}
'

_- MESSISSIPPT VALLEY SULK-CULTERE (9,5 SILK PROM DPARE,

: HOLDEN mn iSSOu iP tye -. O BOS 4. n Cee cee

rt © btu Prof, G@. BARALSH LLL, Vireetor.

NOP EGE Se.

eo ie The thi nl, PRACTICAL, SCQSOR ws this ENTERPRISE jeiwg zzir at hort, ve take
20 U f

APP ALAA LAA AAA AAP AAS ft PEELS {

Coe; pleasure to informe ‘the would be Six-G: OW RS, fy vi it ce a i) give, PREE,
“Ae aes 1. t i
i) “ | next Spring, A Sain, either youns Stih-Ca pill x, or Ctterp lars’ eggs, di-

MENT Obi4 U0 ich will be sent

7 1 OaNY address on application.

ey | 3 ie |
, 3 QNEOUNCE FIVE DOLLARS: FRASTIO% y Prapor: jon.
pene a ie Raney tees ae nS ui (es ant Be : ° all : ‘ ’ . a gt
© Vv i ee ~ oe. ce Coes { fom pe) reek Oh Ui Yeoh ean Ye h (0) “e Vet Wis) eG) Wore ili | ay aS 15 ONG) np: Wy )
x } % taken now, >-Each order should be send accompanied with one fourth of 1 Dilee When the
Y = hatehing time arrives. we give notice; wud, on reesipt of balvice -M>aey, be mht : yrs
. The Silk- Culture DIR ECTORY , worth, $1., is given free is a
; ee to orders of 1 oz.
VN - \..*, *Cocoons bought (fresh vuly, i. e@. just after gataeving ) at market price, eee ire _— ‘ch!

Write Usa P C., Hanxp Tits Nore To Your AcQuainrancus, PLEASE!
caret : * 6, BARRIGELLI.

rections, tistructions, §¢., a2 wri fenun shi AGR

si fie tt

i ad are : - - e
1 aa - © at @ = —
: : CY Slei wie e ee . 7,

SILE-CULTURE DIRECTORY
AND

SILK-GATERPILLARS DISORDERS.

¢. BARRICELLI,
(11th Edition, the Sd in English.)

*Ex Cathedra.*

1884,

CONTENTS.

Gathering the Silk Crop. bs INA a I RO a TOR

Preserving tne Coeoon..

Selling and ee NCR de pO a OR RD AN

ene Bi

Taille.

Prox.

INCURABLE.
TEE Eo SR Oe ea aR aR SSM ee Nels PL
Deciy be \
Ganerene Ppa ENE OULU PAE bis

AVOIDABLE

( Red meee Soria 2 461 eam Ror PR OR Ue aaa 2!
Vomit; Suffoeation >; Diarren: Pypius ce ean
‘Black scourge’ or “ea FIMGON ey

é Dorpsy: Jaundice |
}Asphyxy > Curtug,
> . . = .
Buiter flies IDE SCHSECR_-
C Seay

8" Thirty nine [atthfuil sk C°ChES Bsioes qs
ilustriie the dev elopment of the suhtert

SHCOND PART (Diseases).

SUL Set Teg Taher enasewencveondssUnedtvesads

‘Ae toe FD ree oe mee te cere ct

© epee rere cease ccanccocaccenecce

an
wie’

— (RRRRRCERETEBETUCEGCEETUESECREESTECEEEECEEBERSERTELETEEEEECTRERETON

PRERACK TO THE HLEVENTH EDITION,

. tthe tsi Eaelishy)

ap ECR

The greatest industry for housewives, girls, school girls, thrifty
ladies women in general, semy-invalid people, boys out of school,
smart children, teachers in vacation, people enjoying the country,
clergymen, and other people—*having leisure time at home*, 1s the
ART OF GROWING SILK.

The Sik-CATERPILUAR (commonly, or after the French man-
ner, called worms—in F', ‘‘ver a sove’’, in German ‘‘Seidenraupe’’ "
etc. ) that Seton their highly priced texti!

s

in Ftalian OUGat?
material, so much sought after | ’ dignitaries and by brides, Is so
CLEAN AND, INDUSTRIOUS THAT IT RIVALS THE BRE, AND. SO HARM-
LESS AND USEFUL THAT, IT PROVES TO. BE SUPERIOR, BY FAR, TO THE
HONEY PRODUCING CREATURE; and of, such intrinsic value that each
10,000 of them (occupying no more than fifteen square yards of
surface ) yield more dollars and cents, in 40 days, than ten hens in
the lapse of a year, for:

Ten thousand Silk-Caterpillars, of selected breed and in favoura-
ble season, will produce. in adout forty days, silk valued at, about,
twelve dollars, whilst ten hens can scarcely produce: 200. eges, in
such lenght of time, hardly valued two dollars and no more!

We quote the hens because, usually, they’are the means employed
to raise pin money; but it isnot difficult to prove that even a cow
produces, in forty days less than a ‘brood’ of Silk-Caterpillars. In

fact ifa cow Yields, in same time, 120 gallons of milk it brings into

o
oO

PREFACE.

the house less than six dollars, (not either calculating the cutlay
‘invested for her keeping) when if, say, 20,000 of Caterpillars are
reared, with little trouble, small expense and in such short time,
they can give over twenty dollars of profit. But *it must be hinted
3 new, that the gains on silk--growing can be obtained without giv-
ing up other industries, without buying fodder. without renting any
expensive buildings--as stables etc. ‘and at home’*

Silk, mostly used by ladies, clergymen and secular dignitaries, 1s
raised, (for pastime, in the Old World) practicaily by the same
consumers and other refined and intelligent persons. Then altho igh
it is true that peasants grow silk there, yet they do it directed by
earned leaders who take care of the Silk--Caterpillar’s eggs in win-
ter and spring and, then, hatch them with artificial healthful con-
trivances. So it is a matter of fact (when such fine persons attend
to this industry) that no hard work is needed to secure a silk-crop
and that it affords ‘‘good retuirs con bined with kreulecge of
Natural History as well as amusement.

Those who grow silk in the Old World are provided with family

ielp, mulberry--trees and room: but those who will grow it here
should have airy room, oSaGE plants—77ce mulberry-trees, and fam-
ily assistance-—hived labor not being profitable for silk yrowiny.

Thence people who find their home-life weary—for need of any
occupation and are losing the profits of exercise, prac‘ical study of
Ontomology and meghty dollars, could undertake to rear here those
dear little pets which produce the precious material, with which are
woven those valuable silk-goods, su indispensable to brides.

In Italy, China, Japan and Persia Silk--Culture is encouraged
and protected : it being the industry of the people, at large, and nt
the same time one of the sources for the revenues of said countries.
it is guided and jdirected by their governments. It is ‘vell known,

4

PREFACE,

now-n-day, how the Empress of China, presides, in that vast empire,
over this most valuable prodace, and bow, early in spring, she an-
nounces to her subjects to prepare themselves for the approaching
season of ‘cares’; if is slso well known how on the 14 of January
each year, in Japan is solemnly performed the rite of ‘*washing,
examining and cleansing (whilst they fast, pray, and sacrifice to
their. Gods) the eggs of the Silk—Caterpillar. But, perhaps, it is
not yet known that, in Italy 12 years ago (1871) the government
opened a Silk-——Culture Directory in each province of the State and
that by the scientific employees of said Directories (right under
the vimlance of the Minister of Agriculture) the great Italian silk—
crops are generally managed.

Now if the wealth so cagerly sought for by other people and gov-
ernments, the ‘silk wealth’? which enabled Mrance to raise suddenly
from the disasters of 1870, is not entitled to be protected and en-
couraged here also, then we may just think that we are not living
in this time of progress in which *382 silk-mils are manufacturing
imported raw-silk, but in the time of “40 years ago’’, when silk

was grown here, but had no sale.*

C, SAATICELLI,

St. Louis, February 26 ,1882.

PUBLISHED
by (the)
Mis sioole kr! VALLEY SILK K-CULTURE

HOLDEN, MO.

HOW Td REAR

( re
ial

ad
4

Se
oe)
BP LN TA
—~ ok SAGO e@
— as

Hie
iy

CLEBEBBBITZECELETSLECSDEGTLVAZIZELEEGES SSBCCCECERRECESEEELTS OLE B Sh

INTRODUCTION TO TMLIS EDITION.

The first American edition (5000) of this Directory was exahusted
before its number could be distributed to all the persons who applicd
for a copy.- The foremost merits of such an exceptional demand
‘for a2 book on an almost new topic] were not alone its very clea:
directions in rearing Silk—Caterpilars, (because, although there ‘s
uo Silk—Culture here, in the real meaning of the term, yet here cia
be had, at least, a dozen of pamphlets on the subj ject) but also iis
ECONOMICAL METHOD, by means of which axyBopy could begin #9
grow suk, almost without expenses—i.e. neither needing any capited
fo start with, nor runn wing any rish of @ loss.

Having given the above explanation it is deemed, now. a matter
of the utmost importance, to inform the ‘would be silk-crowers’
zbout the following important inquiries.

Witlit pay?

In truth: to grow silk, it is any times more difficult than to raise
grain, corn, cattle, or poultry ; but it must be remembered th: ee a |
the farm produces are as much liable to fail (by drought flood,
sects, epizotic etc.) as are the Caterpillars exposed to failure ae af.
mosferic influcnces, although the former are so in lesser degrees. Los-

ses, of any stock; caused by carelessness and misman agement are

7

PREFAGE,
not mentioned in this paragraph!) Yet, to raise any farm crop it i
wanted a large capital and a whole year of time, whilst to grow silk
no capital is necessary, and only 40 days.

Row much?

Silk-—Culture brings a great wealth to various countries practicing
it, and such wealth is div ided, realiy, among persons of whom it is
made mention in former preface. And so; a family of two grown
persons and three children can gain from 40 to 60 dollars (and by
having a friend’s help in the last 5 days, perhaps, $100 ) in 40 days
—an amount of money which coald net be earned by said people in
any other way.

Of course, this business is better adapted for rural places, where
the leaves can be gathered always fresh—a thing almost impossible
in jarge cities.

As for the silk-producing-plants [the food of Caterpillars] the
readers are referred to the following preliminary.

Finally ; to those who expect to find in these pages a panacea for
siving the Silk-Caterpillars from their diseases and general havoc
we say: *_*In the latter part of this Directory the diagnosis of said
havedies is deseribed but ; Scienze has not yet found a sure remedy

to cure the affected captive Caterpillar—although researches as hich

1s those on‘ cholera and yellow fever’ have been made by congresses
of learned-men, on the maladies of the ‘precious’ WORM! Never-
theless Seience teaches that ‘‘prevention is better than cure’’ and
therefore it will be insisted on encaie »>rules’’, in this book, even’
to bid when the dissased Caterpillars shold be thrown away (in or-
der to prevent loss of time and eee rather than to wait for their

recovery. With such method ‘expectations’, only, can be lost.

G. BALRICELLI.

<> < Th? @=2)5 co Sp y) a
ry REC EM BN RY

How the Caterpillar eggs can be hatched, and their larvas, reared
Ina country where the growing of mulberry has sca reely began, and
the notions about silk-culture are mixed so badly, purposely or other-
wise? Then again: The mulberry- -cuttings, now planted, how long
will the xy stand the ine’ emency of this cold climate, o1 when will the
people of this country know how to eulfi rate, protect, nurse, and
strenghten this castern ‘Silk Plant?’ On this point the enemies of
‘*American Silk-Culture’’ held the ground a lone while, and if it js
hot overcome, they may triumph again. Also the speculation in
mulberry slips, 40 years ago, fell by itself when this eastern plant
decayed here in a short while!

Now, without silk-food, presently, and with no rea] prospect to
vequire it, in futare, what is left to doin ordort to ‘encourage and jn-
troduce’ silk-growing almost everywhere in these ae States? A
new silk-producing-food must be found, and proper managemen!
must be exercised.

Asin regard to the man: iwement it will be set down in this book -
ws for the new silk- produc ng-leaves, the problem is solved with
“the Following analysis and its explanations :

CHEMICAL ARALYS?S ON

Muiberry-[oaves. Osags-leaves,

Oi . Cb

BRO COR 31's Hy. ads Peg FL h De SNP Ore eile, ous ns 2.9

PP ROEN 8 ih oe Mis Meee Oss. bel ogee, 09
« act 2 ~ 4

ye id »~

BOT, seb Ee NOT ty Grp Nnaenutans Uta. ae)

CEE ee le 29 § Resin ; 4

BMG oats te, sg kb .23 @ Sugar ra
ah a apn

Water, Be aie SOS NEV ae LOT egal ann mags 10

100 100
-levie favors the health of Silk-Cut erpillars ; ver ‘8 digested and
Ciiptied ; saccharine matter and water aourishes them, and the res?»
®
9

= Spine? apy

Ss transformed by them into silk.
‘Phon with the above analysis the problem is solved because, the
csuge leaves, having less fibre. are more digestive: having mers
resin, are more predactive ; whilst they are equal to the mui
in noutishine ingredients.

= _+==Here the attention of those who. will rear Caterpillars with
osage, for food, is partical: trly cailed, because: The watery part of
the leaves, when embodied in them [not when mis‘, or rain, makes
chem wet] helps the digestive organs of the larva to assimilate the
saccharine part. This assertion e easily proved hy knowing that in
a ‘dry season’ the Caterpillars (for want of enough liquid alim22t
in the leaves, to be sure), often, die struck with the disease called
ctrofy, and when they eat leaves either wet on the outside or over-
charged with water, they are struck with dropsy, dysentery, and also
jaundice—special diseases of x - weit season’.

Now the latter, disease being very common in America, suggests

- <— <>

the thought that itis caused by dampness (with which this stimos-

phere is impregnated-in spring, caused by the thawinz of the earth}
2nd by bad management. Then, the longer the leaves are subjected
to said dampness the more they are unwaolesoame. And to avoid
such it: must be borne in mind that : the REARING or CATERPILLARS ON
OSAGE MUST BE PRACTICED ONLY EARLY IN SPRING, otherwise

the leaves, beco oming very sgrateas will be poisoneus to them. For

particulars, of course, the } instructions must be read. <s—H

7

In Italy, where the mulberry—plant is under the highest cultiva-
tion, these latter diseases are generaliy avoided ; bat as decayed veg=
etable matters are impregnated with ‘‘atom’s life”. so it happens
that the Caterpillars are attacked by monades, corpuscles, rifrtones,
and other invisible mofes which make a sad hayec among them. The
question in France and Tialy [in fact in all urope] now remains in

x 10 |

BE TIT TSF" 8 = e+
Piss dscaaese it 5

finding eat whether th? monzdes attack tie h 1elpless and inoffeasive
ereatares. directly, or germinate on” the mulberry—leaves. and in
this state ave swallow ed by them.
The latter ease is admitted to be more possible. Pasteur and Ve

son (although antagonistic In their views about Caterpillars’ dis_
eases) have micrescoped riSriones on mulberr ‘V—-leave:: so did Cor
nagha, Bellani, Bonafus. Cariet. Cavalieri, Maestri, Duciaux. many
others and myself.

Then the disease of the Caterpiilar is in the tree, rzz.. the tree be

*ingaffecied, poisons them with GERITENOUS Gas ‘roenierites—more o=

2102. Ona tais principle, is it not better te chanae the Caterpi?_
H = p

req.
ere
wwe
hi

ars’ diet? They endeavored to do 30 on the other side of the waiter.
and could not de it: but this blessed land, where al! indueement=
are erante 7 mighty nature, can do it, both for wholesomene=-
and for economical pursuits.
We Kaow that osaz2 plants are free from anv extraneus body—no
lasect wuntever preying upon them—‘-and we have so many o-
/ them, that the wealth thrown away in expectant: mulberry nurse-
Ties would he, DY far, better empioved if it could be put to bald
“2 would be surely supplied with American cocoons’’.
= #rox2: from the *Ameriean Silk Plant* : a thing which ( according
to sik—culturists, revenue—-hunters With mulberry : nurseries, bad exes
Worthless books ete. et=. ete. ) cannot happen before fifty years to

come, if the muiberry—plants g-ow, and the mi lion s of women, echil-

4

-dren and non-produciag old men are all able to bay, at high prices.

muiberry-cattings. muldecry seed, silk-culiure outfit etc. —by whici:

“appears eh: at the cutiay for st. rting would cost more than the pre-

sumadle income which [ ‘‘after succedi ng’* |] micht be earned.

e Aad how Sil’s-Calthre can be real ily started against these, almos-

mumberiess precocions : speculations? Itis a pity that people praising
14

PRELIMINARY.
this employment should make it a misfortune, rather than an help,

to a great majority of ‘would be silk-growers’ only because those

would-be-instructors do not know the business in ail ifs brances

and make light of it. , /
The silk-business that was started for ‘the people” is presented

now as if it should be an industry for the gardener, the scientist and
the manufacturer. It is clear that things are topsy-turvy. We have
no silk-growth, but we have inducements to reel it—a thing whieh
would destroy in experiments even the little silk raised here, or at
the utmost, allow to be produced a few coarse home-made silk—
foods. We have an unlimited supply of the ‘American silk plant’,
end the market is elutted with mulberry trees. & Our people, who
co not know much about silk-growing, and have uo means to start
a this business, are asked to buy cabinet apparatus and expensive
eutfits. Is this ‘Siik—Culture’ or, ‘‘charity beginning at home’? ?4

It is to keep down such dealings that cramp and choke this orcat
produce, and to increase the wealth of their countries, that
eovernments have the lead of it!

other

ED 4p <tr

In order to grow-silk, the following general rules must be
ziced with care ;—

1. Rear the Caterpillars economically.

2. Hatch the eggs when the leaves are thus:

». Send the cocoons to the market, by Express, CVven; Sixedames
aiter they have been build by the Caterpillars, but do not attempt
12

PRELISAINARY.
to stifle them. (See ‘Conclusion’ in end of book. )
4. No more Caterpillars tonan can be attended should he reared

9. Have reproduced only enough eggs to hatch yourself, and

some of your asyu vinta yes, the following year—not more.
6. Sell the cocoons only to those who buy for ‘ready cash’ afte:
examining the received eoods.
The abeve general, and duszness, rules —together with following
lirections, ave enough to establish (almost suddenly and forever, in

the Uuited States) Silk-Husbandry and its good-luck because, those

who have mulberry-trees can use their leaves to feed the Caterpil-
lars, and those who have none of them can very well feed with the in-

numerable osage | hedge] plants—spread, almost, upon the whole
surface of the Union, and proved to be just as useful to grow silk.
as mulberry leaves.

