The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-23
EDUCATING SILK WORMS.
full and Perfect work--Fcd Six Times
Day.
(The Manufactures J

III pamphlet ON sericulture, recently
issued by the State Department, United
States Consul Brunot, at ST Etisnne,
gives an interesting account of the
French method Of cultivating silk worms.
He says:
1.-The term education comprises all
the care bestowed ON the silk WORDS from
the moment they are Matched to the com.
pletion OF the cocoons. The life of the
insect is divided into i've periods, or ages
OF i've orsix days duration for the first
three or four, while the fifth IL from ten
to eleven days, each period being marked
by mott. Six light repasts are given
each day during the first two periods-the
first in the early morning and the last
late at night-while four abundant meal Ia
are considered sufficient for the two fol-
lowing periods, increased to six in the
fifth period. The French cultivators be-
lieve that the mum Der of repasts IL i'm
portant for the quality of the silk.
About sixteen hundred pounds of
leaves are necessary for thirty-nve thou
sand silk worms produced from one ounce
Of grain. The education lasts from
twenty-eisht to thirty two days, but
many silk-worm rAisers cut this period
short two or three days by maintaining
an increased temperature of between 6S
and n degrees Fahrenheit. The person
intrusted with the care of the worms is
Obliged to remain In the room night and
day, so great is the degree Of impression
ability OF the insect. A storm. a gust of
wind, a sudden lowering of the temper.
allure, repast given with dew damped
leaves or some other apparently trifiing
accident would be sufficient to destroy in
one moment the most brilliant expecta-
tions.
In order to prevent overcrowding by
the worms, the custom Is to lay on them
sheets of clean paper perforated with a Sc
ries of holes corresponding to the size of
the inHects. the food being placed on top
of the paper. The worms pass through the
holes and climb up on the leaves. When
a sufficient number is collected in this
way the paper is removed to one of the
vacant shelves. The same operation is
begun again and repeated until all the
worms have been removed from the place
they first occupied, when the shelves are
cleaned of the debris.
The latter operation is also repeated
after each melting period.
About the sixth day of the fifth or last
period the attendant commences to lire
the spaces between the shelves with twigs
OF briar, broom or oak, placing them
in an upright position at distances of
about foot apart, and disposed in the
form OF an arch or vine trellis. On
the ninth day the silkworms climb Up
these branches In large hunters and
choose place for spinning thcir cccoons,
which they complete in fonr days.
The cocoons are collected the seventh
day after the worms have climbed the
briars. In order to be certain that they
have finished their work and have under
gone the transformation into chrysalids,
q few cocoons are taken up in the hand
and shaken. If a shook Is felt the chysa-
lids are formed and the branches are re-
moved The following day the loose silk
Ia taken from the cocoons, an operation
sly led here "debavage. Ths ccclons
are then ready for market.
The maximum amount of cacoons
which one ounce Of grain, comprising
80, 900 worms, furnishes Is $50 pounds,
but a return Of so pounds is consider
very satisfactory. From 625 to li0u &C.
coons are required to make one pound of
silk. The total amount of cocoons pro-
duced annually in France Is about 90, Geo..
900 pounds.