases in size many enemies appear; as, I 
for instance, the almost incredible quantity of vapour that 
exudes, in the form of perspiration, from their bodies, and j 
from the leaves if given too moist. These vapours relax 
the skin of the worm, which loses its appetite, does not 
digest its food, and suffers from various disorders which 
terminate fatally. The unwholesome exhalations from the 
bodies of the worms, and from the remains of their food, 
cause a difficulty in breathing, destroy their liveliness, and 
occasion death. The warmth of the external atmosphere, 
added to the heat and damp of the room, excite fermenta¬ 
tion in the beds, and make the air unfit for respiration, and 
in a few hours, the fruit of all the previous care bestowed 
on the worms may be lost. It may not be useless to repeat, 
that, at this season, great care must be taken that the 
worms have plenty of space. They do not breathe by the 
mouth, but by orifices near their feet; and if they are too 
crowded, and these apertures are covered, any one may . 