The above rules are earnestly recommended, especially because,
the following wrong informations have been given, here, inthe past

I. tis erroneous to attempt to rear, with ‘two persons’ Cater-
pillars issuing from four ounces of seed.

2. It is a great mistake to think that, because there is not ani
market for raw-silk in America, the would be silk— —zrowers must
raise eggs—the 90 p. ct. of which could not be bargained, even.
for a coarse pair of garters last year and, therefore, were thrown by
unpratical breeders into rivers

3. de is wrone to sappose le to give to believ e) taat there ir

Hot 2uy market Oe raw -silk [cocoons] here,and references will be
given on ‘Second part’.

4, {tis nol true, generally, that the cocoons are sold at a dollar
a pound; au intimation given (under the policy that the producers
Would be not attracted with lower prices) omitting to inform the

> ° 1 o Uv
silk--gr awers that, about,* one dollar per Ib. is tue price obtained for
13 /

PRELEAINARY
socoons ‘stifled and dried’’—an average of three Ibs. of ‘fresh’ co-
eoons to one of ‘dry’.
Bee ibas ou. tO We recommended [as they do] to stifle and dry
cy

‘he cocoons before sending them to the market because, the :dryin
yrocess’, being even more cxact and difficult than ‘reeling’, cannot
be blindly confided in new hands, and purchasers of cocoons have
sontrivances adapted for that operation, and know their business
setter: besides ‘drying the cocoons’ defers the cash.

6. They teach, also, that the cocoons must, be reeled [1. e. wound
off from the cocoons] by their producers, when now a day, large
nanufacturies supply prompter, cheaper, and stronger articles
_even the once home-made stockings, and whilst the reeling work
‘sa very difficult operation.

atone Pr eifrptgbnnpnnPrPoerneh SetnyAeyteebenp A APPL SPP PPP PA-A ASSES

‘“What is the historical standing of silk?”

Silk was grown and donned long before SoLomon said, * (Proverbs,
31. 22.) because, in the next ‘translation’ it will be found out that
Adam dressed himself with the roughly-carded-like shrouds of the

iayvas rather than with the celebrated tig leaves.

*SHeE MAKETH HERSELF COVERINGS OF TAPESTRY » HER CLOTHING

‘s SILK anp PURPLE.*

14

SUK -GULTURE DIRECTORY,

et, har ore

GHRERAL INSTREOLTIOR,

Caterpillars generally live in open air and feed either on herd»
o~on leaves,

Most of them make silk, bat the only marketable silk js produces
by the white Silk-Caterpillar, so called for the excellence and z,
hundance of its produce—as well as for its domestic habits, or in.
door life. - But although ‘man’ was able to subjucate also the
Caterpillar, yet he did not succeed to change its natural habits ; a
declaration easily proved because, when these ‘domestic invertebra!
beings’ are deprived of plenty of pure air, they surely die. To a.

em

void such a draw-back it has been tried, with good result the herein

described swinging

OUTFIT TO REAR SILK—CATERPILLARS.

The above engraving represents two racks hanging from hooks
driven in the ceiling. The racks ure made with a forked line [ ‘clothes

10)

GENERAL INSTRUCTION.
jine will do well] and cross-rods much lik ethe handle of a broom :
these rods are tied to the lines about 15 inches above each other
aud should be nearly 40 inches in length. The lines, which must be
a8 long as required by the height of the ceiling, are knotted below
the forking (as shown in the cut) and hung to place in due time.

The above sketch shows a shelf upon which Silk—Caterpillars
are kept—the little creatures never budging from any place where
they may be situated. Now to make such shelves, cither ‘dry’
canes, long straight ‘dry’ branches etc., or lattice laths about two
yards in eueh can be used. With any of the above materials every
person can ae the ingenuity of building these ‘airy shelves’’ tie-
ing one in. apart, with twine, either the reeds or the slats ete..
Shelves like the above, after having been finished, look very much
sunilar to the slats ofa spring bed, except that the slats of these
shelves are very much narrower.

This last engraving denotes the ‘‘swinging shelves” set up for

16

CATERPILLARS’ OUTFIT,
fs

use. Then, after that the racks [or shelfs holders | have been pu

er

place-the lattice-like shelves aro laid’ on the rods and tied to these
and the lines.
Another way to moke the shelves is by useing buildiag pape!

which, after having been cut to desired le: igth is frame d-and hel«
between two Sons of lumber, which form a kind of a double
frame. The framing slips, or slats, need not be heavy as they sha |
lay on the holders of the racks.

Four, or more tiers hung one above another, as in the drawing
form a Caterpillars’ swinger. With a ‘swinger’ of more than fou
tiers a step-stool must be used because, ‘the bottom shelf shoulc
be at not less than from 20 to 24 inches from the floor’’.

One ‘swinger’ with fife shelves [or hurdles] about 35x72 inches.
can accomodate nearly 6000 Caterpillars ; therefore people havins
other facilities for ‘rearing’ should prepare in winter 7 swingers.
Sa These Swingers should cost nothing, or very little.

(The outfit after the services rendered, the first time, ean be

easily, stored away to be used in other years. )

= = :
Seven ‘swingers’ should occupy a room 18x20 and 8 ft. high

they should be hung in such a way that attendants may circulate
through them fag,

, He

Next to the ‘‘airy shelves” Caterpillar-breeders must have on han
some new straw-paper to cover the hurdles: on this paper lay the
larvas eating almost always; on this account the paper must be ah.
solutely clean and free from any odor or greasy matters. If is in.
sisted on this subject because a great many insuccesses are caused
by rearimg them on poisonous beds. The paper to be used is the

common grocery paper: 75 cents worth of such is enough to serv:
17

CATERPILLARS’ OUTEIT.

‘(000 Caterpillars.
At least one third of said quantity of straw—paper must be pierced

»y holes cut into 't at about five eights of an inch from each
This perforated paper needed for removing the larvas
It is very easily prepared by punching in the
The paper perfor-

other. is
from their litters.
paper with an shollow punch’ and a+ ad cutte

f course, when the

ated with the ‘punch’ is used, o1 Caterpillars are
is used when they are full.

young, that perforated with the ‘catter
srown—never being safe to touch the Caterriflars without hurt-
hae

it the paper easily it should be rated first
no* used neiber .<o-weh" nor, *cutt use vour

ing them. To
and make holes in the paper ath

vour family are

yen—-knife or a pair of scissors,
ne not strictly necessary to be particular in making round hotes

Poi
&

and other ‘general suggestions’ .*
N iD PAPER.

TC H oe ek ab cbs

SKE

The Cu enities 5 Gar be remove ed oe thet litters Saigo py means
of ‘shoots’ (as explained in the article on cHANGING ) Lut FANG PL es

of perforated paver facilitates the operation.
So, also, these most useful creatures can be reared on any othe
ontrivance unlike the described ‘swinging shelves’ but, these bring

the Caterpillars nearer to their natural life
%*

os le
It should be, positively, remembered that all the fe needs to

18

SPACE, AND COCOONERY.
rear the Caterpillars must be prepared before that the time of
hatching their eggs is at hand, otherwise confusion sets in, and the
art shall not run smooth.

Hk O*

(Felt paper, i.é. building p: per, costs abofit. 3 cts. a yard ; so, on
shelf could cost, no more than, eight or ten cents. Frames mterwove
with thin wire [set at, about, two inches apart ] can be also used, bus
these, as well as any other shelfing, must have, always, the required
surface for rearing a stated number of Caterpillars, and must bo
covered, also, by the straw-paper needed for removing the litters ).

INS

Silk-Caterpillars coming out from one ounce of eges require, a

Any clean aid

least, forty six square yards of space. ‘Vherefore :
ziry hay shed, barn, unoccupied stable, granary, house-room, ©:
any other empty building, or room, about 18x20 and’ or 10 fee:
high can be arranged with six swingers holding four ‘airy sheive~
one above another, or with five ‘swingers’ of five shelves each—i-
being all the space required to rear about thirty eight thousand Cat-
crpillars, or the issue of one ounce of eggs.

This cut he ws one ‘side of a cocoonery—room with swingers ready
for use. Four ‘swingers’ , hung from the ceiling and two fect froin
the floor, are seen by the short side, and five ‘passageways’: then
four ‘swingers, occupy 12 ft., the three middle openings 6 feet,
the two at the sides 2 ft., and all the room is 20 sq. ft. Now four
swingers put as the above would contain a shelfing surface of, only,

to

CONDITION OF LEAVES.

suother swinger should be added, lengthwise, in the room.
* *

:

It must be known that the gfoms, or microscopic beings,‘ are sup-
aosed to be’ the greatest enemies of Caterpillars. (It is a theory
yhich we will confute when we speak of the Caterpillars’ diseases,
sab which we follow for prevention sake-the WORM being so preci-
ous.) These ‘atoms’ liveon decayed vegetable matter, and all other
siatter ; therefore it is extremely dangerous to have these Cater-
yjllars near stables, hen-houses, piggeries, dunghills, miuanure and
the like: it is also unwise to keep them too long on their litters, be-
cause if the ‘animalcules’ engender in the latter they, the ‘animal- |

cules’, will pray, without avati,on the former.

Hesides a ‘cocoonery’ prepared inexpensively, healthy, and handy
with already given hints, breeders should have a place wherein

‘oayes, for fodder, should be kept on hand.

*

The Caterpillars must be fed daily (as shall be taught in ‘Special
‘astruction’, and can be seen in Table on end of ‘First Part‘) sev-
araltimes ; but they want [osage or cultivated mulberry, of course ¢ |
saves absolutely fresh, yet, neither damp nor warmed by the sun,
yin any way fermented.

The leaves will become over-heated nnd enter into fermentation
~hen'they are picked and, then, ‘pounded into the bags’ [ for gather-
‘ng leaves] as well as when they are kept, ‘even two or three hours,
‘aa high heap’. To avoid such troubles, then, and to have leaves
‘aa wholesome state for the Caterpillars, silk-growers must have a
‘lace, proprerly, adapted to preserve the leaves. A dry cellar or a
barn ,a wood—shed void of odors, well ventilated, but not open to

?{)

CONDITION OF LEAVES, CONT.NU SD.
rain, dampnes, wind or the rays of the sun is suitable.
When 2 small quantity of leaves is wanted pick them in a basket ;
but when the Caterpillars are grown they use a great many of them

and then the leaves must be either carried in a bag, made of loose

or netting, or must be picked, from their shoots, by the

CADYVASS
children at home, after that they have been trimmed from the hedge

and carried there by stronger people.
The last pains are important, only, in the last ten or fifteen day-

preceding the silk-product, and should be taken only by families rear-
ing the issue from one ounce of Silk-Caterpillars eggs.

In order to have leaves fresh—but not damp, they should be
collected in the morning (after the sun is very high up and the foe
is disappeared ) for the afternoon, and, then, near sunset should be
picked those needed in the next morning.
pce Beware of damp or fermented leaves, beware!

Breeders having a Supply of leaves cannot fear foggy or rainy
weather; because they can wait for the leaves to dry on the trees
before to gather them anew. But, again, the reserve leaves must be
kept in a cool light place and on boards, at least, one foot fron

the floor—otherwise they may be spoiled.
Those who have no ieaves in rainy weather should not feed toc

soon when it clears, because the surplus water not having yet evap-
ovated, would affect the Caterpillars just the same as if the leaves

should be wet on the outside.
Although in the last age the Caterpillars must be fed without in-

terruptions, yet before that time, especially in rainy weather, they

ean fast a while if the provision of leaves is all used up: bat this cas¢

should very seldom happen if a good supply of leaves is kept on

hand. Indeed, it is not bad to have one ‘or two’ days provision stored

in 2 fresh—dry place, as it has been said before, provided that they
2

CONDITION QF LEAVES, CONTINUED.
are not more than a foot deep and.‘‘not packed down’’, to prevent
which they should be, gently, shaken two or three times a day.

*
*

Our system of Silk-Culture is based on rearing the Caterpillars
only, after the ‘spring rains’? are over,, and on trying to accom-
modate them with their natural choices in orde: to avoid too much
teoadle and insare a batter sucess; w.th then; but if the May.shouers
last too many days, er if the leaves become wet by any other storm
aud the good ones have run short, then the damp ones *+mus¢ be re-
coverd’’ before being given to the Caterpillars.

This is done by putting the wet leaves ona ‘‘clean floor, or dry
boards, moving lifting and changing them, with a pitch-fork [or
something alike] from place to place uatil they are no more damp :
then, after a short while, they can be served to the Caterpillars.

This evaporating operation can be performed either in open air or
inside of the house with open windows-—never mind to do it ‘‘near
n big flame’’* as somebody else says, b2-ause it wilts them.

Another way to attain the same, consists in shaking the wet
leaves in ‘open’ sheets.

e. *
*

It ha been spokea often in this ‘*General Instruction’’ about the
Caterpillars’ Outfit and on the necessity of having Goob FRESH
LEAVES, because these are two of the three most inpoahant requi-
sites to rear Silk—Caterpillars successfully—the third one being [as
in everything else} ‘‘cleanliness’’

ANS

By ‘‘cleanliness’’, in this case, is ment ‘‘protection’” to the Cat-
crpitiars against decayed-life (that is, the anima/cules engendered
with it) and moisture—both of which take hold of the litters when
too hold, and cause diseases among the Caterpillars. Itis then very

22

COCOON 3, NUMERATICN OF EGGS, SHRUBS, &c.
Important to take away the ‘litters’ {that is, en of leaves ete’.4

from the Caterpillars, which is done as in ‘Special Instruction’.

EN

When the darvas have reached the time to transform themselves
into butterflies, they enshroud their bodies in cocoons.

They form their shrouds, or cocoons, by putting tog@ether, with
their six ‘spinning fingers’ (or fore-legs-situated below their mouth 3
Ina z?yzeg shape, the resinous matter of the leaves, by them
transformed in solid and flexible silk.

Now at that time the Caterpillars need some ‘dry’ shrub on whic:
they climb and spin their cocoons; therefore silk-gowers shoul
cut, In autumn or early In spring and dry in the sun ,either some
heath, or some eotton—brush, buck—brush, seed—mustard, rag—weed
ete.: any of which, if dry will answer to supply the need. If none
of these shruby-plants has been prepared, hay or wood-shavings ¢21:

be used. How to employ them it is said later on.

*

The standard numeration for Silk—Cate ‘pillars is based on the
weight of one ounce of good Caterpillars-eges. Each ounce of then:
numbers ‘in general’ about FORTY THOUSAND EGGS. Allowing an un-
avoidable loss in batching, and through the rearing term, good
breeders should bring through from thirty six lo thirty nine thousand
and nine hundred Caterpillars.

i <e=One person can attend to Caterpillars issuing from one oz.
of eggs ‘‘only for about eight days (!)’’,after that more help is re-

quired. Two persons are able to rear ten thousand Caterpillars

four, about ¢ thirty

three persons can rear twenty thousand ;
thousand ; five persons can mind from thirty six to forty thou-
sand of them. For quantity of food, meals, management and other
23

SAUL TRAYS, NETTING, &C.
directions it is refered either to the Synoptical Table or to the fol-
lowimg artictes
*

Besides all the said ‘outht’, Caterpillars-breeders should make
‘three or four trays, as large asa sheet of straw paper, they being
used to remove the litters.

= cs

No more than the above preparations are required to rear, from,
thirty six, to, forty thousand Caterpillars—the ‘isolated swinging
ipparatus’’ saving them from the annoyances and ravages.of ants

cock-roaches, mice, and the like; but to protect them from wing->
ed inseets (especially if bee-hives and wasp—nests are not very far

irom the cocoonery-room ) it is necessary to have mosquito—netting
on all the openings.

