. The culture of the mulberry silkworm. Silkworms. 26 THE CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY SILKWORM. of the fifth age. Very soon they will be covered with mature worms which have ceased to cat, and are turning awa}^ from the mulberry. In this way it is easy to select the worms that should be transferred. If the worms are equally developed, in thirty or forty hours the}T will be shut up in their cocoons. The few that remain behind should be placed elsewhere; fed with fresh leaf on clean beds they will soon catch up with the others. The fifth day after the mounting the worms that have not begun to spin s
. The culture of the mulberry silkworm. Silkworms. 26 THE CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY SILKWORM. of the fifth age. Very soon they will be covered with mature worms which have ceased to cat, and are turning awa}^ from the mulberry. In this way it is easy to select the worms that should be transferred. If the worms are equally developed, in thirty or forty hours the}T will be shut up in their cocoons. The few that remain behind should be placed elsewhere; fed with fresh leaf on clean beds they will soon catch up with the others. The fifth day after the mounting the worms that have not begun to spin should be placed in bundles of twigs and covered with straw or leaves, or put in a basket of shavings, where they will be forced to spin. The temperature during the spinning should be 75° F., and the humidity through- out the rearing about 65°. A good practi- cal test of humidity is a saucer of salt; when the salt is moist, re- duce the humidity. Carefully avoid dis- turbing the worms while spinning, and then, as during all the ages, keep the room as quiet as possible. The most scrupulous cleanliness should always be observed, both with regard to the quar- ters and the attendants; to keep from raising dust, wipe the floor with a damp cloth instead of sweeping it. PREPARING COCOONS FOR THE MARKET. The transformation of the larva into the chrysalis is, according to the temperature, completed in from seven to ten days from the time at which the first worm begins to spin. The cocoons are then said to be mature, and this is the best time to gather them. If gathered earlier, the producer will run the risk of having his cocoons rejected in the market; and if later, he wili sustain a very sensible loss in their weight, as they grow lighter from the time of their maturity until the moth comes out. The best authority estimates the minimum loss as per cent, and the maximum as per cent. To avoid the risk of soiling them, gather the cocoons from the lowest shelf up. They may be fr
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectsilkworms, bookyear19
