Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871: A Weekly Journal of Practical Information, Art, Science,; Mechanics, Chemistry, and Manufactures. — John Shaqi
Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871: A Weekly Journal of Practical Information, Art, Science,; Mechanics, Chemistry, and Manufactures.Various
Science
Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871: A Weekly Journal of Practical Information, Art, Science,; Mechanics, Chemistry, and Manufactures.
Various
Science -- Periodicals; Technology -- Periodicals
From some cause, not well understood, the young caterpillars have
a tendency to wander; and if care be not taken many may be lost. To
prevent this, it is well to cover the branches with a gauze bag, tied
tightly around the stems, and close to the bottle. Care must also
be taken that the caterpillars do not find their way into the water,
which they assuredly will if they have the opportunity, committing
suicide in the most reckless manner. If the number of caterpillars be
few, it is a good plan to place them at the outset with their food,
in a wide-mouthed bottle, covering the mouth with gauze. The branches,
particularly if the weather be warm, must still be occasionally
sprinkled, so that the caterpillars may have the opportunity of
drinking. It must be remembered that experiment is necessary in
rearing _Yamamai_, but one thing is ascertained, and that is, that the
worms must not be exposed to direct sunshine, at least not after seven
or eight in the morning. If the spring be warm, I am inclined to think
that a northeastern exposure is the best, and we may sum up by saying,
that comparatively cool and moist seasons are more favorable to
success that hot, dry weather. In America the worms suffer in the
early spring, from the rapid changes of temperature, 40 deg. at 9 A.M.
increasing to 70 deg. in the afternoon and falling off to freezing point
during the night. The worms cannot stand this. They become torpid,
refuse to eat, and consequently die. To prevent this, if the nights
be cold, they must be placed where no such change of temperature can
occur.
It is scarcely necessary to say that an ample supply of fresh food
must be always supplied, but it may not be amiss to say that it is
well, when supplying fresh branches, to remove the worms from the old
to the new. The best way of doing this is to clip off the branch, or
leaf, on which the worm is resting, and tie, pin, or in some way affix
the same to the new branches. If this be not done, they will continue
to eat the old leaf, even if it be withered, and this induces disease.
If the worm has fastened itself for the purpose of moulting, the best
way is to remove the entire branch, clipping off all the dried
leaves before so removing it. These remarks apply, in general, to the
treatment of all silkworms, except _Bombyx mori_.
The results of numerous experiments with _Yamamai_ go to show that it
is, as I said before, a difficult worm to rear; but it has been reared
near New York to the extent of eight hundred cocoons out of sixteen
hundred eggs, and this, although not a remunerative result, is
encouraging.
The Chinese silk moth, _Aulterea Pernyi_, also an oak feeder, has been
successfully raised by me and by others, for several years. Eggs have
been sold to persons in States widely separated, and the results show
that this worm is perfectly hardy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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