A a RA ne
ce(((( an @9)/ 2@))))y>

SPECTRE SNSTRUCE SPOR

HANACKHMENT,

|. TEMPERATURE AND VENTILATION.

The economical ard healthfnil Suk—Calture System shown in ¢hé*
ireatise, relies more on practical cares than on entormological obser
vations ; therefore it has not yet been mentioned, herein, any ‘spec
alutive’ application-——-supposed to be needed in taking care of Silk
Caterpillars. And, indeed, it should have been superfinous to do su
because SuA-Culéure does not at all signify the pursuit of the rea:
savant who incases for observation an ‘hemelitra@’ or an entire Melo
lonta, or x» Papilio machaon with its peculiar cephalo—theca and. . sex
cuse me, gentle readers, I was dabbling my bygone knowledge 0°
Zoology with the purely industrious noble art of silk-growing, but..

Of course, itis known that a thermometer kept in a cocooner:
suggests the different degrees of heat, which makes the Caterpillars
more orless hungry; but it must be known, also, that when the

Caterpillars are hungry they should have more food. In sach occur.
rence the thermometer, by itself, does not help much in bringing
the larve through, bat it is n2cessary to regulate the heat in the
hatching room, [see HATCHING] when their eggs are incubaicd arti.
ficilally—which needs extra expense wad knowledge.

About ‘ventilation’? these golden hints are given: Lict the outside

air circulate freely in the cocoonery, especially in thos sights and
20

Reon, & VENTILATION.
days in which the air is ‘sultry’. [n these ate suffocating days’ the
Swingers will help very much the Cas., Tor 7 Dy inoving the form-
er, when feeding is going on,’ [and in other cares] the latter will be
greatly telieved from the stagnant atmosphere.

Tt isa wrong idea to think that by closing windows and doors one
ean shut oat the heat; the fact being that the life-eat is shut out,
but “the hot stifling airis shut in’. Therefore doors, windows,
iir-holes, sky-Hghts and any other opening must be kept, in such
weather, always wide open-——except if sun, rain, or strong wind pre-
vail, in which case they must be kept ajar.

Then; in stormy weather, or if the rays of the sun should strike
‘he most useful larve, these little almost ‘*motionless and helpless”’
beings should be protected by half shutting the apertures wherefrom
she sun-rays, the rain, a ‘northerner’ or hail-storm can come in:
vet said openings should be shut up, only enough to save the Cat-
srpillars [which otherwise could not move about and protect them-
selves | und when the dange™ is over they should be wide open again.
Vresh air is the first necessity for larve (as we will find on dissecting
one of them), thence ‘though it is valuable to shelter them from at-
nospherical phenomenon } disturbances |] yet itisalways calamitous
‘o keep them locked up.

The celebrated chemists Regnault and Reiset have found that the
sn for life

nart ef the air] as an ox, ora horse, af even weigh?! that is, taken

Silk-Caterpillars in breathing make use of us much oxve
oxceptions of their different natural size ; but it must be also under-
tood that in summer an ox ,ora horse, would not live jm‘ stable
yhieh is not large enough to contain fifteen o: twenty tines more.
the volume of their bodies.
The above paragraph plainly shows that to rear teo many Cater-
lars in one room, or. on one shelf is rather against, than in favor

sae

TE OPERATUR 7, VENTILATION, & FOOD.

of their breathing plenty of pure air. Whichever might be the
place for Silk-Caterpillars let tt be well ventilated, clean, and - free
from obnoxious odors: admit ali possible h¢ht but avoid the rays of
the sun. and when they are full grown admit all the possible air
and shelter them from the wind.

With the above treatment the Caterpillars have pure air and Nat-
ural outside temperature. Now this should be always even!

Therefore, when the temperature is “too high,” give to the Cater-
pillars fresh leaves offener and 1t will lower, and when it is §‘too
lowy4 2-8 supply less leaves to attain the reverse of it. [See ‘‘Distri-
bution of Meals.’ a

ce
ie a
FOOSE.
silk-Caterpillars, lke all other Caterpillars, feed on a particular

kind of leaves. which does not agree with the taste of the others.
Until lately Silk-Caterpillars lived only on mulberry leaves, bat

not all kind of such leaves were whole ome for them, for: if, the

mulberry-trees were not Inghly cultivated (by grafting, pruning,
manuring with vegetable refuse, etc.) they either decayed or killed
the Caterpillars. Now it is useless to speak here about this kind
of food almost so rare in America that with it would not be reared
Caterpillars enough to allow one silk ‘*bow’’ to each of ‘our gentle
sex! Therefore we will speak of another kind of food, which is
just as good if not better, (because more wholesome) than the
mulberry leaves.

This food has been already hinted to the lovers of Silk—Culture,

and is the osage orange leaves. As they are so widely known here,

in the west and south-west, we do not describe them, (then we gave
already their chemical value) but we will tell ak in this article
what should be the properties of good fodder for Silk-Caterpillars,

io

oe
¢

FOOD--CONT!NUED:
and so réaders will more pointedly see, that although the osage
leaves are hard to be collected, yet, they beat the casily gathered
mulberry-lcaves in other requisites which in the latter must be ob-
served but in the former are not needed.

Good food for Silk-Caterpillars (osage or mulberry) must have
the following properties.

First: {must be good, viz: It must be ofa “‘deep green,’” with
slosed, shining fiber, and must be produced from healthy and rank
plants—we have already said that the life of the tree is the Ife of
the Caterpillar.

Second: They must be neither wet nor damp, decayed, yellow-
ish, or with rust-like spots, mildew, overheated, &c., &e.

Third : The Cas. should be fed through all their life, possibly,
always with the same kind of Jeaves-~a plain impossibility when
the following is’ pondered.

Then here below we put the different varicties belonging to one
specic, ( Bonbyx morus): Moretti Alba, Multicaulus, Nigra, Rus-
sian, China, Japponica, Fillippine, ete., e.c., and tind directly that,
as high civitization has been tampering on the natural rights of the
animai kingdom, so it has also done on the proclivities of the
vegetable one. No wonder if the Siik-Cas. are struck with terribic
and destructive epidemics. What it is purported to have been a
»ohite-bervy-producing-mmniberry-tree has become now changed by
speculators in rose, dark, black, purple, sticu cr Live } aves pro-
ducing mulberries, by grafting over and over again. And to be
short, the properties that were found in the mulberry trees, have
been lost or have become poisonous and are against the Silk-Ca’r.
We can see hew compact is the fiber of the osaze leaves, but we can

ti

only see how epen is that of (he malberry. How can it he told,

4

ii,

then, that the mulberry leaves are niove wholesome and alse more

28

DISTR IBUMON OF MEALS,
productive. Wholesome]... filled with vidrions, fungosidies, ent-
salcules, microscosmes corou ine, ete., ete. Preductive!... fall of
holes, gaps, meshes and water reservoirs.

Aiter the above facts to nurserymen we sav: Stick to one vari-
ty of mulberry and better it with approved cultivation, and then.
within fifty years, this vast country, perhaps, will produce muck
silk from mulberry-trees. But to Caterpillar breeders, we add.
rather than to wait fifty years, go ahead now with vour Americar
silk-plant, which does not need to be selected before you feed,
which never becomes yellow or covered with ‘rust spots’? o:
‘ssiwweets,) and is avoided by all other insects and atoms.

To young Caterpillars must be given young leaves not quite
deeply green; to grown Caterpillars must be given older leaves and

of deeper color.
This management is not hard to accomplish, when it is constd-

ered that the Caterpillar’s eggs are put to*hatch about ten days
after the trees have commenced budding. [See Hatching.]

The damper the season (if the eggs are hatched too early or if
‘the season is late’’) the mo1e it is necessrry that the leaves must
be thoroughly fresh und dry! Therefore they MUST NOT BE GATH-
ERED BEFORE SUNSHINE OR AFTER SUNSET, especially when dew or
fog make them damp. We have already told how to evaporate

them when they are wet by showers.

UL.
DISTRIBUTION OF MEALS.

As a rule *the Caterpillars should receive steady light meals
which should be repeated as soon as they are eaten.* But as it is
of no use to give a rule, which will not be observed, we say: it is
absolutely necessary to give at least six meals a day, at about the
following times: ‘The first at sunrise—6 a. m., or thereabout ; the

Zo

STSTRIBUTION OF SEALS.
second after brea‘:fast-—9'a.'m.; the third before noon—11 a. in.;
the. fourth after noong p. m., the fifth before suns:t—6 p. m.;
the sixth before retiring—10 p. m.
‘“When the Cate: ‘pillars arey als tuey must have one single
layer of leaves for their meal.’
Then p: it-over ‘them Je “Aves, one after another, and if they devour

sbhem in one-half of an hour, feed again.

Steady Feeding vives a little more trouble, but as it shortens the
iife’ of the Caterpillars, it is to be far more reeommended. « In
fact, when the Caterpillars live less time, they are less liable to get
diseased. On this very point i: the Old World. they rear the Cat-
rpilars by means of artificial heat, the contrivances. to obtain
which, are expensive and difficult. But jn this country where the
summer heat sets in before the vegetation has attained its fal]
Zrowth, it will not be difficult ‘o obtain enough heat for the Cater-
villars when these come forth at about the latter part of Apri.
fn this case, If they are fed and well cared after, they will spin
‘heir cocoons jn about thirty-eight days. ‘[herefore. when the
veather is very warm, the Caterpillars should be fed lighter and
tener, and, when the nights are also very warm, then an extra feed

should be given to them late in the evenis BoC RZ en.)

From the above if appears that the ¢ Ab decal wie tess Jeavos
shen it is cool than when it is warm, but they use the sa i: O72
aty during their existence anyhow, beeause whea coal they: live
onger. The leaves must be distribate j always evealy at each feed,
yecause otherwise some Caterpillars wid be slow, and as they vrow

|

sud til] more space, so in propertion n.or:t be increased the qua ititv of

30

’
ATTENDANTS,
leaves to be distributed. Exceptions to the above will be found
ina special article edited for each age of the Caterpillar.
ENE
ATTENDANTS.

One person can attend to Caterpillars issuing from one ounce of
Cees, only until the second moult ; after that period it is needed an-
other person to gather the leaves, and at the last age (after the
fourth moulé), at last, two other persons are necessary to collect
leaves and another to bring them home and help also in’ changing
the litters, preparing the cottages, &¢.

f
AS

“a5!
ES eee ee}

m—e=The original Japanese breed are rather lazy in climbing to
their cottages aud sometimes would spin their cocoons amongst the
litters, thereby depreciating their (the cocoons ) value; therefore
an extra hand should be required to push them to the cottages with

the means shown hereafter.
——0——_
POSITEVE CARES FOR ALL AGES.

Good food, pure alr, much space and perfect cleanliness cunnot
be useful if. Caterpillar breeders do not know the following partic-
ulars :

* “Ix A GENERAL WAY, SILK-CATERPILLAR BREEDERS TERM
AGLE vue TIME ELAPSING BETWEEN cach ‘mMouLT’ of the Caterpillar

‘the rearing of which we will now consider wrthe following distinct

articles :
if
MOULTING.

Caterpillars MOULT (that is, shed, or change, their, almost invis-
ible, skin) four times during their short life.

When they reach each time of MOULTING t hey loose their appetite
and climb over the leaves, without eating them, where they take an

ol

MOULTING, CONTINUED.
ahnost upright position with the fore-part of their body, as will be
shown herein with cuts

For a day or more prior to each change, the larva (}) seems
languid, refuses food, looses its beautiful pearl-white color, and
undergoes this important change.

Fastening itself by its legs to the surface on which it stands, it
twists and contorts the fore-part of the body until the skin splits
along the back, and by progressive’ contortions and motious it
withdraws the whole body through this rent.

The skin, when cast, is often so entire that it may be mistaken:
for the larva itself.

After each ‘moult’ the larva appears weak and languid again,
while the whole body is extreinely soft, and is very wet. A few
hours’ exposure to the air, however, gives tenseness to the mem-
branes, and it soon begins devouring its food with a ereater appetite
than ever.

Although the body of the Si.k—-Caterpillar increases in size from
day to day, yet all its segments become, daily, more tense and
compact, until the enveloping skin is no longer capable of coutain-
ing them: then it ‘sheds’, and directly after the mouit the’ body
grows more rapidly. So, people will hardly bchieve that the body of

a Caterpillar that bas just moulted is, after the first moult three

times larger than before the change ;—after the second weighs four
times as much as it did before ;—after the third weighs twelve

* .
times more ;—after the fourth, twenty ;- when full grown, forty.

FAP PAA AS SPY VIOLAS A SAAD M SAO AE AAMAS VA AM GEG PPP AM AW

(t) The larva is the state of the insect immediately after it is
hatched from the egg, in which condition it eats voraciously, sheds
its skin several times, and has the power of locomotion, but not
that of propagation. ot
52

POSITIVE CARES FOR ALL AGES

Now, when the Caterpillars are at this stage, in which they :e-
main from 12 to 24 hours, ihe must not be eu otherwise (as thei
metamorphosis is Advancing and they are unable to go about) they
would be buried under the leaves and, not being jn contact with
the air, would take a longer time to ‘be undress ed’.

Besides, 1¢ must be known that if the Caterpillars are not kept e-
venly, by means of the rules civen below, they cannot MOULT, ‘‘al-
most, all at the same t{ime’’: thence, it happens that, on the same
litter, or shelf, some undereo MOULTING and some are unable todo

A

it; in this case, of course, a number of them does not need food
and another does. Then now, a bad conundrum should be solved
because, if the needy ones arc fed, those not so are injuried, being
not in contact with the air; and if, to avoid such, these are not fed,
the others will suffer for want of food. To avoid this difficulty in
rearing Silk-Caterpillars it is needed eveness on each shelf.
ay
Y EVENESS.

To keep the Caterpillars zvyenLY must be observed the following
ruies which, allowing more heat to those hatched later, five them a
push to reach those issued from the eees soonner :—

1. ‘Phose hatched the first day must be put on the lower shelf
of 2 swinger and kept all by themsclves; those hatched the sec-
ond day must be put on the next shel’; those hatched the third
day on the third shelf, ete.

2. The food must be d penbared EVENLY io al! the Caterpillars,
1. e. gently spreading (about) the same amount of leaves to all.

3. If after one or two hours, all the Caterpillars occupying a
shelf are not resting to mouLr, those which are yet hungry must
be removed from said shelf and put on another—this operation be-
ing done as jn the following paragraphs on CHANGING and SPACE.

33

iy *

ar

POSITIVE GARES FOR AcL AGES,
lilars are treated as above, during their life, they
will not be troublesome, because breeders will have always a num-
her of them movuLriNe and another number eating—which arrenge-

ment permits. a good distribition of cares, avoids waste of food

ond favors the health of the Caterpillars ; also lessens the work.
Tit
CAN CING,.

When the Caterpillars must be cHaneep from the old litters
(which is explained herein) they must be attracted by fresh appe-
tizing leaves to some place. Therefore, when they are young they
must be attracted with the leaves on the perforated paper and when
old they can be cHanceD by feeding them with young shoots, or
smali branches with fresh leaves.

it has been already explained how to make the perforated paper.
Now take a sheet of such paper and lay it on the Caterpillars ; or
better: cover ali the Caterpillars laying on a shelf with sheets of
such paper, situated one next to another; then spread leaves on the
sheets, After you have done so, repeate the same doing with all the
other Caterpillars that must be vemoved; then go to the shelf you
first ‘*springled with leaves’? and see if the greatest number of
the Caterpillars have crowded through the holes on the fresh leaves.
lf they did not so, wait a while; if they did, take one of the ‘‘per-
rorated sheets’’, by its diagonal corners, and carry it to the nearest
empty shelf. Lay it there and go to ex the others and put them
“one next to the other until the shelf is covered with them.

When that is accomplished, look if any Caterpillars are left in
the old litters. if-you find any of them, remove them to a sHELE
KEPT PURPOSELY FOR THE LAZY AND DISEASED ONES; then remove
the litters, either rolling up, from end to end, the ‘straw-papev’

whereon they are or sheet by sheet.
ey

|

_-

|

POSITIVE CARES FOR ALL AGES.

@a~If the litters of the young Caterpillars appear well cov-
ered with silk-web, it indicates that a good silk producing breed
is kept on hand.

After the above, the shelf is ready to contain some Caterpillars

again—-and so on with all the old litters and shelves.

And that is the operation of CHANGING, or, cleaning the litters of
the Caterpillars.

If you find difficulty in removing the ‘perforated papers’ filled
with Caterpillars, use half sheet ; or better: pull a sheet on @ smueci®
tray as large as a sheet of straw paper (of which tray we spoke in
No.’5) and then lay it on a clean shelf, as already written.

When the Caterpillars are full-grown they can be supplied with
young shoots without hard thorns-if they are fed on osage. In this
case it is not necessary ‘to use the ‘perfor: ted paper’, because the
shoots can be taken on the trays and then replaced on another shell.

