SILKWORM REARING. (By G. B. Federli.)

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1667, 13 March 1883, Page 4

SILKWORM REARING. (By G. B. Federli.)

REULTNG. TilK pfoducei 1 docs notoften reel his own silk, but disposes of his cocoons aa soon its they are ready for the' market ; .but 'should his inclination or circunistarices lead him to do his own reoling, a short description of the process will be of assistance. As he will probably not wish to reel oIF as soon as the cocoons are spun, it will Ije neocssaiy to prepaic the cocoons for storing in the manner already described until he is ready. , The first step is to placo a number of cocoons in the vessel which contains w-iter almost to boiling point, and they must bu left to 3O.ik tlieto for a few minutes, to dissolve the gum, with which the silk Jo n.iturally impt equated ; after this, the cocoons must be stirred with a brush made of coarse broom, and fiom live to six inches in length ; the silk will almost immediately adhere to the bmsh ; five or six eouoons are now to be taken together between the tingeis, and shaken downwards until a continuous thread can be got hold of f i om each ; the tho thread must then be twisted into one combined thread ; the combined end of the five threads is to be then pushed up through one ot the small eyeholes of the reeling machine, which pioject over the water leceptable ; the s.xmc operation must be dono with the other eyehole, and then the two combined threads twisted three or four times round one another, before leading tluough hooks suspended from the sliding bar to the reeling drum, to which they must be fastened. The twisting mentioned wrings out some of the water and gum from the silk. After the silk lias been fastened to the reel, the machine can be started with the foot, and the silk will then nnwisid from the cocoons. Should a single thread break, it is only necessary to throw the end against the combined thread, when its natural gum will cause it to adhere ; but if the whole thread breaks, it will be necess.uy to stop the machine and knot the thread. A supply of cocoons must be kept m the water ready, so that where one cocoon runs out another is ready to tike its place, the join being made in the some way as when a single thread breaks. The lateral motion of the bar prevents the silk from sticking together. If the supply of cocoons is kept up a continuous even tlnead may be run ofl of any length. The product is now known as raw silk, and is coarse or fine accoiding to the number of cocoons in each combined thread. CirAT.nAT, Rl MARKS. Although A' 1 ea t sti ess has been laid on keeping up a high temperature, it is not tobe infeircd that the worms will net live at a lower one ; the higher temperatuie has been advised on account of the rapidity with which the worms get through their different stages and commence spinning. A eei tain quantity of mulberry leaves has to be eaten by each worm before spinning, and by kecpiug them in this high tcmpcratiuc their appetites aie increased, and they get through their quantity in a shorter space of time. At the tcmpeiaturc given for the various stages, and by frequent feeding, the worm-> begin to spin in 30 days from the time of hatching, whereas, if kept at a low one, the time occupied is drawn out to a much longer penod. Although the room in which the silkwoims are placed is to be kept waim, it must not be allowed to get uncomfortably close ; theie must be free ventilation without any di aught blowing diiectly on the worms. In a word, the air of the room should be kept as pure as possible. Circumstances should guide the breeder in his choice of looms for the silkworms during the earlier stages of their gowth ; a kitchen is as good as any place, on account of there usually being a fire in it. Ho far, expeiienee has shown that the worms aic not so susceptible to sudden changes of temperaturo as they used to be in Em ope. A woid about the enemies of the silkworm, amongst which may be mentioned both the eat and its prey, the lats and mice. Some cats have developed a taste for eating the worms, and this gourmand tendency of theirs must be provided against. Rats and mice even eat the worms, but they go oven further, and iv pursuit of the chrysalis destroy the cocoons. The room in which the cocoons are stored should thciefore, if possible, be verin in proof. It will be well now to say something as to the appliances required for successfully working tho industry. As trays for the reception of tho worms have been frequently alluded to, a description of them will be useful. Of course the sine of the loom in which the work is to be done will have to be considered in making the tiays. For a cottage the size of the ti ays may bo put down as sft by 2ft (Jin, and 2in deep, biit for a large business a much larger size will be necessary. The frame should be of light wood, about \in thick, and the bottom of wire netting, cheese cloth or scrim. Wiic netting has been found to be the best for this pur^ pose, on account of its allowing a freer circulation of the air round the paper upon which the worms are feeding. The trays are placed on a rack one above .another, leaving nine inches interval between the two ; the rack consists of four upiiglits, made so as to stand alone by pieces of wood crossed at right iingles at tho foot of each ; these four uprights are bored every 9 inches to admit of pegs being inserted, and across the pegs are laid laths to form a support at either end of the tiay. This description is given more aa a suggestion than as a design from which there can be no departure. For the trays may almost equally well be suspended from the ceiling by wires. [Diagrams of the reeling machine may be seen at this oifice. —Ed.] (Concluded.)

Sevexty-kive pounds of decomposed potato tops are equal in value, in the nitiogcn they contain, to 1001b of farmyard manure. Oatmkal water is good for horses that are " done up." Put a quart of oatmeal into three gallons of water, stir it, and let the horse drink. Oxe of the best, if, indeed, not the very best way to insure success in agricultural pursuits is to keep out of debt. Debt is a greater incubus on the farmer than the "OKI Man of the Sea" was to Sinbad. In 1526 France did not raise wheat enough for its own consumption by about 27,250,000 bushels. Fifty-four years after that, or in 1874, she had a surplus of 105,5fi4, 383 'bushels. This may be considered a good increase. According to the view of a certain class of self called • 'labour reformers" — of whom we hear less now than formerly, and less than we are likely to when hard times come again— modern labour-saving cotton machinery must be depriving 15,840,000 men, women, and children of steady work ; the "reformers 1 ' would assume, remunerative work. Grow those crops that you know best how to grow, adapted to your soil, location, market and means ; grow* them every year, be the price high or low ; study them so as to grow good crops when othors fail, until you 1 can grow them profitably at prices at which others would starve. In following this courae you are sure >to succeed in the long run. . You will do well to furnish your house from Garlick and Cranwell's. They have now the most ( complete Furnishing Warehouse in Auckland, furniture to suit all classes, good, strong, and cheap. Thov have Tapestry Carpets from 2s 3d por yard, Brussels from 3s lid per yard, Linpleum from 3s 9d to ss, Oil .Cloths from Is Od to 4s 6d per yard, good 12 feet wide Oil Cloths at 8s 6d per yard.' Immense assortment oflren Bedsteads /rom Infants' C6ts to 5->feet wide half- tester, Bedsteads. Double jron, Hedf tends from 255. _ JBO Bedsteads in stock to select frbtn. Beddings of all kinds and 'size! kept in readiness. Dining, Sitting, Drawing-room-Fur-niture, and and;alarg<» asfprtnient of Manchester and., Furnishing .Goods, including- a lot of Cretonnes. ;BqbJc Catalogues, sent t free . to .intending purdfaierW l Gin\\a% 'M&> CftW&lL at? Haircut :