Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-08-16

concurrence IN our opinion as ~ t"e Sene'"
worthlessness of eggs received here from
the north, he expresses his aslonishment at
the strangeness of the facts, and asks
whether the change and difference OF elm.
ate can produce the effects. We thlak not.
Our opinion is, as before stated. that TO
have healthy brood of worms, it is essen
ial that the parent stock should nave been
healthy and we infer that the northern
eggs, sent here, produce unhealthy worms,
not merely because they come from the
north, but because they are generally also
The product of feeble or diseased parent
stocks. Deeming the climate of Virginia
10 be much better for silk. worms than that
of the States north Of Maryland, we should
expect that eggs Of the same kind, and the
broods treated alike, would produce bet.
ter progeny, and beller eggs from them,
here than there. But that would be but
trivial circumstance compared to others
which probably are Of very extensive If not
general operation. Every rearing ofworms,
even if among the most healthy and pro.
du.tive in general, has many individuals
comparatively feeble, which spin cocoons
of little or No value, and scarcely worth the
attempting to reel. Being fit for nothing
else, it is probable that these worst cocoons
are usually selected to furnish eggs for sale /;
and that to this mode of selection the south.
ern purchasers from northern dealers are
indebted for the general wortnlessness of
the eggs obtained. And if The aoorst stock is
chosen 10 furnish eggs, We may be supplied
with worthless eggs even near home, with.
out resor,ng 10 the north. Even 1t such
selection of the worst and most diseased has
not been actually made by design, it is GER
tain that The recent and present great de-
mand for eggs. has caused the worst as well
as The best of every brood to be suffered to
produce eggs for market; and thus if a
parcel ofeggs contained any that were from
good and suitable stock, it also necessarily
contained large proportion of the worst
description.
The applications oftbesp facts is obvious,
and should by no means be neglected by
any one who hopes for success. Alter ob.
tainIng first stock. as carefully rs may be.
every one should raisa his own eggs. and
only from the best cocoons, and the most
healthy of the worms. And those who have
T. buy, ough! ifpossible 10 obtain their eggs
from those on whom they can rely for some
care and honesty in the manner Of produ.
cling eggs for sale, and for truth in the char.
acte:s and descriptions reported:
A ST. gle exception was named above to
the otherwise universal healthiGess and sue
CESS of worms OF southern origin. These
were from eggs Of one particular rearing OF
1888. OF portion of these we lost every
one, (by the contagious disease called "lhe
yeIlows,") while tho worms Of two other
kinds, (aIso both souhern,) in the sam"
house, did, as we'll as very bad arrangements
and rough treatmen, permitted. Three
other persons who were supplied with eggs
from that same stock, also lost every one
of tier worms. These exceptions, so far
as they 60, secn 10 confirm the opinion
of such .results being caused by the eggs
being obtained from diseased stock. For
though less likely to occur, southern stock
may be us feeble, or diseased. and as unfit
10 breed from, rs any of the northern.
But even when there is not much disease
exhibited in brood, and when the rearing,
ifaken alone, might be deemed quite sue.
cess(ul, we have found much difference in
The time Of feeding worms Of southern and
northern origin; and few days added 10
the time required for rearing. is alone a very
serious objection, on account OF The greater
expense Of labor, of food, and the longer ex
posure to the risk of injury. We have just
finished the rearing OF four small broods,
for experiment and comparison, OF the fol-.
lowing different kinds of slk.worms.
No. l. Southern. Large gray worms,
producing orange cocoons, second hatch-
ing, from the eggs of one female, laid this
season, and Of the kind which had hatched
first prcma'urely in April.
No. 2. Southern. Smaller white worms,
producing sui ulphur-colored cocoons, also a
second Matching of this season.
No. 8. Northern. yellow mammoth"
No. 4. Northern. "Pea nut" kind.
All we're hatched from the l5ih to the
Goth Of June and The worms were kept on
the same table, fed and attended to by the
same persons, and :rca,ed throughout with
equal care ami The results were as follows
The two southern kinds did very well !;
some few (uot exceeding2 per cent? in
their latter stages appeared yellowish and
diseased, and were thrown away as soon as
observed, for fear of Injecting highly
priced stock and one or two others Of each
parcel died after beginning to spin. The
earliest Of the large gray. (No. ~ began
to spin at % days old-and the last on the
29th. The smaller sulphur.colored No.
2.) were about day later in beginning, and
the most sluggish Of them were more be-