Sometimes the Caterpillars do not moun all within one or two
hours on the same shelf; then again, after MouLTING, they must
have more space than they did before: therefore it Is eyident that
when they are changed then more space must be given to them, be-
cause after each MouLT they grow larger.

Ou ht

twice with ‘perforated paper’, that is, a number of the ene

. shelf is crowded with Caterpillars it should be covered

ne

must be removed with the first laying on and the rest with the sec
ond (which makes two shelves from one): the few bdy ones 0
be put separately.
EY.
SPACE.

The Caterpillars must be kept posirrvELY UNCROWDED. They can
be seen on the shelves either crowded as ants around the mouth cf
an ant-hill, or as a swarm of ants within a few feet of their nests.

if they are scattered, like in thedatter case, they have ‘space’ e-
“ cor ’ A) h

Se

POSITIVE CARES FOR ALL AGES
nough: but when they are almost one above another, like in the
former, they must be divided. This is done not only when the Cat-
erpillars are ‘changed’ but also by putting fresh leaves where they
appear swarming and, after a while, removing said leaves (or shoots
climbed by Caterpillars) to a more open place of the same shelf—a
way to keep even all the LaRvVAS on one given surface.

Should a whole shelf be over-crowded, then it must be made sparse
at once, occupying ove or more shelves with its superabundant Cat-
erpillars—in this case to be removed, quicker, with the ‘perforated
paper’, which must not be pulled, in this case, but must be lifted in
order not tu hurt those laying under it.

iit et the silk-web on the litters is too thick, it shows that the
Caterpillars are too many together (i.e. have not enough ‘space’ )

and therefore they must be thinned.

ED, OR EGGS.

SE GA OAc
AP PAPARPAASE
Owing to ‘monopoly and fraud’ Caterpillars’ eggs are now
becoming more aod more unreliable. In fact; formerly it wasonky

ae

important to detect worthless eggs, but at present-—fault of the
importers of Japrnese medicated silk and inferior breed of Cater-
pillar-eggs one must look out for the ‘‘cheap breed’’ (given away.
even, free to depreciate the value of the American silk) and try
rear*only those Caterpillars whose silk being acknowledged to be
the best commands better prices.

In order that people may know what they buy we give the follow.

ing rules :
The examination of the seed becoming more and more important

must be made first on the outside, and then, a little time before
hatching, with a powerful microscope.

The principal characteristics of good seed are, externally: a per-
fect. resemblance among the eges, viz.: they must be all of the
same size, have all almost the saine color and the same little de-
pression in the middle; they must also stick to the place where
they were laid by the butterflies and must be absolutely odorless.
Japanese and bivoltine eggs are usually smaller than the italian an-
nuals, ‘so being also their coming Caterpillars.’ If the eggs were
lnid one next to another, regularly, it is a proof that the butterfly
laying them was healthy and lively, but if the eggs ure laid in little
heaps, it may signify that they might have been sickly :

Fruiful eggs belonging to the yellow-cocoous-best-producing

aoe oa

vv

breed are like the white spots m this cut.

atone » uF epee et Sarl 1 -
I FAS have 2 violet volor when |

SEED OR EGGS; GONTINUAD.

gray when bought in March; bought near hatching me they a: -
pear light violet, but observing them closely their shell is clearly
distinguishable and their juside.is nearly black—whicn is the little
Caterpillar body ready to eome forth. Besides, every now and
then, a little crackling, caused by an invisible split in the shell, can
be distinctly heard among them. These eggs produce only once a
year, no matter what scientific process might be employed to force
them to life oftener, and, tharefore, are called annuals. Forty
thousand (round number!) of thei weigh one ounce.

Fruitful eges of the white cocoons-producing-breed have the

——
Cw

same characteristics and weight of the above. The white cocoons
of this breed are very fine, but owing to the fact that they are cas-
ity soiled by the Caterpillars, and in handling, their prices are a.-
ways cut down unmercifully ! |

Fruitful eggs of a breed producing cocoons white, light yellow
and deep yellow, have a light olive color: these cocoons are the
yest of the silk actually raised here in America! Eggs about the

same weight.
Fruitful eggs of all polivoltines, that is, eggs that will hatch over

and over again in one year, have about the same color of the yellow
cocoons breed, but about 45,CO0 of them will weigh one ounce,
Cocoons lighter than the annuals.

Frutiful Japanese eggs, light green, straw or white, have color
bright violet, ete. About 54,825 of them weigh an ounce!
Lighter cocoons still, and the cheapest !!

Unfruitful eegs are easily detected by evervbody when they xzre
dried up; but it must be known that all, either reddish or yellow
eges, are unfruitful when bought.

The eggs can also be examined by their specific weight, remem-
bering that one gram of impregnated eggs contains about 1,250 of

38

SEED OR EGGS, GONTING
them, whilst one gr.m of unfruitfal numbers 1,450 or more eges.

Different breeds can be knowa by the following means :

Take a few egos and put them on a small piece of glass, situated
oa some white paper; then wet them with « drop of common ain-
monia; if they belong to the annual-cocoons-producing breed, they
will suddenly take a deep green color ; if they are of the poliveltine
ereen breed, they will take a light brown greenish tint; the white
and yellow annual do not change colors.

We have already written how to examine germinated and unjer-
minated eags, breed of eggs, number, ete., and should now tel!
how to detect disensed eggs. A good microscope could tell it only,
Nevertheless we will endeavor to give a few rules: If among the
eges vou buy, vou detect some of them having small little black
spots on the shell, they must be refused because they are infected
with the black scourge, and will be fatal to your expectations —per-
haps just when you think that their hatched Caterpillars are going
to spin their cocoons. Then again: if you break a few eges be-
tween two pieces of olass and see that their contents do not appear
uniform in round little circlets, and instead of, take oval or
conie shapes, they are diseased. A microscopical examination can
be taken only with powerful and expensive microscopes, and av
these nre not at the service of all the people, we don’t give here
an explanation about it, hoping that what we have said here above
nvght be of good use to all.

When the Caterpillars have. becn well) reared, will produce

g 253 pet

«

cocoons, velow or white (according to breed) weighin
} S Bee a | x FA
bi. agdinst 392) of Japanese breeds... 7 Poem the value, of

is double or treble that of the latter.

the former

We end tivs-article by ‘telliinc our geaders. that the best eves are
Ov ey
el

HATCHING,
those deseriked as above and thai they. can be sold on picees of
paper—board, paper or linen, wheveon the Caterpillars laid them.
Then, if buyers of cggs receive Goiached or loose eggs, they mast

be more careful in the examination, beeause sometimes they are

fraudulently prepared.

AMBRE SWB

The early haching of Silk-Caicrpillars eggs brings around many
failures ; people fear the warm weather and believe that the Cater-
pillars fear it also, therefore, they will hatch early, and when it is
too warm, they shut up the openings cf rooms containing worms
and therein they choke the precious creatures. Without heat the
little insect does not come forth from the egg, is not lively when
young and cannot build its little silken house. Why then hatch the
egos before the full disappearance of cold weather? It must be
remembered that the Caterpillars hatched in April will not produce
the cocoons before those hatched in May ; the former will live from
forty to fifty-six days, whilst the latter live from thirty to thirty-
six, and both of them will have eaten the same amount of focd,
with the difference, that those hatched in April, have required
nearly two months of attention, and, perhaps, expenses, whilst the
jatter have required only one month. Do not fear the heat then,
no matter what is said against it. We have reared Caterpillars
here in the months of Ju/y and August, and have had good pro-
duce after the lapse of twenty-four days only. (When too warm
do not forget to feed V/yht and often. ) |

Hatching must begin when it is known that enough little leaves
can be gathered and supplied to the rising little Caterpillars. Then

4()

; HATCHING,
when on the 10th or 15th of April we see the trees fairly budded,
we must bring the seed in the hatching room. (Any room will do
only it must be supplied with a stove, thermometer and shelving,
whereon to put the eggs snd keep the voung worms for a few
days.) In the first four days in which the seed has been put in
the hatching room, the temperature must be, night and day, not
below 50 degrees frt., and not above 55; in the next four days, not
below 55 and not above 60; in the next four days from 60 to 60;
then add a degree of heat every day until it has reached 77 degrees.
This last temperature must be kept in the hatching room in the

time the Caterpillars are coming forth as well as through all thei

The seed can be put in the hatching room, cither stuck on the
paper boards where they had been laid or in a little square box as
here below. In both cases the eggs should be touched with a solu-
tion of common salt in order to destroy any corpusele which might
have wintered on the sheil, and also in order to weaken the shel!
and so help the little insect to pierce through it. This dath of salt

water Is ahi to the eggs stuck on paper, ete., with a soft wet
rag or sponge, but if the eggs are detached or loose, they can be
dipped in salt water outright, and after having been kept there for
a couple of minutes, they must be spread to dry on blotting paper.
When they are dried they must be put (each ounce) in two boxes
six by eight inches, (or ten) about one inch dcep. Over this box
must be fixed a piece of tarlaian or white inosquito net, (for pur-
poses explained in the articie on jirst aye) and so prepared they are
kept, as the eggs on paper in’ the hatching room: Inthe lapse of
ten or, fifteen ‘days, the eves put to hateh become a lhe@hier and

1

5 7 2 1 = 4 \ sagas wee leh id V¢ a a +} 57 ‘ AU Ty ae
whiter color, the little Caterpillars areiscen in them), ‘a: clacking. as

A}

HATCHING, CONTINUED:
heard and a few bio tnen sau are seen issuipe forti. Some people
suggest to disregard them, they being so few— perhaps ten or
twenty per day; bat if these little beings foretell the approacaine
hatch of their large family (in the same way in which a few cranes
foretell the phalanx of their near passing army ) why cannot they
foretell also—being taken care of—the approach of their going to
spin their cocoons? It is no trouble at all to take care of steh) a
few, and they will remind you of the sure time in which their kind
are going to hatch, to shed their skin, to eat, to be voracious, to
spin, ete., therefore be mercifud with them.

The young insects come forth almost always at the second and
third hour after sunrise. One ounce of eggs when progressive. y
hatched, takes two or three days only to produce, but otherwise
takes four, five and even eight days—in the latter cases the rearing
becoming more difficult as we explain in next article.
fica The ruje about the warmtna of the we: uther, given at the head
of this article, cannot be applied to the many different climates of
the States possessing ‘osage plants’, because the leaves of osage
are ‘dangerously affected’? by showers and the hot rays of the sun.

On this account (to avoyd the, almost suddenly, ‘thickened sap’
of said leaves) it is absolutely important for the prosperity of Silk.
Culture in those States where the temperature is too inconstant to
stard the hatching of the eggs when the leaves are Just budding. Tu
this way, it has been experimented that the Caterpillars come up
all right.

But, now, must be used artificial heat. This can be easily pro-
vided either with the house or with the kitchen heating apparatus ;
any of which being used must have a degree of moisture, which
is procured by constantly keeping onthe stove a kettle full of water,
containing a little pulverized lime. WORMS do always well in

42

.Y

in newly white-washed houses, and are never reared in the kitchen.
To keep the Caterpillars warm by means of the direct heat emanat-
ing from a cast-iron stove [especially if new] it is to procure the
flacidity in them.
FAULTS IN HATCHING,
AMVABBVECETOEEOA

People unacquunted with Silk-Culture, detach the little eggs from
the place where they were laid, rubbing, loosing and crushing most
of them; then they put them under the mattress, in the sun, or in
their breasts at a temperature of 85 to 95 degrees; this is not
hatching ; it is half-cooking the Silk-Caterpillars’ eges—which are
kept ina little bag wherein are mixed up bad eggs, shells, little
mulberry leaves and little worms together. Then this is the foun-
dation of the silk-rearing disasters, and it is no wonder that many
breeders (who attempt to rear with another person and with such bad
hatching process, Caterpillars issuing from four or five ounces of

eygs) scarcely get ten or fifteen pounds of bad cocoons.

CARES DATALLED FOR RACH AGE.

Pie —§—

FIRST ACE.

Caterpillars just hatched from the eggs are as large as in the cut.

Se Eh be PR thes ad hed

If they have cither wu deep chestnut or a usck color, they are
healthy ; but if they are reddish or black, they have been hatched
badly, are sickly and will give trouble; better throw them away.
At about noon and six hours after, gather the little Caterpillars,
putting tender osage ov mulberry leaves on them, or on the mos-

43

im

Roo AEs

quito net—about which has already been spoken of.
Let the leaves remain so for abuat one hour and they will soon be
covered with hundreds of Caterpillars. ‘Lake, then, each leaf again
very carefully and from the pedicle, and lav them one after another
on a sheet of straw paper, which you must have already situated
near the hatching «22s; when this paper is full pull it on the small
tray and situate it oa a lower shelf, and there p15 also all the other
sheets of straw paper covered with leaves ful’ os little Caterpillars
gathered the first time. When you gather the Caterpillars the
next dav, put them on the above shelf and so on. Such treatment
is needed to keep them cren.

A couple of hours after you have gathered the voung Caterpil-
lars, feed them with well cut up leaves. Do not mash the leaves
when you cut them up, but after having made a little bunch, cut
them as small as a hair, if possible, with a sharp kinife. Lay,
then, these shavings, evenly on the Caterpillars and repeat such as
soon as they dry up. When vou feed allow always more room to
the Caterpillars. (See paragraphs on spack and HATCHING ).

The color of the little Caterpillars originate from hairs, with
which their body is covered, although their skin is really whitish,
and their snout black and shining. When they are three days old
they become hungrier, their head whrtens and their bodies are a
dark yellow. On the fourth day they appear ye/lowish-blue; on
the fifth, their appetite lessens, and on the end of the sixth day
they rest for moylting. The first cut on next page shows the Cater-
pillars ina moulting attitude, which is stillness, head swollen, fore-
part of body elevated.

In all the MouLTING HouRS, care. must be taken that the Cater-
pillars are not struck by a ‘‘sudden change of temperature ;’° there-
fore, to the windows and all other openings must be given the

44 |

SECOND AGE.
proper attention. Neither must they feel sudden shocks ; henec
care must be taken in moving. ‘‘with more consideration in the

moulting hours’, the eas on Page a are pat ing.

Caterpillars SAE not be eee more crow ded han they are seer.
in the above engraving.

Aivoltine issuing from the eggs are a little smaller than the Cat.
erpillars of first cut. In all this age no more than twelve pounds

of leaves are needed. For food wanted daily and in each age, se<

able published in this Directory.
5 Sm C o ND A C =.

One or two hours after ¢ Crap lies are moulted, they begin t
look for food, which must be given to them on the small-sized per.
forated straw paper (page 18) in order to change them. (See
CHANGING).

Y 1 4 ° x OF

Caterpillars issued from one ounce of eggs will occupy at this
age from twelve to e yhteen sheets of straw paper, according te
the number of them Lrought safeiy to this time. They go throug)
this second age in less time then in the former—that is, in five

days. When just moufted the frst time their heads are about

three-fold larger than before and sre whitish ; their body has a dark
vray color which continually becoines clearer until it takes an ash-

co.vred hue and alittle ‘vellowi At this time two Jittle curves

TER ED UA fate
jines are perceived on their back, as © ; besides, their body's iength
imcreases [if they are healthy] to the size represented in the above
engraving, and their weight is almost six times greater than that
of their first age. On the third day they must be changed again and
situated on from <ixteen to twenty-four sheets of paper. When
they rest for the second moulé they ave almost transparent and look
as in the first cut here below. Food about thuirty.eight pounds.

‘See table).

THIRD ACE.
The medium size of oa we a are now thus:

ws aE arf
7 ee

cag
y
#
“5
sy
Lig
I

This age Gee cane seven ease a 1e Catenpillsre must be
changed, as has been shown for the previous age. As soon as they

pegin to look for food they are changed and situated on from
twenty-four to thirty-six sheets of straw paper. After the fourth
day they are changed again and put on from thirty-six to fifty
sheets of paper. When just moulted the second time they seem
vearl-colored—some of them looking speckled. At this stage of
their life they always become more clear and white ; they also in-
crease twice as large and four times as heavy, and when they rest

46

FOURTH AGE.
to moult the third time, they appear as in the next cut:

ABESES.

The Caterpiilars are kept almost alwitys 790 crowded, and 13

&

changing them many of them are thrown away with the litters.
The leaves are kept too much piled up, and when gathered are
pounded into the bags or baskets. The leaves will ferment or at
least sweat, which is enough to ruin the best party of Caterpillars.

FOURTH ACE.

ye

(Rules given in the different AGEs of Silk-Caterpillars are meant

for the number of Caterpillars issuing from one ounce of eggs. )

Caterpillars go through this age in seven or eight days. After
having just mouiled the third time (as well as iff all their other
moults) they appear for a few hours rather feeble, being stil:
until when their very delicate skin, and particularly their snoots,
are grown firm; afcer having beea in contact with the air, ther
they acquire strength, look for food, lose their light terra cotte
color, which they had after the mo? and become more white,
daily. Now, it can be very well perceived if they have been eat-
AZ

PFT ACAIGE.
ino. bv seeine the eleht seoments [or rines F ther bodies j
ing, by seeing tis cight segments [or rings] of their bodies to ap-
pear of a greenish hue. At this time of their life, they gow as

laree as the above engraving, which has been taken after nature.

