First, the mulberry harvest. The first instar silkworms are used for leaf culture, and the leaves are collected for slicing. However, the main mulberry harvest occurs during the fifth instar stage. During the Spring silkworm cutting season, mulberry can be combined with Summer pruning, where the entire new shoot is cut along with the old branches. In Autumn, when preparing for silkworm cuttings, it's common to combine this with Winter horizontal pruning. The cut ends should be left at 0.9 to 1.2 cm in length. It's crucial to retain 3 to 5 leaves below the cut to prevent the upper buds from sprouting. Autumn cuttings require precise timing—usually around September 25th, when the average temperature over the previous 10 days is below 23°C. Before this, the mulberry garden must be prepared, and the last fertilization should occur at least 40 days prior to the cutting.
Second, slope setup. You can build a single slope against a wall or create a "human" shaped double slope in the middle of the silkworm room. For the "human" shape, two sides should have triangular racks that are 1.6 meters high, and each rack should hold Artemisia with a diameter of at least 3 cm. The slope angle should be between 35 and 45 degrees, and an aisle of 0.4 to 0.6 meters should be left between the slopes for easy access and management.
Third, slanting silkworms. When raising silkworms that require slender mulberry twigs, fifth instar silkworms tend to feed more frequently. Once over 95% of the silkworms are feeding, the mulberry is spread on the slope. The first time, thick branches are selected to ensure the slope is stable. After about an hour, when over 90% of the silkworms have climbed onto the mulberry to eat, they are carefully transferred to the sauna, cut downward, and arranged in order. Any silkworms that remain on the mulberry are manually caught. To prevent them from falling off, thicker mulberry substrates may be thinned out before placing them on the slope.
Fourth, mulberry feeding. When feeding, the mulberry should be placed upside down so that the silkworms can evenly distribute themselves. Feeding should occur twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening. On days when the feeding period is longer, it can be reduced to one feeding per day.
Fifth, the Shangyu method. One day before the silkworms begin to climb up, the slope is converted into a flat surface, and the leaves are fed as usual. At 15:00 to 17:00 on the same day, when the silkworms are fully mature, eucalyptus is added. Then, a square griddle is hung above the silkworm area, allowing the silkworms to automatically climb onto it. The spacing between the griddles should be more than 12 cm, and the bottom of the griddle should not be closer than 2 cm to the silkworms. This ensures efficient collection and prevents any loss during the process.
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