The female moth immediately begins laying her eggs, which are deposited either on sheets of paper or on cloth, according to local practice (in Chia-hsing and Hu-chou [both in the Lake T’ai region in Chekiang province] thick mulberry bark paper is used; this can be reused in the next year).[…]

Only the silk-moth [eggs] of Chia-hsing and Hu-chou prefectures are put through the bathing process. In Hu-chou the method consists of using either rain and snow water or lime [water], while in Chia-hsing brine is used.