Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-07-21
SlLk-WORM CULTURE,
"A Pleasant Occupation for Farmers Wive

"A Pleasant Occupation for Farmers Wives
and Daughters.
A Kansas lady culturist in her book
upon the subject says: ''The work is
extremely simple and easy. In France
most of it is done by the children of the
growers, and silk culture is taught in
all the schools and converts" And
although, of course it is easier to use
mulberry leaves and branches than
Usage for feeding, Kansas lady who
raises large quantities assures me that
most people who raise silk there use
Usage and with the best results. The
United States Ento1lologist says he has
race of worms fed on Usage for eleven
years and the last crop fed was of ex-
cellent quality. 1t may be necessary to
explain that they were only fed for
month each summer, and simply the
eggs of one crop saved for the next
summer, etc.
Now as to the details of raising silk.
First, If the eggs were not purchased in
winter obtain them at once, and get the
annual French variety.
Keep the eggs as cool as possible in a
dry airy cellar hung by wire or thread
to the cellar top. Look at them fire.
quently when the weather becomes
warm and if any hatch before the leaves
are out keep them alive on lettuce or
dandelion or OAK leaves until their food
is ready. In our cellar they never hatch
until the 23d of May or June according
to the weather, and the leaves are al
ways ready by that time. When the
leaves are fairly out we bring the eggs
from the cellar and spread them in
paper box cover placing thin muslin
on them. Keep for a time in cool
room, then warmer, and finally in a
room as warm as kitchen, seventy
five degrees or more, until they hatch.
If you have no fire at night lay them on
pillow in the clothes-basket and put
jugs or cans of hot water around and
cover over. When the worms appear
fresh leaves or twigs should be laid upon
them and removed once day, with
all the Matched ones clinging to them.
Each days hatch should be kept by
itself. The earliest worms are the best,
so do not save any after you have four
good matches, as they are very likely to
be too feeble to be worth the trouble of
raising. If you have large crop it is
better to make trays although
they can be raised on shelves or tables
covered with newspapers. For trays
take two-thirds the length of lath for
sides and one-third for ends and set up
edgewise and nail firmly at the corners.
The rule is to place tacks one-half
inch apart around the lower edge and
draw fine thread across both ways, but
we use most of ours with larger meshes
one way, laying old pieces of mosquito
net in the bottom of trays. During the
brief and wonderful life of the silk
worm it sheds it's skin four times. This
is called moulting. They will fasten
themselves to leaf or twig and remain
half upright for nearly twenty-four, and
sometimes forty-eight hours. before
they emerge from the old skins and
rest. Do not disturb them while in the
moulting process, but as soon as nearly
all in the tray are moving again, feed,
and change to cleaner quarters. To do
this quickly lay a piece of mosquito net
upon them and strew fresh leaves and
twigs upon it. When they have had
time to come up, take the netting by
the corners and remove to another tray.
They should never be SO crowded as to
be obliged to lie upon each other, and
should be changed every other day un-
til eighteen days old; after that, every
day.-Ars. r.. Il. Fay, IN Western
Rural.