When Silk growers find their Caterpillars about as large as those

herein sketched | unless they are divoltines] they can hope for a

good success, 2s well as when the Caterpillars moult, resting about

in thessame pos.tion as the following:

Feed as in the Table. After moulling the fourth time, and when
they move the forepart of the body in search of leaves, they must
receive them on large perforated paper and be changed. This time
iif a great many of them have been reared safely |] they must occupy
about eighty sheets of straw paper or from six to eight shelves,
6x3 feet. On the fourth day they must be changed again, and put
on from 80 to 120 sheets—eight to twelve shelves. The Cater-
pillars are not injuried by cold weather; they only need good food,
plenty of pure air and cleanliness ; that is, they must never lay on
old litters, and what is worse, on fermented litters. To avoid odors,
setter ‘change’ in the early morning hours. Do not give too many
leaves at once. [See Table.] But if the weather is cold, they do not
est so much ; whilst they will eat more than is caleulated if it is
very warm, and the latter case is better because they become ripe
sooner.

a =Now it cau be said that the Caterpillars ‘grow at sight’ be-
cause two days after they have gone through the size of above engrav-
ing, they wil] increease in body, and appetite ‘considerably’: and

48

FIFTH AGE.
now is the time to use better cares than ever. Within ten or twelve
days, will come either the produce or the disapointment—which wil!
be felt mors, of course, by those who expecting to make plenty of
money outlayed [*uneconomically and without experience’’ | a little
too much capital to start with.
FIFTH AGE. .
At this age the Catevpillars grow in weight six times more than

4

the preceding one, and reach the size of this cut:

In the first two days, after having them changed and situated on
from twelve to fourteen lattice-like shelves, they must be fed with
discretion, but after that time they must be covered with leaves
one or two inches dee, six times in twenty-four hours, and if they
finish them in less than half of an hour, they must receive more :
in short, they must eat continuously ; if otherwise, they will spin
bad cocoons. If the season is very warm, the leaves must be given
in less quantity and oftener. Total amount of leaves eaten by
nearly 39,000 Caterpillars is about 1,300 pound;. At least every
other day the Caterpillars must be. changed in this age. If
many Caterpillars have not been lost in previous ages, and if the
weather is very damp, it is better to situate tuem Mf more than
twenty-four shelves, as shown in the table. To make it easy
change tue Caterpillais at four different times of the day, a part
ach time. “When they are changed on the seventh day of this age,
the sheets of straw paper must not be lapped on the shelves (as it

44) |

st aie legin eres ie
must. have beer one before), but must be situated there one inch

° ee | Sy as).
apart from each other in order to arrange the dry shruds | page 23]

among them.

Should the ‘liiters’ appear very damp, and if it be impossible to
change, it is uscfal to sprinkle them with crumbled straw.

Woe to the Caterpillar breeders, now, 1f they shut up windows,
doors or Any air-hole ; if they do, they jeopardize their incoming
silk crop. We spoke of this already. If it is too hot, s:wmg the
outfit a while. If the sun’s rays strike the Caterpillars, overshadow
them with paper, linen, ete., and if it is damp, wart, but do not
shut the openings of the cocooncry ; remember this, and in a few
days you will be rewarded for the pains taken in the short forty
days (or less) of cares.

* *The above paragraph 1s limited only when a wind-storm is
vaging, in which case small apertures will produce a little draft,
which can supply all the needed air.

To avoid odors carry the litters a little off, let them dry in the
sun, and they will also be a good winter fodder for your live stock.

Caterpillars after their fowrth moult, which can last even two
days or more, (if the temperature is low and if they are in good
nealth) when undressed of their former skin, have a ferra cota
color; next to this they show from their tail up, a transparent yel-
low rosy tinge, which advances onward toward the middle of the
body, until it becomes all of the same appearence—very much like
% piece of amber examined through the light.

If the Caterpillars are of the white-cocoon-producing-breed they
do not appear to be of a yellow rosy hue, but they are pellucid/,
nevertheless.

When the Caterpillars appear so they are near to become ripe for
spring their s7lk-shrouds (cocoons) and when after a few hours

a0

FIFTH AGB.

hey become so, they climb over the leaves, without eating them,
and begin to ramble,—even wandering from the shelves if the silk-
grower has not provided for them the dry shrubs, about which is
spoken on page 23. How to arrange, the said shrubs will be written
in this work, in apposite article, hereafter. When the Caterpillar
have found a place where to spin their silken cells, they promptly
climb on them, taking this posture:

Remarks :—Now in the above sketch is seen a Caterpillar which,
although safely arrived to the silk-producing stage of its life, yet
cannot be of any profit to the breeder because it was not provided
with the required ‘shrubery’. The most useful insect, in this case,
is wasting away its silky substance-on a piece of mulberry-leaf,
vainly tryiug to fasten the first webs in order to envelop itself in
a cocoon.

Here, now it seems useful to point out that neither “little cornu-
copias (made of old news pavers) nor the *PUT THE WORMS TO SPIN
IN THE FOLDS OF A DRESS* [as published in a weekly-paper] have
any thing to do with the rearing of even a few thousand of larve :
the ‘folds and the cones’ might be used by students and curiosity-

5]

ERRORS IN THIS AGE.
seckers, and not by silk-growers. Wooden frames with cells one inch
square and one deep are also used, but they are expensive and...and
shruby-plants, answering the same purpose, are so plentiful in A-
merica, and so cheap!
a

ERRORS INOTHIS AGE,

Not giving enough leaves to the Catepillars, or giving to them
tender leaves are mistakes that will put in jeopardy the presumably
approaching produce. Want of air and ‘changing’ are also errors
to be avoided. Inattension of mice, poultry, winged insects, cats,
is also faulty—if ants invade the ‘Swingers’, they can be stopped by
putting some ‘raw-cotton’ around and at the top of the lines of the
Swingers. When the shrubs are situated too crowdy it is 2iso against
the Jarve, which in this case cannot be supplied with air and will

ne suffocated in a short time.

SR@yym» (LO

52

CCREEBEGEREE EEOBECVIEEBEEEETEBEVEUE TELCEECLBEDEELEUBEBETEBEREEESEGE!

SS gis TS) git g2)
Bas) AR eS é - j
é & | 4 ae

Long Sefore the Caterpillars have reached this stage of their life
silk-growers must h&ve prepared the dry brush-wood, turnip-
stalks, heath or. halygretes, sete.

Now four or tive days before the Caterpillars are ripe, any of the
above brush must commence to be arranged on theshelves. This is
done as follows: After the fine stems of some of the shrubbery have
been cleared of all leav es, seeds, tops, etc., they are placed on the
spaces now left between each straw paper, and so the first ripe Cat-
erpillars, which would like to wander fron the paper in search of a
nook for spinning, find a ready suitable place and there they build

}

ening on some of the little twigs and stems,

their silken house
a web-like—net which ae mike gradually smaller, long-shaped,

round and thicker, until when they | emselves (In

their. silken shrouds, usually called cocoons. On the above fine

stems of brush-wood others are added with care and wher the num-
ber of ripe ot ae increases, small branches are added with
|

SHRUB ING,
the inferior part on the shelf and the superior one, opened like a

fan, Jayine ou the shelf above as in this cut:
3 A} ha)

If neither the brushwood nor heath, ete., is on hand, shrubby-
plants of any kind will suit, provided that they are well dry
branchy without leaves, thorns or little twigs, apt to mix up with
the outside web (floss silk),and particularly not very crowdy or
thick in order that the air may circulate freely also for Caterpillars
ripening later. This brush must be high enough to fit between
two shelves and form an arch under the upper one. If hay is
used it must be tied up very loose with twine and made to suit the
same purpose. When almost all the Caterpillars have climbed on
the shrubs, some well seasoned leaves (not dry because they will
erumble) of oak tree must be added among those which ramble

around without going to work. The shrubs, by reason of their

a4

. wom ts ~
SX & Ra Ge

Bo gaya z ,

hele progressively added for the use of the rave Caterpillucs, little

hy little take the shape of small cotfages as in this cut:

Care must be taken thet the side brush do not come outssde of
the Lreadth and length of the shelves, otherwise some Caterpillars

fail to-toe vvound.

2%
t

Sh ave ’ 3 : 5 ; : ;
S Garrat iepcteen (O ed af comprenends COLO Uae: OR which tire Precious (CLP hee

GEATH AGE,
I

eens to face nourishment produces the silk (hope and aim of the

biik-Caterpiliar breeders) spiuning it in cocoons, mn which en-
shrouded, it transforms itself into a chrysalis, until the time in

which it metamorpoosizes itself again into a perfect insect— that 1s/

2
When the, Caterpillar: beein to become ripe, that is, become

nearer to thei’ most deacate transformation they must continually
bathe in pure air, but now as weil as when they moult, they must
not feel sudden changes of temperatare. Neither cold nor warm
weather, hurts well fel, not overcrowded, often ec! anged and well-

peut
aired Caterpillars; they mast be protected only from sudden

_ =

ar
roe?

©

SIXTH AGE,
changes of teniperature. When too warm do not admit too many
people in the cocoonery, and in rainy weather do not admit damp
objects, but whilst a sudden cold weather or a bad wind disturb
and arrest the respiration of the Caterpiars, the want of air, if
doors and windows are kept closed, will choke a large swarm of
Caterpillars in a single night. |

At this age a.too long abstinence may also be against the Cater-
pillars, therefore if leaves should be wet, they must be dried artifi-
clally (we said how in the first part) but the Caterpillars must not
be in need of them a single hour.

We insist on the above advices beeause this is the epoch of the
disappointment for those who tiave reared the Caterpillars without
the due attention.

Now at this time the Caterpillars at work must not be disturbed ;
therefore to change those Caterpillars which were not yet ripe, it is
necessary to feed them with shoots, and when they have climbed
on them they can be removed io another shelf; the litters then are
gently swept on the dust pan and carried out. If some ripe Cater-
pillars do not go to the shrubs they can be moved with care a little
towards and near them ; when only a few wanderers are left among
the cottages, it is better to remove them to another shelf with ready
made shrubbery.

As a rule, Caterpillars climbing freely produce the best cocoons ;
when such ones, after climbing empty themselves of a few drops of
clear water, they foretell an excellent silk produce. For neatiiess’
sake, sprink!e now a light laver of crumpled straw upon the straw
litters. |

Two and even three days after the first Caterpillars climbed (if
they are very healthy and the temperature is at from 80 to 85 de-

~ .
oO
Jb

Sie KeG@ ATH EUR ONG.
erees) almost all of them will have climbed on the shrabs, those

ie

excepted which must be put by themselves, as explained above.

LRT TR EY —

GATHERING THE SILK CREP.

Taree days after the few unripe Caterpillars have been removed to
a special shelf (or in different words: three days after the greatest
nuniber of Caterpillars have enveloped themselves in thew silken—
shroud) the GATHERING must be accomplished, and if it is done
much later, Silk-erowers ran the risk to spoul the crop, for reasons

given hereafter.

ol

This most delightful, casy, ood charming occupation lasts,
by no means, a short time—when about 58,000 cocoons must
be collected. Then, in order to do soon, as is required, itis a
treat aud a commodity to invite soive family friends who willingly
will help in this last duty.

‘Tae utmost care must be taken ia order not to squeeze or mash
the cocoons. Thence ;—

The shrabs, laden with the alluring p:ecious silken shrouds,
placed upoa the bottom shelf of a ‘Swinger’ must be taken down
first, and be situated on a clean place ; then all the others progressiv-
ely. After this has been done, the cocoons must be gathered from

wh shru’s and spread, wbout three inches deep in a dry place—say
on one or two well cleaned shelves covered with new paper

3

Now, whilst the cocoons are collected, they must be, strictly,

assorted ‘taking away the soiled, the shapeless, al! the double-co-
coons, (i. e. those few very liurge m 1d very hard, containing two

od

PRESERVING COCOONS.
‘arve) and all the imperfect ones, which are those not being like
‘he largest nember. The size, if the cocoon is not otherwise worth-
fess and if the Caterpillars were well fed, does not depreciate very
much the crop. On this account Silk-growers, for their own interest
should not mix stamed cocoons with the fine ones, if they do the

whole lot will be depreciated.

PRESERVING THE COCOORS.

At this stage all the cares of the Suk-grower should be over and
only the disposal of the crop should be looked after. Yet, to make
this book complete, we give here the next operation performed on
the new, or fresh, cocoons.

As these cocoons are the shelter of the larva, wherein they be-
come a perfect tmsect

[that is, a butterfly} so, when the Jarves
L ed

have changed their forms, fer the fast time, the Jatter preree the

‘former and come to the light acain, thus:

_ Now the larve become butterflies within 10 or 20 days after they
have enclosed themselves into the silk, the higher the temperature
58

PRESERVING COCOONS.
the sooner they transform; and after they are out of the cocoons
they reproduce (See REPRODUCTION ), but their shrouds after having
heen pierced cannot be reeled—i. c. wound off for making first class
silk-goodxs. Then, in order to make the cocoons good for this
operation, the coming out of the butterflies must be prevented.

This is done, effectually and wthout spoiling the produce, first
by choking the shrouded insects with steam, and then by gradually
drying their remains mn the cocoons.

Yo stifle, or choke, it is needed an apparatus wherein the cocoons
are spread in different layers two or three inches high; then steam
is turned into this air-tight apparatus, for about fifteen miunutes,
after that, hot-air ts substituted in the room, and in doing so the

. 1
’

‘enclosed insects become lifeless and dry, and the silky-shrouds

can be kept intact aivery long time.

Now the stifling and drying-room is attached always to those
lf Vp fs

establishments which buy the raw-silk—i. e. fresh cocoons ; there-

fore it is not to be recommended to the Silk—growers to attempt the

stifling of the larva—particularly because in doing it ;—

First; steamed cocoons, if not gently and progressively dryed
up, will mould, and becoming spotted will greatly depreciate: and
second, they cannot be sold as soon as gathered, because if their
builders are choked they must, also, be dryed to accertain the
weight of the silk, and to prevent the moulding of the silk.

At any rate; if in the past it has been recommended to the Silk-—
growers to ‘‘stifle the cocoms’’ (/) it has been because the buyers

59

PRESERVING COCOONS.
did not have accomodations for doing it, or did not know how te
do so, or did not want the risk. But when this produce takes such
2 short time to be raised, it isa pity to jeopardize it with operations
which do not belong strictly to the grower: besides it is too bad
that the industrious persons who work in early Spring cannot
‘make any money (if any! ) until late in Autumn—whilst the stock

‘8 on hand and must be kept safely watched and stored!

About the ‘reeling’ of the cocoons, by the Silk-erowers, it has

‘een written enough on the fourteenth page,

Finally ; those who raise silk to get a silk-dress, should consider
that it is easier surer and quicker to buy one with the mouey enrned
12 a short time, with the raised raw-silk, than by trying to make
one, or to make cheap handkerchiefs, with it.

We found the new food for the Silk-Caterpillar, and we give the

suggestions which make Silk—Culture a real possibility here.

— pe Rap SE Rte

69

SRALRERERERERETINDEREERREDEAIATEEEE SOUS TSS SESEARETEBEBESEECEESF £)

GRELING, AXD SHIPPING.

20 Ror

The best way, nay the only way, to sell the cocoons is to send

them to the reeling—mill.
The fresh eocoons, in order that they may not be crushed and

spoiled, should be laid in tight boxes having partitions each six

inches.

They must be sent by Express, only.

It is better to send to the silk-reeling-mill only the perfect
cocoons—the imperfect ones being very few and commanding 4
very low price. They might be good for fancy home consumption
but if they are sent to the market with the good ones they must
be laid in one of the partitions by themselves.

The waste cocoons, of a sucessful rearing, will, scarcely, average

4

two Ibs. in one hundred pounds.

ll and ship two boxes when you can make one; if noi,

OL

Never

SELLING, AND SHIPPING ;
Express charges will be double! And if you can join your silk-
crop with the Silk-growers of your neighborood, do it and ship in

one box with two or more divisions.

“Deal always with a ‘truthful and practical Silk-growing-firm’
which at the proper time will answer free of charge, for the
advancement of Silk—Culture, for the destruction of foreign monop-
oly, for the welfare of industrious willing youth and old age, will
answer all questions pert: unirg to Silk-Husbandry, with gladness

Bat, be sure to avoid the aur eae (real or otherwise ),
because they buy only dry eceoons and on commission: which
really means that they do not buy from you, but that. they will sell
for you | when they please, or when they can] and pav thomse ‘lyes
first the ‘fearful brokers-fees”’.

This last part is not about Silk-Culture, indeed, but it is of such

importance for the success of it that we conclude with the poet:

**A WORD TO THE WISE 13 SUFFICIENT !’? |

Peeve weeesaaea w

62

PLAEBRBCRCTSERAREOEEETESASTEDELITDGIDECSESABEATESESUERECHSR ISB SOSEES FE

—BUTTERFLIES, FECUNDATION, EGGS.—

ey I ON i

SEVENTH ACE.

