e2 REI'ORT OF THE AGRICFLTURAL RESEARCH 



every inquirer to the best of our ability. The large in- 

 crease of clerical work during the year has thrown a great 

 deal of additional work on the Clerk (S. C. Mukerji) and 

 Typist (T. V. V. Subramani), both of whom have worked 

 very satisfactorily and their work deserves special mention. 



R('search. — Progress has been made with inquiry into 

 the life-histories and habits of injurious insects. Amongst 

 the more important of these have been the Rhinoceros 

 Beetle, the Surface and Painted Grasshoppers, Potato Bug, 

 Lucerne Hypera, Small Cabbage Caterpillar, Termites, 

 Rice Weevil, Green Bug, Potato Mealy Bug, Fish Insect 

 and Ped Pumpkin Beetle. Experiments have been made 

 on the preservation of wood from attack by Termites 

 (white-ants). Assistance has been afforded to the Im- 

 perial Agricultural Bacteriologist in furtherance of his 

 work on the diseases of Eri Silkworms. 



Insecticides and Sprayers. — A number of patent insecti- 

 cides received for trial have been tested and reported on as 

 to their suitability for Indian conditions; as a rule, they 

 are not superior in efficacy to simple mixtures procurable 

 locally, whilst their prices are prohibitive. Information 

 on insecticides for Indian use has been collected in Bulletin 

 No. 23. An increasing number of spraying machines is 

 sold in India every year, and this Department keeps a re- 

 gister of the places where insecticides and spraying 

 machines are obtainable, so that inciuirers can be at once 

 referred to the vendor supplying the kind suited to their 

 needs. 



Sericidture. — Experiments have been made on the cross- 

 ing of Italian and French Univoltine Mulberry Silkworms 

 with all the available indigenous multivoltine races, the 

 object being to secure a robust and vigorous multivoltine 

 race yielding a better silk than is produced by the 

 native forms at present cultivated. Up to the pre- 

 sent the mongrel races produced by crossing the European 

 univoltine with Nistari and Burmese stock give the best 

 promise as regards yield and quality of silk. Some of the 



