Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-08-16
S;,n.worms Fed on Wet Leaves.


J.ave noticed for some time every thing
written on the subject Of feeding and raising
silk worms, that could come across land
I believe the practice of feeding worms on
wetleaves has been universally condemned ;
but N defiance of all the reasoning on the
subject, and the condemnation Of wet food,
I have followed it, so far at least, with
GREAT success. lhave never raised great
mauy worms it is true, but it may be sup
posed, what would affect large NUMBER
ought to affect small number. WIN give
YOU the manner in which nine were ieo' auu
vou can exercise your own pleasure aoou'
bsl;svinc what state, though if necessary
ran hr;no ample testimony to establish
v,.,, uoJJ saw. do not wish to be un-
der,iood, however, as recommending wei
Good "a the best for silk worms but my op'
;n;on IS. that wet leaves, occasionally, when
!, csnno, be avoided, does no injury TO them
as. for instance, in the long season in May,
s,,ch as we had this year, my worms did
not suffer at al. that could observe, from
comparing them with others, where good
deal Of pains had been taken. ! gathered
leaves Eor my worms every day till would
have sufficient quantity LEFT to pass over
one or two days; and as soon as they were
brought home, if in the morning they were
snr,ntled with water and laid in the shade,
Ior have no celiar,) and if brought at ev-
snius they we're put out on the grass in the
varj for the dew to fall on them TO keep
them moist and with these wet leaves the
worms were fed four times day, as much
as thew would consume and out Of lo'
Of 10 600 I am confident tha, did not lose
more than fifty, save some that got in]ureo
by moving them about !; for had no fixtures
at all for Them except some boards. About
5000 ofthese worms, however, had been
half raised before got them: but when
thew came to me they shared the same fare
with the others had, Of the same age, but
considerably larger, and spun something
earlier. Finding that the worms appeared
TO eat more greedily the moist leaves, |
continued to moisten them and keep them
SO, and | never saw worms grow faster. or
do better.
Las, year I raised sixty worms only ;
and from few days after Matching, they
did not know what dry leaf was, and t ey
did remarkably well. In fact, the leaves,
for this small parcel, for longer preservation
were kept sunk in water, and merely shaken
well when about to be used. Of these
worms, only one was lost (being killed by
falling, and the other 59spun good cocoons,
and furnished rs many moths. OF these
l2 only were females ou, OF their product
/ had this year between 5000 and 4OOO
worms. I did not pay as much attention
to them as / did to tho lot of 10000, in keep.
ing them as vel fed and cleaned and out
of this 10, lost about 100, Cha, died. but
do not think more :; do no, attribute the
loss or mrs too ro- -i1r- wet food, but to tho
filhy state let them get into they were not
changed from the old hurdles or cleaned
off for nearly three weeks. Had the same
pains been taken with The last as with the
first lot, it is my candid opinion no, one
would have been lost from disease. The
cocoons were firm and good, (better than
those exhibited here by Mr.. Gray as the
best quality Of northern cocoons,) but were
smaller than the others, orange.colored,
from the gray worms. These are white
worms, and the cocoons ofpale straw color.
am nov feeding few from the second
haiching this year, and make Il a point
every time they are fed to wet the leaves
this / do to test the thing thoroughly they
are doing very well as yet, though they are
small, and they have not come TO the most
critical period oftheir life ; if they do WELL
and you think it worthy of notice, will lei
you know.
If these remarks are worth your attention
YOU. can use them as you please.
Respectfully,
..-.... A. L. ARCHER.
Psters6urgh July, 1889.
IMr. Archer is mistaken in supposing
thai feeding with wet leaves has been UNI
versaAy condemned-though the practice
has been tried by but very few persons, and
still fewer have reported favorably. Among
these few, though not in the Farmers Reg
ls,er, is our correspondent, T. S. Pleasan:s.
who this spring fed part of his first hatch.
ing on wet leaves, for experiment, and like
Mr.. Archer, found no i'll effect therefrom.
But though not universally. the practice
has been very generally and very strongly
condemned and certainly by every author
who aas written directions for silk.culture.
This precept first came from Europe, and
doubtless IS necessary to be strictly observ.
ed in that moist climate. Ii not necessary
here. or at laast if it may be partially neg
lected without certain loss and that the expe-
riments of Messrs. Peasants and Archer 60
conclusively to establish--the fact furnishes
a new proof of the great superiority which
we have 10 the great dryness Of our cli-
mate, which seems to counteract the evil Of
too much moisture In the food and litter.