Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-04-18
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to have the worms ut tho same
age kept together ON the trays,
~ that they will molt NJ tho same
time, thus saving much trouble They
grow rapidly after each mott, and must
he separated when necessary, to allow
them plenty OF room The worms cat
most freely early IN the morning and
at night therefore, furnish food album.
dainty between five and SIX o'clock in
the morning, and about ten o'clock ut
night Leaves ior the carly morning meal
should he picked the day before, As
they ate apt To induce disease II fed to
the worm, with the dew on them
Nhcn picked dnting rain they should
tc thoroughly dried before using them
for food Damp or wet leaves should
never I've used and dried " withcrcd
OF stale leaves, the worms will not cat +,
thus tic leaves must be fresh picked
from the trees rs often IS possible II
the leaves have 10 he brought from a
distance, and cannot I've picked fresh
every time the worms arc fed, place
the ends Vt tho twigs or stems in water /,
keep in cool, shady place, "a cool
cellar is BEST, and renew the water
often The smooth leaves arc the
best, as the worms do not like
the rough ones though both kinds may
be found on one tree
When changing in the morning, place
the netting over OF ON top OF the leaves
and worms in the trays Sprnkling
fresh leaves on 1t, and the worms will
come up through tho mcshcs to feed
When all are up, take netting carefully
by the ends and place on another tray.
The old dried leaves and refuse should
then be thrown away and the netting
shaken clean and aired for another
days changing The netting obviates
the handling OF the worms almost en-
tircly, which is hurtful to them II the
leaves are given to the worms on the
twigs or branches, they keep fresh
longer, besides having free circulation
OF air through them. II the young
worms will not leave the dried food, re
move them with camcl's hair brush
The direct rays OF tho sun mus, be
avoided, as ii will kill the worms. A
direct current OF air on them is hurtful,
but thorough ventilation is necessary,
A uniform temperature OF scventy-ilve
degrees is required for the feeding
room Ii is not desirable to get 1t
above eighty degrees. Sudden changes
from warm to cold, or ;fdr icySd, should
be avoided. The air should be kept
pure. II the temperature should fall
below seventy degrees artificial heat
must be used II the weather is very
hot and dry, sprinkling or mopping the
floor two or three times day will pre-
vent the leaves drying too rapidly and
will afford all the necessary moisture
the worms require. BE careful in feed
ing not to allow any other leaves to be
mixed with the mulberry, and see that
the leaves are clean A peach eaf has
been known TO kill the worms eating it.
Tobacco in any shape is poison TO them
Great care must be taken at all times
to prevent birds, ants and insects of all
kinds, gaining access to the worms
Rats and mice are always watching for a
chance to get n, them all through their
existence, and are almost as great an
enemy as the silk worm has. The worm
when ready to spin will leave its food
and search for a place to deposit its
silk climbing as high as it can TO do
so. Small branches or twigs may be
tied together and placed ready for the
worms. (See "Spinning. When ready
to spin they must not be disturbed or
handled il it can possibly be avoided
Should two or more OF them commence
spinning together, making what is
called a double cocoon, one of them
should be gently removed. The double
cocoon cannot be reeled though the
moths from them are perfectly good for
laying purposes
THE COCOON,
The Cocoon is tough and compact,
and is composed OF continuous thread
OF silk, which is strong and firm, and is
spun by the worm in figure of s shaped
loops Its shape is generally oval or
esg-shaped, and varies in color, the
commones, Of which are the yellow,
straw or cream color, white and green
These colors are supposed to denote
the nationality of the worm spinning
them. The larger sized, rounder
formed, cocoons denote the females,
while the males are more slender
shaped, depressed in the centre and
pointed at both ends. This is generally
used as rule among growers. The
outer lining OF the cocoon is loose
silk spun by the worm when preparing
for its final work. 1t is called flock, or
floss, and sells with the pierced cocoons
and other waste silk. This cannot be
recled, but is carded and spun by the
manufacturers. The silk on the cocoons
viii run out from two hundred to six
hundred yards. The better the worms
are fed and the more care there is
taken of them, the heavier, and finer
the cocoons will be, and the fewer it
will take OF them to produce pound
of silk
THE MOTH.
The "Mo,h' which does not eat and
which is said to have no jaws, is pro
vided with liquid secretion with which
il mois,ens the end of the cocoon and
dissokes the gum by which the worm
iastens its threads of silk together, II
then slowly forces It's way out, pushing
the threads aside; but breaking so
many Of them as to render the cocoons,
from which they escape, useless for
Keeling. (rhese are called pierced
cocoons"