Essential Compendium of Sericulture

...[sprinkle] lime powder to stop Specifically to prevent the spread of pests or damp-rot common in floor rearing. these issues. For if the silkworms are damaged, the silk itself is damaged; therefore, the protection and care must be thorough and meticulous.

Arranging the Benches

When silkworms are placed on the ground, they fill the entire space from wall to wall. There is no place for people to even set foot, making it extremely difficult to reach all areas to distribute mulberry leaves. One must use benches to create a passage for coming and going. In the middle of the room, arrange two rows of long benches running straight on the left and right. The benches should be separated by about eight feet. Three thick boards are then laid horizontally across the benches to connect them. In this way, when carrying leaves to feed the silkworms, one can move up, down, left, and right with ease This creates a raised "catwalk" over the silkworms, allowing the farmer to drop leaves onto the floor-mats without crushing the insects..

Spreading the Straw Mats

The ancients used Bo (箔); large bamboo frames or trays used for rearing silkworms. to hold the silkworms and always lined them with stalk straw. The book Essential Skills for Scholars and Farmers Original: "Shi Nong Bi Yong" (士農必用), a classic Yuan Dynasty agricultural manual. states: "Use chopped and softened stalks as a mat, spreading them evenly to provide protection against the cold." If silkworms require a straw lining even when they are kept up in frames, how could they possibly be placed on the ground without a lining? Today, it is not necessary to follow the ancient method of pounding the stalks soft; simply taking rice straw and spreading it to a thickness of two or three inches is sufficient. With this straw matting, the silkworms are not only protected from the cold but are also kept away from dampness.