PROCEDURE FOR SETTING UP A COCOONERY FOR SILKWORMS AS WELL AS REMOVING COCOONS FROM THE COCOONERY AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

摘要

An artifical cocoonery is disclosed which includes a semi-circular assembly of radially disposed circumferentially aligned flexible rods, the surfaces of the rods being suitable for the attachment of cocoons by the silkworm. A plurality of the semicircular assemblies of rods is mounted so as to protrude from and be spaced along one side of an elongated shaft. The radial rods of one assembly are alternately oriented between the circumferential spaces of the rods of each adjacent assembly for hygienic sericulture. In one embodiment each semicircular assembly of radially disposed flexible rods is mounted from a hub or sleeve. A plurality of these hub-mounted assemblies is engaged or telescoped in abutting relationship upon a supporting shaft to form a cocoonery unit. In another embodiment, a machine for removing and harvesting the fully developed cocoons is disclosed having an elongated rotatable drum with means for attachine, one or more cocoonery units upon the surface of the drum with their longitudinal axes disposed radially from the axis of the drum and with the flexible rods, with the cocoons thereon, extending generally outwardly from the drum. The drum is mounted on a stand, having means to rotate the drum, and an elongated array of teeth in the form of a comb is pivotally and slidably mounted on an axis therefrom so that the extended ends of the teeth are substantially tangential to the drum surface and each tooth of the comb passes between the respective semicircular assemblies of the flexible rods of the cocoonery as the drum is rotated. An outermost tooth at each end of the comb passes adjacent to the outermost semicircular assembly of flexible rods. The spacing between each tooth of the comb and a rod as it sweeps thereby is sufficient to dislodge the cocoons. The comb is disposed at an angle to the periphery of the drum whereby a sloping surface is provided to convey the dislodged cocoons into a receptacle. The ends of the teeth of the comb may slidably engage the surface of the drum and maintain the sloping attitude of the comb about its longitudinal pivot.