. The culture of the mulberry silkworm. Silkworms. 20 THE CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY SILKWORM. rainy, for the worms are going to molt in two or three days, and this crisis should not occur in unhealthy conditions. It is always "more prudent to change beds on the fourth day, and is, therefore, advised. The space occupied b}^ the worms must be doubled when the change of beds is made. The bed on which the leaf and excrement accumulate is, perhaps, the greatest source of danger to the worms. When there is not a free circulation of air, gases are developed which almost always cause fer- mentation
. The culture of the mulberry silkworm. Silkworms. 20 THE CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY SILKWORM. rainy, for the worms are going to molt in two or three days, and this crisis should not occur in unhealthy conditions. It is always "more prudent to change beds on the fourth day, and is, therefore, advised. The space occupied b}^ the worms must be doubled when the change of beds is made. The bed on which the leaf and excrement accumulate is, perhaps, the greatest source of danger to the worms. When there is not a free circulation of air, gases are developed which almost always cause fer- mentation, paving the way for future disease. Hence the necessity for frequent change of beds. This is made in various ways. The practice of doing this by hand is to be condemned because it consumes too much time and is apt to injure the worms. Threadnets (fig. 8) and perforated paper are the best means to employ. The}T save two- thirds of the hand labor, and thus allow beds to be oftener renewed, which is a most im- portant consideration. In the Hist age tulle or mosquito net ma}^ be employed instead of nets or paper. The manner of proceeding is as follows: Place the last meal at night on the nets and extend them over the worms. By morning the worms will have mounted above the opening in search of fresh leaf. Then lift up the nets, beginning at the top shelf, and place them on clean shelves. Carefully de- tach from the nets any portion Fig. 8.—Net used in changing beds. _ _ j ., ,, ot the old bed, and, if the worms are not molting, gather up the few worms that have remained behind, and tenderly place them with the others. The change of beds is thus rapidly effected with the least labor. It is very important that the tension of the net be such as to prevent the worms from being crowded together in the middle. Perforated paper (tig. 9) is another means often used to effect change of beds; but it does not allow the worms to mount with the same facility. It is also apt to break when the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectsilkworms, bookyear19