Ouly that Sik-Grower who has hada @ood success in the rearfng
fsay 100. Ibs. of scocoons. fram 1 oz. of seed | should provide the
eges for the following vear: for those who failed it would be better
to buy seedagain rather than to raise it from ;the sickiy survived
lavvee and butterfiies.

Por such purpose must he chosen cocoons of medium size (skt’d
on page o8)as firmin the middle as at both ends, closely woven by
the Caterpillars and with very ¢hin silken-threads, comparatively
heavy and perfectly finished.

Phe cocoons must be examined one by one, and must be gently
shaken in order to hear the light thud caused by the pupa [called
also chrysalis ov aurelia) stviking the walls of the cocoons, when
shaken; but the shrouds that do not give any sound, after being
shook, must be disparaged, because their chrvsalis is worthless. '

Vouble cocons, (See page 57.) those the least soiled, the‘ shape-
less and those ‘too tight? in the middle must be also disregarded.

It is well to raise double the amount of seed wanted the next year
because if the first incubation fails, by any unforeseen cirumstaice,
it ean be repeated by using the rest of the seed which has not been
put allat once in the hatching room: besides it is always well to
Initiate some new persons into Silk-Culture, and when a few eggs
ue on hand they will turn useful for any mentioned purposes.

But its the sd’ that is wanted and... .well the grower will foliow
sugeestions given on page 13, and be repaid for his cares; other-
wise his success will come to naught!

As a rule, from one lb. of selected cocoons (nearly 300) can he

63

SEVENTH AGE.
obtained one ounce of perfect sced —perhaps one fourth more than
the above amount can be obtained, but itis better to be strictly
rigorous in the selection of the parent, as here beiow, than to be
careless, or ‘stingy’, and so prepare unpromising seed for the next
rearing. The heaviest shroud will prodace a feinale butterfly, the
lightest a male one.

The chosen cocoons, first, must be thoroughly plucked of the

outside web, or loose silk, and then must be laid one after anotier
on the new paper of a well cleaned ‘airy-sheif’ at a temperature of
70 to 80-—the higher the temperature the sooner the carysalis be
comes a butterfly, but a medium temperature suits ever better, to
larve, chrysahs, and butterflies,

Meantime the ehrysalis (which is the form taken by the larva be-
fore becoming a winged insect ) forms itself inside of its shroud. It
shrinks from the previous insect into an oblong aad oval form, and

its epidermis takes a eolden hue in the first day of its metamorplo-

sis; then becomes darker and takes the outlines of 2 butterfly.

Within eight days, if it is very warm, and fifteen days, if the
temperature is medium, the outlines become perfect parts and the
chrysalis softening one eud of its shroud emerges from it.

The Bombix IMAGO, although is endowed with perfect Wings, does
not glide in the air—perbaps, because its functions are limited only
to the continuation of the kind, wnd uot to the self sustenance:
butterflies, do not eat, therefore they do not wander !_

At sunrise only, or thereabout, the butiterflies come forth,

At first, they have damp and imperfect wings, but in a few
minutes the wings take theie normal iuppearanee which is :—

Healthy female butterflies are larger than the males, rather heavy
for their size, on which account they are almost stationary: their
wings are of a pearl-white candor shiehtly shaded and are always

| 4 |

SEVENTH AGE.

kept horizontally stretched, like in the following life-size figure:

the wings and the other parts of ths body are evenly covered with
a very light down.

Unhealthy females have either ashy or a chestnut color, some
times being dotted with a few almost unperecivable black spots on
the white. others have an exceptionally enlarged belly, and others
are crippled: more about these anoon.

Healthy males, besides of being distinguished by their smaller
size und same white color, are lively and with open and shaking
wings [‘*called onward by desire’ ] whirl around their more steady
companions. ‘The wings of the male butterfly, when at rest, are
diagonally lifted up from his body. The males are also particular-
ly distinguished by having wider and longer feelers.

See page 58 for drawing of male buttérfly.

Unhealthy males present the same characteristics of the unhealthy
females, “though more of the former might Se almost wingless.

Having described so far, it is now a short work to direct how to
make the ‘choice of the fiitest’’ for the Reproduction. Thence:

A little after Sunrise the reproduction-room is visited and the
butterflies already united are cently. collected, couple by couple,

SEVENTH AGE.
and put, not too closely, on a paper laid on a tray (page 24) and
earvicd in a room kept perfectly dark but conveniently sired. After
that the coupled buttertlies have been, removed, ail the single ones
are taken and put together, outside of the cocoons on the shelf;
then when new couples are see, amous them they, the couples, are

brought also in the dark room. :

Now, aii the couples hawing been carried away, it happens that
either some males or a few females have been left single, for want
of 2 mate, in the reproduction room. Then if the former are mate-
less they must be preserved, because the next day there might be a
majority o¢ females, and if the latter ure mateless they also must
be kept, and can be mated, after a couple of hours, with a mate:
which has already been in the davk room. But to preserve the mule
for the morrow ‘precautions should, be taken, otherwise he wil
fatigue himself with his unceasing, shaking of wings aad roun-
ing about. Therefore the superaumerary males should be kept in
small boxes, one by one, where they will. be still until the next
day, when comes their turn.

_ Before proceeding ; now all the hutterflies, emerged from the co-
coons on the first day, must be nevessarly hrundled to pass through
the above described attentions, and in doing. so the opportunity to
make the choice is afforded. Therefore, now, give away Lo the
poultry all reddish, yellowish, ash y-colored butterilies ; away. allthe
black and black-spottec ones; away? all the dropsical ones, that is,
those with a swollen belly ; away those with one wing and the wing-
fess 7 AWAY to the fowls all those without ‘feelers’ or with one feel-
er, those with joss than 6 leg’s nnd *1 among three hundred butte 764
are found more than thirty diseased and imperfect ones it is betier
to do AWAY with all of them and buy new seed rather than compro-
mise the prospects of your future rearing, with eggs the parents of

| 65

SEVENTH AGE.
which were imperfect, even only, ten per cent.*

For easiness und economy sake, it has been directed herein that
{i,2 selected cocoons should de spread on an ‘airy-shelf? 5 but. this
viveu hint is particularly good for those who raise a large quantity
of “industrial seed’, for sale or for distribution. But, Silk-Growers
who provide for themselves only one or two ounces of eggs, can
use asmull table, or someting like—especially when they prepare the
‘yelined surface for the reception of the laying butterflies, as below.

This is accomplished by stretching one or two pieces of undressed
muslin (which, for the bath, [p. 41] is better than paper) on one
or two small trays, like those of page 24, and hung like a frame
from the wall—but uplifted with a little prop under the lower part
and not slanting, like frames, from the top. These frames will
answer very well to contain each from 90 to 100 laying butterflies
whieh will deposit about 45 thousand eges.

Some butterflies will remain united, even, longer than a day,
znd yet the eggs have been found, as fruitful as when their parents
were coupled, only, one half of xn hour... Let them alone anyhow £

As soon as the females quit the males they must be watched untib
when they have delivered themselves, again, of some reddish liquid,
then they must be taken, anew, gently by the wings, and placed
on the prepared muslin.

The butterflies will eject yet some of their superflous humors
while they are javing the eggs ; as this moisture would endanger the
healthiness of the seed. it must be prevented. This is accomplished
hy inchaing the trays— hoiding the linen, as much as possible
and by situating the butterflies from the top, first, and not too
closely to each other.

If the choice of the cocoons was made from a party that did not
sufier, ‘by disense’, the least ioss of Caterpillars, the laying butter

67

SEVENTH AGE.

flies can be allowed to lay all their eges, which will. be. just as good
ws those laid earlier; but when ‘a few? Caterpillars died before
building their shrouds, then the butterflies must be allowed to leuy
for about 28 hours. only—the egos laid after that time containing
rather unhealthy life, as it has been found by diligent abeerratione

After the butterflies have done their duties they are abandoned.

‘Industrial seed’’ is procured as above: ‘cellular seed” is pre-
pared by rearing cach larva isolated in a little cell and then by exams
ining their eggs with powerfull microscopes ete. As only few trust
and can fol ow this method, we do not describe it. at lenght.

/PRESERV ATION OF SEED ’

by

The preservation of the Suk-Caterpillar egos, or Seed, is rather
difficult and is xs follows. First, they must be protected from mice
‘and insects, whiclr is done by suspending the muslin whereon they
were stuck, from a ceiling,, and by visiting them often. Seeond:
‘they must be kept from batchiag before the leaves which they eat.
“have sprung forth. The eges of the ‘annuals’ cannot hatel be-
fore having reached the eigiith month of their age, because the
embryo of the little insect will not be formed before that time—a
few hundred of them hatching much sooner, nevertheless, Now as
Lhe eggs, in this country are obtained in the latter part of June so

H appears that thev would be ready to hatch in March, when there
would be no Icaves. To prevent such a niisfortune tire eves niust
be kept ina dry room with windows wt the north. Air should eircu-
late freely in the room, also cold, but eve nly; therefore ina ‘eold
wave’ or wind-storm and at night half shut the windows.

The eges must be examined -often, and in FKebruray all the red
yellow and dried ones must be erased from the linen. [See po ok |

—

PCR UTEGEEELEE CREDELEEBLERBRES SCBRTELGLUC LEER BORD DEORE EAEEESEL oa ia

The directions given to ‘the present in this book are all what is
wanted [in a positive way] to know, in order to rear Silk—Cater-
pillars economically and successfully. We did not give speculative
informations because they are not necessary to ‘practical’ silk-grow-
ers, but are only practiced by ‘experimenters’. Therefore-we con-
clude this rrrsr part wite the following encouraging words :

Those Siik-growers who were scared ut given positive and exigent
teachings may now reflect on the great warning given by Mother
Natare, which provides with many eves certain species of beings (as
to say the moth of the Silk-Caterpillars, which lay from 450 to 500
eggs) because their existence is very difficult to be preserved.
Thence the probability to protect them from diseases can disappear
for every atmospherical adversity or for neglects and mistakes
made in their rearing. Nevertheless, it must not be supposed that,
the Caterpillars are without possibilities of living ; Id tCh, oil, sal
most impossible to destroy their short existence, when they enjoy
it freely : and although they perish sometimes when kept captive, yet
it can be said that they are rather_killed by their breeders than de-
stroved by nature.

Now the following information mizht be suficient to © courage
ul persons e ngaged in Sik-C vulture :—

1. “Caterpillars can live at a low temperature in which case they

Go

COUNCLUSION, '

remain in a comatose condition, and do not eat even for weeks.

2. They can stand to a high temperature, when they devour
much food and become ripe in a shorter time.

3. They cannot be drowned before having been kept at least
three hours in the water.

4. The rain does not hurt them, and when it rains, they do not
eat before the wet is evaporated.

3. Neither gas affects them nor sulphuric fumigations.
Wg MRaLA Gat eAWASAROCAsecendasccecenceetccenseseqesesesescet BUVE"

Before coming to the end, this Silk-Culture Directory wishes to
say that itis better to take young Caterpillars from "experienced
feading breeders*, than to buy even perfect eggs because ; one single
hatching-room fitted out and out, is capable to furnish in spring,
even, 1,000 families with young Sik-Caterpillars: bat such number
of families require 1,000 hatching-rooms, completely outtitted, and
{,CO00 experienced persons when they will hatch eggs themselves
progressively, and after that they have been properly preserved
from the time they were laid te when they are put into incubation.

This last suggestion goes to show that the leading-firm, which
distributes [on nominal and easy conditions| the principal stock to
start ae/? Silk—Culture, and buyes the produce for READY CASH, may
incur a loss, (if it does not know the business, or if the scason

is unfavorable) but not the silk-growers at large.

“GN OO™™

70

AP. PEM DD

¥
x *

The directions regarding shelves made with ‘building paper’,
directions given on pages 17 and 19, should not be understood
against the foundamendal principles of this system. In fact; the
thick paper, being less porous than lumber, shoyld be perforated
in order to be healthy, and if it is not so it will do more harm to

the Caterpillars than any lumber shelf, because it will be a worse
conductor of air.
iy al
There is enough of proof to hold that the Caterpillars are not
destroyed by imaginary ravenous motes and vibrions [See I part],
nevertheless we cannot be to stringent in asking, for good success,
that the utmost cleanliness should be inforced in rearing the Cater-

pillars.
For such purpose in the Old World, now that the Caterpillars

are fearfully ravaged by diseases and untimely deaths, they use in

71

APPENDIX:
washing and disinfecting tie old rooms the following drugs ; soda,
chlorate of lime, sulphur, saltpeter, sulphuric acid, sea-salt, oxyd
of manganese, lime etc..

Now the lime is a mechanical contrivance used as white-washing
of the rearing rooms, done in order to smite the terrib’e-invisible
vibrions [and Co.] whilst the other drugs arc used to fumigate said
rooms before beginning the) rearing, \also to blast the monades,
known, ‘by supposition’, to be hovering all around the room wait-
ing for the coming pray. We make acquainted. our readers
with such happening, and now we will also write down oue of

/
the proofs spoken of in the beginning of this paragraph. Mrs.
Parmilia Chroninger, of Hoiden, Missouri, received, at the prope:
time, in 1883, nearly 20,009 voune Caterpillars. She had arranged
the necessary outfit, deseribed in the beginning of this hook, in

lefé unoe-

a well ventilated and spacious room— which had ‘been
eupied and hieglected’for a long tims. Before all, she white washed
the room asi matter of cleantiaess, of eourse, and because in there
existed many troublesome spiders —although there were no *in-
visible ravenous’ atoms. Now the person from whom Mes. C., and
others,;: received -Caterpillars, daving been tricked by a meddler
was. unable to have waitewashed bis, cocoonery and, except this im-
portant precaution, he used whilst he reared, ail and even more
kinds of inentioned druzs. The res it between these parties stands
thus:): the lady, who received the (little larwie early im Sptins
and cleaned her rooms with lye and lime, grow over fifty pounds

(2

YN Ae GD i,
of cogoons, but the other who hnd no time to whitewash and went
on with. fumigations and disinfectants, was not able to save with
tiem, not one single ea mL a ‘‘che wet season’’set in.
Both the above cases speak oy themselves and do not need

wy comment .

In some States the leaves are too full of water because the
Spring-rains there are almost perennial; if so, the leaves must vot
be given to the Caterpillars as soon as gathered because, although
they do not seem wet yet, they ave excessively damp: thence the
Jarvie must, bo fed ee with teaves collected the previous day,

and preserved, as already recommended.

x
Butterdies ive not very long. Phe male ones, sometimes a little
over ac week, the females even 40 days, besides two or three for
Jaying—the svoner they die the iess hope can be kept in the vital-
ity of their eogs.

© eer

h
When the Siroc | that is, the Soath-Hast wind] blows, the larve

i

must be protected with the utmost care because it has been ex-

perienced, that this pitticulac. wind affects the Caterpillars with

dropsy and general relapse: to avoid such, it must be closed,

for the. time betins, every aperture at the S. EK.; and when there
ci 9

are many Openings m the cocoonery it is better to close, or leave a

couple of inches open, those wherefrom any strong wind enters

aud alters the temperature. Icis well known, in this case, how

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PROE RL,

“Here all suspicion needs must be abaudoned,
All eowardice must, need be here extinct.”

Longfellow.

It iswell known that al] organized beings go through certain ab-
hermal periods, during their lives, which are called diseases.

Industrial Larvee, or Silk Caterpillars, are thence also subject
to disorders in the ordained parts of their body ; but, owing bo the
extreme small size (which among domestic: ted animals is only
next to the honey-bee), to the present, they have been kept out. of
the eares of the medical science, ond the same time being so
valuable have fallen in the researches of speculative savants.

These embroiled in deep suppositions have pretended to suppress
death giving out that a parassitical—m icroscopical (7) lite was the
eause of the most destructive raveges—and the interested people.
like a drowning person that grasps at a straw, in order to rear

S1

DISEASES.

their larvie, accepted the theory and paid....fur some years to the
speculative school.

Then the theory based on microscopic observation gave way. to
modern physic; therefore now the insects ave studied by patology
and biology rather than by unfounded parassitelogy.

To be brief and avoid to employ much space for the micros
copie controversy, we will give here below illustratioas with the
hippotetical peints shown by the originators of the microscope

{?

finds—reserving to us the space for exhibiting the inflamatory and

phlegmatic character of the more fatal distempers.

ec

The contents of a fecunded egg, after having been mashe |
and spread On aR piece of limpid olass will appear under a very

powerful microscope either like Fissure N. 1, or like N. 2

Tae teachers after microssopy tell us that Figure 1 contains

DISEASES,
corpuscles {i. e. little bodies or physical atoms] which can be only
pereeived by means of an instrument magnifying not less than 300
. »
fold. Waen this observation is pacfor.ned egxs encumbered with
corpuscles do not. show their protoplastic matter shaped quasi
like little dots [as in Figure 2] but among the dotted outlines
exhibit a few ovoid, or oblong, shapes as in N. 1.

Those shades, or shupes, scarcely covering the surface of a sq.
16th of an in.—but as bodiless as an umbrage, vibrate [and thence
are called vidriones] and therefore are presumed to be microcosms,
or corpuscles which is all one thing.

