Volume IV: Sericulture
Page Sixty-Two

Spreading the Silkworms

For silkworms reared on the floor, the primary rule is to keep them spread thinly and evenly. If they are too crowded, the mature silkworms will huddle together, and their collective body heat becomes intense. When silkworms are subjected to this heat, it prematurely forces them into maturity The text suggests that excessive heat accelerates their biological clock, causing them to stop eating and start spinning before they have gained enough mass.. Because they have not consumed enough mulberry leaves, the resulting cocoons will be thin and the silk yield will be reduced.

Therefore, when first placing them on the floor, do not fill the entire room. One must leave about a foot of space around the perimeter—above, below, left, and right—to provide room for the silkworms to expand. Since the silkworm’s body will double in size from the Great Sleep (大眠); the fourth and final molt of the silkworm larva until it reaches full maturity, this extra space allows the farmer to gradually spread them from the center toward the edges each day. Furthermore, it is in the nature of silkworms to like climbing upward; thus, the upper half of the room should be spread especially thinly, as the silkworms will naturally migrate there to fill the space evenly.

Insulating Against Dampness

From the time the silkworms are first placed on the floor until they reach maturity is a period of about six or seven days. Over time, the ji (穊); the thick accumulation of silkworm droppings and leftover mulberry leaf stems becomes quite deep. If the weather becomes humid and sultry, a "damp-heat" vapor will begin to rise from within this layer of waste.

One should take three or four dou (斗); a traditional dry measure, roughly equivalent to 10 liters of finely chopped dry cogon grass and sprinkle it evenly over the surface of the silkworms. Then, feed them with fresh leaves. The silkworms will all climb upward to reach the food, leaving the chopped grass beneath them to serve as a barrier against the rising dampness.

Silkworms to be Avoided

This section heading indicates a list of specific conditions or types of silkworms that are unsuitable for the floor-rearing method, likely continuing on the following page.