. The culture of the mulberry silkworm. Silkworms. 12 THE CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY SILKWORM. ened room. Cut up only a limited quantity of leaf at a time and cover with a damp cloth to keep fresh, but never submerge the leaf in water, as this is apt to occasion flacherie, a very destructive disease. From the fourth age on there should always be a day's supply ahead, so that in case of rain the worms will not have to fast. In gathering leaf, always strip the branches from base to top, so as not to tear the bark and in- jure the new buds. It is above all essential to strip the tree entirety of its
. The culture of the mulberry silkworm. Silkworms. 12 THE CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY SILKWORM. ened room. Cut up only a limited quantity of leaf at a time and cover with a damp cloth to keep fresh, but never submerge the leaf in water, as this is apt to occasion flacherie, a very destructive disease. From the fourth age on there should always be a day's supply ahead, so that in case of rain the worms will not have to fast. In gathering leaf, always strip the branches from base to top, so as not to tear the bark and in- jure the new buds. It is above all essential to strip the tree entirety of its leaves, for if leaves are left on some branches they will there at- tract the sap, while the bare branches will be imperfectly nourished. Always strip the young trees first. The sacks for holding the leaves should have a hoop around the open- ing and a hook to suspend them to the branches. Restricting the height of the trunk of the mulberry to 5 or 6 feet makes it possible for old women and children to gather leaf, thus diminish- ing the cost of labor one- half, a most important point in commercial silk culture. It is also important to cul- Fig. 5.—Light movable shelves. ,. ,i , -i tivate trees that bear little or no fruit, for the production of fruit not only consumes part of the strength of the tree, but much labor is involved in being compelled to divest the branches of fruit before they can be used as food for silkworms. The stump mulberry, or that growing low like a shrub, the hedge mulberry, and that which grows along walls vegetate much earlier than the medium and high trunk trees. Silkworm rearers should always have a read}^ supply of leaf for the first ages of the worm, and especially is this necessary if early cultures are desired with a view to escaping the heated days of May and Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustration
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectsilkworms, bookyear19