But :-—-Does not vibrate also the substance appearing like little
tunsparent dots? |

It does; either alive or dead it dogs: alive, because itis a proto-
plasm, dead beeaase it is in metamorphosis. We will enforce our
affirmation with the expressions of HerbBerr Seencer ;—

**It is not the rustic, nor the artisan, nor the trader, who sees
‘only something more than a mere matter of course in the hatching
“of a chick; but it is the biologist, who, pu-hing to the uttermost
‘his analysis of vital phenomena, reaches his greatest perplexity
‘ovhen a speck of protoplasm under the microscope shows him life

‘an its simplest form, and makes him feel that however he

DISEASES.

formulates his processes the actual play of forces remains

‘unimaginable. **
And if the dot-like sketch moves, trembles or viorates, like the
.

ovoid one, why the atomism is applied to the elliptic shapes and
not also to the spheric ones? Is it perhaps because the microscope

eannot ‘‘describe the organism of the shape which, only, it bas
discovered ?”’

What are these parassitic vibrating atoms, or ‘vibriones’?. Let
us transalate the answer :—

“Corpuscles have a typical ovoidal form [form not body! Ed. |
which sometimes becomes either cylindrical or pyriform.
outline of these ‘form.’ called corpuscles [i. e. little bodies !] is, in
general, a little brown or dark, and at other times ts scarcely visiSle,
Their length (we rather say, the length of these only visibie forms

snd notof the corpuscles) is. about one eight of an in. aud the
’ emp)

breadth is nbout one Tb6th of an How thick they are? Ge-

ometry here must®* be faulty, we have a ae with missing sides ;

but let The inside of the corpuscles (real not *fornis’ )

is occupied by an amorphus peilucid slightly yellowish green fluid
chick is enclosed in a very diminutive bladder; the weight of (real)

corpuscles is beavier than the liquid. element in which they ‘lve.

To find out—hear !—what: is their nature they were ,tryed with,
divers chemicals, but no result was obtained. They, the corpuscles

84

DISEASES.
and not the fearful forms, are insoluble ¢ither in hot or in ice
water; aleohol, ether, potash do not affect them and ueither liquid

mineral acids: on the contrary, they are destroyed by condensed

mineral acids... Itis very clear that the above can be applied to

thodies’, even infinitesimal, but not to vain unorganized air bubbles

or forms.

‘Lebert’ informs that, real corpuscles maltiply by fissiparus
separations (which we admit, occurs to atoms existing in water),
Verson and Haberlandt say that it happens by seission, and M,
Pasteur, declares it to be by granulation (admitted for corpuscles
living on solid matter; but what is attributed to. the Jigures seen
with a powerful microscope in the inside of a wee egg, rather belongs
to the different genera of atoms existing either in liquid or in solid
substances,

So far, then. we have neither a vibrating corpuscle nor a monade

[i.e. a moving atom] in the egg, but only a *synoptical appearence

«

artificially procured by means of a conpound instrument*, and
therefore, any, so called, parassitical havuc befalling on the larvae
must be proved by dissection and not by an artiticial examination

— and ‘guess work’ about the eggs.

Because, it is clearly acknowledged that, although the eggs might.

he affected asin Fig.’ ‘No. 1, yet ‘sometimes’ they will produce an
healthy brood, whilst the recommended chosen supposed unaffected

RD

DISEASES.

eg7s, like in Wig. 2, will also ‘somtimes’ produce a-diseased rac>:
“Which is which,” thoughtfull readers?

ik
“Let us dwell now on the dissecting point ;—
The appended Fig. represents| The appended Fig. represeuts
che gelatinous silk-substance con- the gelatinous silk-substance con-
ained in the body of healthy me
ve [sce p. 9.] just before they | Laive. betore they either Spit
build their shrouds. if in a cocoon or die.

tained in the body of disease

\ f

Fic, ae 3. Bie... No.4:
In the above sketches it is easily perceived that Fig. No. 3

ig represented ak a clear aes the inside of which is supposed

85

DISBASES.
to contain the coagulated resinous part of the leaves, is even and
turgid throughout, while the outline of Fig. 4 is broken many times

;

hy little transparent bladders very mach in shape like the clear
iittle forms seen in Fig. 2, and rather'thin. |

Now we have little bladders indeed: what are they? are they.
corpuscles? We will answer the question soon.

Meantime we call attention to the following :—

We know that from supposed corpuscle-infected cggs a good
successful race can descend, and that from the supposed healthy
ones may, also, be expeeted the reverse of it ; but now we must also
know that larve affected as in Fie. 4 can, sometimes, live and not.
aviv prodace silk bat also become hutterflies, and these butterflies
mav be with the little bubbles seen in No. 4 and may not be so! :

Ouac reiders will pardoa us, we hop», because the stronghold of
atomism, on this subject, rans as explained above. But that is
not because the pinnacle of the ‘theory* is revhed, when we hear
expounded again, that the supposed infected butterilies may lay
uninfected eggs while the heatihy ones can lay them contaminated,

This atomistic principle not giving the sought for relief to the
heart-rending misfortunes caused by the destruction of billions of
precious insects, is too hard to be followed, and we look at. the
effects of the distempers to study poseive causes—from which we
may try to learn and preven‘ !...but as yet not [pretend to] cure!

S7

D I SBA 5 E S.

0s AMS SWE VS VOE LS OE SEE 209E EEE CETETOVIVT BOTET IES TEER BSG ECBUGSE OLD
ERRBENTATION,

All substances apt to putrefy become, whilst they enter inte

putrefaction, a ferment. The entire realm of organic inatter when
exposed toa quasi heated air in a moist condition, more or less,
rapidily begins to ferment. **What passes in a state of change
is called a ferment.**
’ The fermentation of solid matteris ‘in appearance’ rather simple :
e.g. a Fruit-cake first undergoes a change ‘of color, and odor,
then becomes a fitting object for Mycology and becoming darker
putrefies and dries.

The fermentation of liquid substances, instead of, 1s rather
difficult to understand, but oace having a suspicion about, it ean
be, also easily detected: e, g. milk first acquires a slightly greenish
color and has a sour taste [now ‘lactic acid’ is preparing the ‘fer-
ment’ ] then has arank smell and little bubbles appear on its surface
which at this stage is in full fermentation—the babbles being
effected by expulsion of -oxyd cxused by the action of the ‘fer-
ment —anid enters into patrefastion beoming foumy and frowzy.

FHERMENT does not enter into” chemical composition with
the fermenting substances or its products. ‘Acid fermentation’ is
being subdivided into. “acetic lactic’, ‘bactirie acid’ and sauceiné.

DscoMPOSIPION BY ATR AND warer:—Complete organie bodies.

are subject to oxydation and ,u'timately. break up into) organic

88

DISBASKS.
eompounds carbonic. acid, ammonia and water. If this process’ of
decomposition takes place siowly, it is called decay: if rapidly
in the presence of more water aud. with the evolution of an offens-
ive smell, peutrefaction: under similar circumstances, when the
product is a useful compound, fermentation. |
Most of the above definitions are axioms quoted from standard
pmedical books, in order to pratically connect the following diagnosis

of the most destructive-diseases of commercial Luarvee.

But it must be also explained—previous to come to a closer

jargaument—what is the link existing between caterpillars and plants.
}
| Every plant (being inhabited bysseveral species of larve, that

‘consume its leaves and buds, stems, trunk. roots, sap, and even

|
ighe old timber) has a capillary system. of. veins which contains:

t . . c . . ° °
‘their organic fluid, or sap. This sap is a chemical compound. of
liquid substances and atmospheric gases (resin, sugar, water, azote,

‘and oxigen: )and is subject to two periods of change.
|
some plants shelter and feed more than one species of insects,

(hat only one specie in each period preceeding the change.——It. has

l : ; ,
‘been already explained that *‘what passes in a state of ‘change’ is

balled Serment.—-So, ¢. g. the tree-hoppers, crickets, gilded-dandy
|

jete., follow each other by turn in ‘sampling’ the different tastes
‘required in different periods by elm, plum, cherry, and apple-treés
| 89

|

|

\

|

a |

Tl

DISBASES,

upon which they thrive. Now it would be unnatural to feed a lion
| on hay and an ox on flesh; thence it would be just as much unna-
tural to ‘keep back’ the eggs of the Silk—Caterpillars in order to
hatch them when it is more convenient to the breeders—i. e. when the
Jeaves are fairly grown—because the insects could not partake
of the fresh juice of the plant to which they are naturally destined.
Now Larvie are very aoa e hbecause their stomacs are incapable
to dissolve their food but merely extract from it a juice: thenee
they never drink any water obtaining their necessary moisture from
the leaves which they eat, no matter how dry they may be. This
teaches that, if the Caterpillars eat wet leaves they fill themselves
with an adulterated jurce, and it they eat leaves after the trees
have undergone a climacteric, change they devour fermented food,
what is still worse, because its juice contains the ferment, which
enters in their very simple orgauization and causes them to decay.
When the trees are in sap they require a constand temperature to
allow the juice to circulate in their capillary channels ; should a rain
storm is fo'lowed by hot sun, we see the stems of flowers bend down

It is the

and often without raising up again-——What. is that?
‘t] f the ravsof the s by ea act rand iP
action Of the rays of the sun on the moist condition of the plants,
anaction which heats the volatil azote of the leaves and causes
> the sudden turning. of the sap, which means collapse and prompt
putrefaction. On the tenderer productions of the vegetable kindoa

90

DISHAS KES.

the sudden, or climacteric ¢urning (which is not the natural change,

and often is even fatal to plants) is destructive as above, but

stronger plaots and trees, althougn they will survive the effects of

‘the atmospheric change, yet they will have ‘turned’ sap which,

by degrees. affects their limbs and leaves.

The disorders of the plants are more explicitly drawn in admin

‘istering their juice to Larwe which we know to be alimented by it.

As early as the budding time we may have hatched one or two

| deposition of Siik—-Caterpiilars eggs and feed the issued little Larvae
{

oR, Hy
Coes

with the young buds. The insects, being only about SUC, and part-

aking of the liquid of leaves connected with themselves by degrees:

of heat, qualicy of moisture, contact with the air, and age, prosper

fie all grubs do in their wild natural state, aud grow in the ratio
of growth allowed to vegetation—and share with it the different
graduation of efflorescence which an healthy plant undergoes ; but
if the efflorescence is turned into deliquescence by bad weather
and fermentation, even the small number of Caterpillars, above
quoted, will be subject to it because their vitality, mostly derived
from the juice of the plant upon which they thrive, will be just as
much struck by the ‘change’ as the plants and leaves have been.
Here, perhaps would be useful to state the density of the fluid
found in plants before and after turning ; but the connections about
the leaves having been lengthy enough for the support of the object

o1

D1's B'S E38.

/We°ean now''pass to the topic of this Second Part:
Caterpillars breathe by means of two ¢ geet that extend along thé
sides of the body and give out to each abdominal segment or ring
two branches called spiracles, and these, through the stomata, or

ke litttle spots Sut-

breathing holes situated, “(and looking fi
rounded with a slightiy darker shade) at the side of each rine,
tnhate and ae air.——That the little brown spots are the real

res pire atoLy orgaas, is proved by patting oil, or any greasy sub-

stance near these wir-holes, the consequence of which will be live

mediate death by suffocation. rom these trachex alsa pass
out many little tubes that ee as parts of the body, even between
the muscles, aud so aerate or rather ‘‘oxygenate” the blood.

Every Caterpillar has stomach, heart, intestines and two long
arnentine organs, like Figure No. 3, which extend to the hind part:
of the body, and thence back to the neck, where they open at the
inferior lip. Those tubes contain, as already said, the substances
which the animal. uses in spi huing, Ses" which is yellow or white
according \to the, foadat takes—,,.and updo this, also, depands’
the fineness of the. silk they anake, in the same manaer as the quality
and color of butter depends upon the food cf the cow.

The juice contained in said. tubes js nothing more nor less tbat!
the juice absorbed fromthe leaves and as) these ‘contain the Liquid

MB

DISBASES.
essence of resin, 30 we find it in the sitk-repository—when. in @
proper condition @ ¢. not ina ‘ferment’— refined in a consistent
kind - of paste, or varnish, which would be SOON ready to pass
through the spinneret situated under the lower lip of the insect, to
be congealed by contact of alg ant owoven iia cocoon.

So much explained, we wil make capital of it to conclide that
the existence of commercial larve depends ;—

I. From the status of the food from which it is derived:

II. From climacteric changes which can strike the insects
with ferment directly, and not by the action of the aliment ;

Ift. By unwise or careless ‘rearing.’

Here it may be stated, for the support of No. IT.,: that if a Cat-
erpillar is put under water, or aleohol, air bubbles will be seen issu-.
ing from innumerable minute holes in all parts of its body; and
when the skin is taken off from the insect and held up against the.
light, the holes may be distinctly recognized, and the whole skin,
“appears as if it were perforated with an immense number of fine
poicss.*—Which shows that larvie live in an ocean of oxygen which,
bathes all their external as well as internal organs, and that, when
fermentation intervenes, it can invade the little creatures not only
by contaminated food, but also by entering through the ‘stomata’
and the said large number of pores, which pierce the derma, or skin.

93

DISKASES,

From this: it muse be also’ established that, the little bubbles seen
in Figure four are -aused by the expulsion of oxygen from the
general system of the insects—oxygen expelled by inflammation, or
ferment, which turns the blood and the silk-paste in phlegm, or
mucus, 7. ¢. state of ‘decay’:
© Tt appears that when the ‘resinous substance’ is coagulited into
silk-varnish by the organic principle of the Larve, and not by
the atmospheric influence, it is abundant. amber-like, odorles and
~vather firm; but when it is atrotied by the affecting influx, we do
not seé a real silk-varnish. but only a pale slim, more or less, vised
muck in a decaying state: and we also see that when the weather is
unfavorable the viscid humor penecrates all parts of the Caterpillars’
body besides corrupting and diminishing the congealed silk situated
in the serpentine tubes. :

Then again; the more said essence has become fermented-virus
so imuch the more sudden is the dissolution of the infected insects.
‘The density of the mucus then, (density analyzed from the various
bad atmospheric influences) decides whether the larvie shall die by
decay or by putrefaction. [See page 8]

The sobject can be argued at great length but, this mach 1s suf-
ficient as an essay, founded oa pathological observations, for cal ing
the attention of enlightened breeders. Let us now specify:

o¢

DISBASES.

SL we PCE STE EE EEE GEE ET SEBETES GUDIBGLEGECEBEECUBEBOVIVEDESEDERDVIE GS

lisaases, (2 Detail,

To the present we have evoived this argument by connections,

eee)

now we devolve it by illustravions ——
The —ineurable— diseases are:
Bursting up, Flux or decay (the
latter cailed also ‘‘flaceidity”’. or ‘flatness’? ) caused by the “un-

seasonable or turned food, and Patrefaction, or Gangrene, caused

by direct climacteric influences :—

Bursting.—Wheneges are not hatched at proper time and young
larvee are fed with leaves about ten days older than themselves they
will be strack with sudden acrimoay | by reaseas given on page 9L]
even in their first age. The Caterpillars thus affected at this time,
without showing any symptom, suddenly porsrat the upper part of

their body expelling from ita rather dense dirk-vellow humor,

and indess than one hour die. fz the black spot on this cut
showson little lurva affected as i above. Feeding with tender-
ef badsmay stop basstiny, but he on their fourth age, thev “I
also, fall prey of the following £4 disease, because the juice of

their food-plant will, either change soon, or be too substantial to. be
wssimilated by them.

Lux, ov Decay.—!f the Caterpillars are fed with turned, or
fermented leaves, they wil not die suddenly but will linger on un-
tilt their next moult pouring slime. yellow ov white, macus from the
sain, besides they become thinner and slenderer, then end their life
in biack gangrene 7¢. ¢. putrefaetion.

This disease strikes the insects, mostly, near and after the

fourth moult. In this ease they, either do not shed their skin or, die

94

DISBAS ES,

whilst changmeg it. But, at the first stage of their deeay they do
not show by any physical sign the approaching scourge ; yet it must
be always surmised when the caterpillars grow thin, ‘uneven’, not

showing the shade described for each age and day in this book and

positively when they, while young, ramble about, huddle together »

mostly on the west end of the shelves and throw themselves, or fall /

4

on the floor. ig. 5, itlustrates a larva approaching dissolution
after the 4th moult :——Body smaller than its age requires ; frouxy
yellowish matter from body and bespattered around: little hornet

vn hind legs ‘flabby and biack’, bottom of propa, or legs, also black

hy ee Hi sits reais $
fits ; aie of AF tami

Fieure 5.

GANGRENE.—Sometimes the insects prosper and look absolutely
well, but the leaves will be spoiled with late dew-and-sun, or the
Sout-East wiad blows, [page 73] and then they—at any age, and
even while they are settling to weave their shrouds—drop unnerved
burst and die—all their body becoming, in less than one hour,
60 mueh advanced in putrefacton to denote that its contents
have been suddenly fuiviied int fulmiuating gangrene [the gang-
rene. enters Into inflanmations like the erysipelas] or apoplexy.

