Compendium of Essentials for Sericulture, Volume One

original: Cansang jiyao (蠶桑輯要)

Wuxing is modern-day Huzhou in Zhejiang Province, historically the most prestigious center for silk production in China.

Equipment

Cultivating mulberry trees and raising silkworms each requires specific tools; if even one is missing, it is impossible to achieve success. Some of the tools used in Huzhou differ from those in other regions, as they have been adapted to local conditions and follow long-standing customs. Having been used for generations, these designs are now strictly followed as the established rules of the ancestors. Confucius said, "The artisan who wishes to do his work well must first sharpen his tools." A quote from the Analects emphasizing preparation. Since silkworms are the very source of our clothing, how can we treat the preparation of their equipment as a matter of secondary importance?

The Greater Odes original: Daya (大雅), a section of the Classic of Poetry. sing of preparing the hoes and mattocks, and the Monthly Ordinances original: Yueling (月令), a chapter in the Book of Rites. warn that the frames and stands for the silkworm trays must be prepared in advance. One should organize everything early so that being prepared prevents disaster, ensuring one is not hindered by a lack of tools when the busy season begins.

Iron Rake

The iron rake is also known as the "iron joiner" original: tieda (鐵搭). This is a heavy-duty, multi-toothed hoe specific to the canal-irrigated fields of the Yangtze Delta.. It must be forged from high-quality iron with four teeth arranged in a flat row. The teeth are nine inches long, and the "shoulder" of the rake is seven inches wide. At the top, there is a round socket qiong (銎) — a hollow opening in a metal tool head designed to receive a wooden or bamboo handle to hold the handle, which is referred to as the "brain head." The handle is made of bamboo and is over five feet long. It is used for tilling the soil around the trees—