Inall the above cases, if the Caterpillars linger and do not re-

cover within three davsga¥™in which time they should not rece. +4

food and be ‘changed’, even, twice a day they can be thrown

away, because their desease ix influeaced by ‘ferment’ which, if it

$6

\

DISEASES.

\ has taken hold of plants and leaves will not cease to ravage the

larvie to the last one of them, but if itis by atmospheric disturb-
ances it may disappear within sueh time.
The above are the more destructive distempers of the most use-

ful little beings.’ Their origina is clear, and therefore let us try to

‘avoid, at least as mach as we can, ali mistakes leading to strike the

Caterpillars with ‘ferment’? even worse than that bed by elima-
eferig ealumitous disorders.
There is no need tc declare, bere, that we do not recognize the

Silk-Caterpiliar diseases as contagious, ‘though they are epidemical

when the juice ef their food hax been sltered—either by ferment

or by congelation.
The—avoidable— deseases are:
‘Red disease’, Atrophy, Vomit,
Sifocation, Diarrhea,, Typhus, Dropsy, Jaundice, Asphyxy and
‘Curling’, these disorders being caused also by the principle of
ferment, which in the latter cases has been started by inproper
Newiacement:=—
Rep pisease.—The insects, just issued from the eges, appear
reddish (it has Seen made mention on p. 43) if the eges have been
hatched with too high artificial heat. When not thrown away they

crow affected with the following disease and die.

ATropiy.—Itis closely connected with the ‘incurable’ pecay, the
oaly difference between both being that the latter is caused by the
Eiements whilst the former is peolaced by overhe ating of ezss, not
food enough, too many leaves at one time, lowing uneveness,
hot enouga of air, too rank leaves to young larv-e, too tender to the
older ones, not ‘eaanging’ and all other carelessnesses. Caterpillars

G7

e

DISEASES.

affected with Atrophy |7¢. e. wasting of the body—caused by bad

rearing | may recover, sometimes, provided that they are better and

neater kept; bat they neither can give .a. good product, nor can
be recommended for reproduction. When suffering with this dis-
order they are not lively, do not moult at given time. eat less, look
slender and thei color isnot pearl-white but rather pale-white and
seems shaded with Gust. |
Vomir.—Leaves warmed up by the sun, or heated in che bags
for gathering them, cause vomit. Feeding should be stopped at
once, and fumigations of sulphur must be produced in the room
untill the vomit is stopped, then the animais are changed and. fed
with better leaves. Some larvie may dre with this) trouble which
Is plainly seen in the green spots with which the paper is soiled, also

the body and, especially the, head and mouth of the Caterpt:tlars.

SurrocaTion.—When the leaves, by being exposed as above, be-
come withered and are eaten by the hungry insects, also when
tender buds are given te grown insects or oid leaves to little ones,

they are strangled in vomiting. The precautions set down against

Vomit should be practiced in this case.

Diarrea.—It is embraced in the two last complaints and should
be treated accordingly. Bat when the Caterpillars are fed with leaves
not preserved for a day, or so. and the season is a wet one, it is im-
possib.e for them to assimilate the thin juice, aud therefore they
get alsovsick with this disease: in this case a little ‘unadultereted’

flour springled on the leaves will do good.

Typius.—Extreme feebleness causes the Caterpillars to have

*purple spots® especially on the head and around the ‘breat hing-

U8

DIsS# AaB ESR,

holes. Undoubtedly ‘ferment’ in the leaves, on the litters and, even,
in an unsuitable room for cocoonery, becoming virulent, causes the
Goease, It is an irteparable one—alluoaga the Larve affected with
it, sometimes, spin, but, only tpassable’ cocoons. Pyphus is rather
ag exceptional malady than a general one: when they are struck

er
La

they will be seen dead and dieing as in the foilowing Figures.

Figure 6.

The above shows a dead Caterpillar laying across a twig on the
lett ; another dead one hanging by its snout on the right: a dieing
ove atthe underpart of right branch and another dead in the co-

A
coon above after having become a Crysalis. The cocoon is badly

sled black, and in the skins of dead insects is found only a black,

decayed liquid apt to come forth at anv moment.

When the Caterpillars are doomed thus, it is generally said that

they die with the ‘black scourge’—which reaily denotes the effects

aod not the cause of the disease or the disease itself. Somctimes

?

Qg

DISHASES,
the body of dead lary does not dissolve, as on previous page, but
solidifies: then it is said that they died by calcination—in Italian
calcino, in German, Pilzsucht, in, French, Muscardine; the last two
appellations implying that the insects are ‘sucked-by-fungi, 0°
killed by ‘moss’. This theory prevailed when the theory of the
atoms wos up: but observations in another line pointed out that the

fungi or moss discovered on tie destroyed insects were the outcome

and not the cause of putrefaction. Then, to be short : why should
fungi and microcosms be the reason of the trouble, when in, all the
Caterpillar’ s_ disorders the inflammation, followed by gangrene, is

positively perceived in more or less degrees of destructive power ?

Drorsy.—When the ieaves contain too much liquid, ¢ e. when too
much rain prevails, and also when the insects are weak as in Decay
and ‘Atrophy’ this disease will appear. In other words: when the
Caterpillars are badly fed and are not relieved by vomit or diarrhea
they will swell, become vreenish aud shiny, then burst tirowing a
green-yellow liquid and die. This disease is also much akin with
‘Bursting’: but while the latter is unforeseen, the former is caused !

Open air, and remedies given in Vomit, if used in time, will help.

JAUNDICE. Itis very common and generally unknown here: &

short anecdote may, show this, better. Mr. *** of ** ino showing
his knowledge about the rearing of the ‘Worms’ once said to the
writer ;—*'I alone reared 80 000 of them last year. I raised them im
‘a garret without windows, and fed them sometimes once a day!
“They, all, grew splendidly and, when they were near spinning,
sthey were full of silk measuring one inch and three q. around and

‘nearly four inches in length. They climbed the brush to spin, and

. = SR@O

DISBASES.

“either split open among the twigs or dropped from them and, pour-

“ing yellow matter from cracks in the skin. died’’. What was the

color of the Caterpillars Mr. ***7? it was a beautiful yellow color...
Larve ave never strick with Jaundice in is Late ages : when so,

they are ust irke those described by Mr. *** 7a. e. like the following

Figure 7,

What is it?) Possidly it is the resinous essence altered in a dense
viscid subs stance instead of to coagulate in av elastic one. Keeping
the Insects nit aired enough, fee: dn ~ them with wet leaves, and not

| aldo: them plenty of space causes it. As soon as discovered,
) the Caterpillars shoutd be moved ina larger room and be situated
oa more shelves. They will spin a light produce if they do not die.

| Asphyxy.—The Larvee struck with asphyxy will appear alive al-
(| though they may have died a couple of hoars before. Want. of air,

| and sultry weather will do it. By closing windows in the rearing~
room a iryal of Aspuyxy can be quickly h: vd. [See bottom of p. ny 1

Coriing.—-A very few grown Larvie, in every rearing, instead of
ejimbing on the cottages, their props having become scalded- like,
ar sore, on the litters, shail and curl up like in Fie. 8; then

Figure &,
become worthless C hry ‘salides without weaving cocoons ; but if they

are imprisoned in a small box or each ina little cone ‘made with
paper they will spin medium shrouds.

101

DISEASES.

BUTTERFLIES | DiseasEs.—Dropsy is the only well Cesignated
Disease of the butterflies, beeause, when ill wich it, they olainty
show. its indications, which are: deep gray color; largely SWOilea
belly ; dark wings: almost motionless ; oiten ithouiital etc... Dut
although this diseases shows itself without difficulty, yet it musi be
admitied that butterflies sometimes are also affected with Typhus,

or ‘black-scurge’: in this case, as they had no power to develop into
a COMplete pe erfect insect, so gels Wings are shoxt unevenvand clip-
pled, whilst littie biack spots of ‘fluid appear near the ‘stomata ,
the upper segments of their body and on the sai et These spots
were the vital humor, or blood, of the insects; this humor not
having the density possessed by uealty blood, and finding relapsed
the porous system of aw eakned butte fly dripps out and, coming 18 |
contact with the air, assumes the anheaithy color. Tis expiatos
why ai. the abnormal butterflies should Se disregarded for repro-
dabei purposes, us It ls explained on page 66. !

CURULLARY,

The following inference inay be fairly drawn from all the inform-
ation contained in this Treatise -—

1. Silk—Caterpillars, althouga reared indoors, to protect them
from birds..ete., yet they suouid be treated as af they should be
living in their Natura: State. '

2. Considering that they. cannot be, neglected ; that the atten-
tions bestowed upon them are light lostructive and pleasing ; that
hired labor. és high, and that atmospheric mifaecnce may hurt the
insectsae9r no large capital should be juvested in Silk~Culture, but
instead of, 2) reasonable number of larwie should be reared by intel-
ligent pereous—Wwilo have ‘time to spare’ and accommodations.

“3. A fortane cannot be made in xrowing slik: yet if the mem-
bers of sta family at. leisure” can gain [sav | $40, in a little over «
month, and at home, and if 1.000.000 Binh. crow silk here a
new wealth of $40,090,000, sprung up from nothing, can earich the
honest and wiliing people of the U. 3.

eR9
. MORGAN GAEOZE»
i ‘ ~
en
¥

102

One ounce of egg

66
b a

GENERAL TABLES.

s of Caterpillars producing yellow

cocoons, contains about,..... oe TEL £0008
Japanese breeds contain about... .. 60.000

CEO SLA 2+ SR ot

The produce from each ounce of ege~ can be estimated thus ;—

yellow breeds | Japanese breeds

Very good ed yates Mb ake Ibs... 120--
Goud one ew nose phate Rae es 85
Medium rig NH ORE NOMS a Rte 75 te 60
POG eiaaee Recta es 40 a 30
BISOCTESEAOAA
On a produce of Caterpillars or eggs lost or dead are
ibs. 135 re uae SELON (> as to 6.000 |
po 08) of a oo Hip hes d.000 . 8.000
weet Ce) ‘s =s oes Lee 15.000 ES 18:000
SSE: ie * eee 25.000 “ 27.000
Average price ot Price per |b.
fresh yeilow cocoous a oh 2 a 45 cts.
“6: Japaneses << es os “i AS 28 cts.
dry he ee ae " gree we A)
One |b. of fresh yellow cocoons contains about 259 cocoons
- Jupanese as oe “s 395 os

*Three lbs. of fresh

cocoons Will make one of dry* ( !)

if the weather be very hot (78 d. )

will weigh Ibs.
after a day

99, 4 oz.

One hundred Ibs. of cocoons 2 after five days Q7
after ten days 32 \

RADDA AA
Osage hedge fencing a sq. acre can furnish food for 60.090 Larvee.
Oue butterfly lays from 393 to 516 eggs.

95 Butterflies lay about 45.555

-- oncanp

eggs some of which are imperfect.
One yellow cocoon has a thread about 1.000 feet in length.

Any other information on this subject will be cheerfully given
by the author.

103

GENBRAL TABLES.

The head of a Caterpillar that» has just cast its yt Is, at least,
» fovr times larger than it was before.

* PVABOSreteeeee
When a born larva is in length 3. sixteenth of in. should be
After the first moult Dasha 8 “6 “
‘¢ “second « 6 15 ‘6 6
6 third. ¥e “6 26 a bs
ee”) » fourth.“ 6 42 6 66
In full growth vias 56 6
One ripe Caterpillar weighs from 75 to 80 Grains
ee cehrysalis “6 ei ao OC AR ISS “s
‘© female Butterfly “6 ss 25 6 Ye es
oe InALO 6 “6 15 6 50 “

THE END.

104

+

os
x

=e = “ aA 3 oStee 3A

OTE Y. OREAUTR ER ROR PS RGRY & SEPPLBEAMEA Le |
SELR UCL RS be? 2 BY FOR S 6 UPPLE ALR Le

ae ea OR RS RT As

aie ao ESI ar

The aims of the Firm known as above are the following ;——

1. Itintends to establish here Silk-reeling-mills, and to do so, it
is avousing and organaizing the whole country for raising a yearly
-erop : imports of reeled-silk in 1880 were; $12,024,699% line
433,305,460: from latest official statis-

Be

Sibix
Sapte Oe. “fay atiiyp ] oii 5
ports of manufactured-siix
tics, and, figures tell facts better than words!

9 Knowing thata yearly silk-erop can be grown here (as is
explained in the “Silk—Cuiture Directory, aud not with extravagant
outlays’ ) the Director of the Firin is offering every inducement
to lead into Siik-Culture ail willing persons, without charging them
under any pretence whatever J |

3 woe And it ha READY C1571 to buy the produce raised

“ebre dak eg ee i
a: < ; p a: : bre, Vite & RAS) LR eR a Ike ea ie
under its management, and with ts suppilea starting-stock.

4. Suid Firmalso enrolls ina Cooperative Co. ail those who

grow silk, as above ;

5. ‘The cooperators of the Company being entitled te dividends
without buying any sfcck, when the business is fully established;

Hat ne number of cooperators, OF members of this Co., to be
limited at not over one thousand for the present and to be unl fieited
when the possibilities of the Co. are fally developed +

7. So, if this Co. supplies raw-sHk enough within one, lwo or
three years, and this silk is reeled nt the Company’s mills, all its
members will be entitied to. FJ TY per cent ros tile wo 2 profits
earned from the sale of the reeled-silk ;. the other fifty to go to the
advancement of the silk-manufacturing business and te the capital
employed to start with,

8. The above rule is also applied if the silk-looms shall be
started in due time. 7

9, The present management of the MeV. Se2C, Ce. restives ith
rights to employ, in its branches, only members who are capable
to perform some special duties, for the DUSINeSs.

10. Agreed that the iitereste of the Mi W..-G- C-; which 1s

L

od

MLECCULIERG PIRECTORY’S SUPTLEMENT,

TOPS Cee [ET UN PRR RTT SOR SSE ASL USES) SR SSAA OUEST ogee Rc,
ae ee eee eS Se ee «

a trlatin gr a SSE

we ae g el
only a Cooperative Com any, can be only liquidated for) ayments
2 i q J

of its own indebtedness (if it will have any )—is members, being
copartners, cannot be inade responsible, | 4
It. Yet the members of the Co, can ask an accounting of the
Cs
Dusiness, if any fraud will he. ady: heed into rt: .
See SSG we thie earnings are above the whole expenses—those
for the advancement of the Enterprise included, as buildines ete,
3 ’
and no dividends are paid, the ‘real estate’ of the Co. can be
seized and claims assessed thereof.
1d. But the business *if not amenable under the above article
is inalienable and belones to its preset right owner or owners.*
14 The acecoay > Fey a ae) + l} ay ‘y) Atte $ — } . Few! SH r .
Ze RIN hPL LBS =iVen toad co-opel ALOLS, mM a Ly eal a) sup-
plesientary edition of the silk-Culture Directory.

COPARTNERS, OR MEMBERS OF THE COMPAMY,

1.” All persons that have “room, family help, and Osage or cul-
tivated mulberry-trees”’ (as explained in our guide-book or Direct-
ory) and engage themselves in growing stik beeome mnembers of
this Compaiy.

2. ‘The members are only those who subscribe the *‘uoveement
form’’, and not each: Person belonging to her or his family.

3. They are entitled to fully one hal? of the earnings of the
Compaay, as stated on previous No. 7—to be divided among all
co-partners. It is deemed possible that within ten years more than
$100,0C0 can be yearly divided anong twenty thousand members.

eo ABY “eammmos ytsemient Lhe protits accrued by meaas of the
business manacement of the Co.—afier having BOUGAT Srom
us coworkers for ready cash the raw inetteria/ a, en the grown silk.

9. But to share in the above, pow undeveloped produce, the
members of the Co. must be yearly Siik-Growers and thust not
give up. in case of ‘one’ failure Wi oreedins Caterpillars,

6. Beside; they must make kagwa Silk-Cultuce among friend ;,

¢ The names of ail the co-partners, or members, willebe pub-
lished in this Official Urean of Silk-Culture, ‘copyrighted’ and
issued only by the MISSiSSIPPI VALLEY SEUK-CULTURE
ENTERPRISE CO. whieh is the only COOPERATIVE sik grow-
ing CO. in the United States of America,

6. - Read the NOTICE in this paper,

x)
-

yas bal ee ie Mie BP cy? ae

LIBRARY OF CONG

ill | f Ml,

#e eS MDG DAS ADASSHASASS - AGRA eee
BOS IMIIS SOSHOSSSS Soe ore meee’ oeas¢ pales

ate JAEGER, Prof. of Zoology, on Caterpillar

**So easy and amusing is. the process of growing silk an it i
surprising t that young people living in our country Villages do no
more often engage in it. Nothing would be easier than to raise silk
from the proceeds of which each individual might realize a hand.
some salary. But to say nothing of pecuniary advantage, the en:
nobling nature of the employ ment ought to be ample compensati
for all the care their culture requires, ‘certainly a sufficient remun at
ration for so many en be il or Melb) on! ho he

ra
¢

Hollinger Corp.
pH 8.5