IXSTITI'Tl-: AND COLLEGE, PFSA, FOR U)l(l-ll. r.:l 



crosses between iniiltivoltine indigenous races have also 

 produced individuals more vigorous, more productive and 

 less liable to disease than either parent stock. It will, 

 however, require some time to establish a race which can 

 be recommended. 



Mulberry Silkworms from European seed were success- 

 fully reared at Pusa on bush mulberry in November 1910 

 and March 1911, the resulting thread having been valued 

 by the trade in Calcutta at prices which compare extremely 

 favouralily with that obtainable from any multivoltine race. 

 If it is possible to rear one (or, in many localities, two) 

 broods of European worms on bush mulberr)- in Bengal and 

 Eastern Bengal — and the Pusa experiments indicate no 

 reason why this should not be done — the fact may have an 

 important bearing on the silk trade. 



The cultivation of Eri Silkworms has been continued at 

 Pusa and is at present carried on in almost every district 

 in India. The interest displayed in the cultivation of the 

 Eri worm received a great stimulus through the display 

 of Eri products at the Allahabad Exhibition, where a large 

 building was entirely devoted to sericultural methods 

 and manufactures collected and exhibited by this section. 

 Here every process, from the egg to the finished cloth, was 

 shown actually at work under practical conditions, and all 

 kinds of silk cocoons, threads, cloths, etc., were also ex- 

 hibited, a gold medal being awarded for these exhibits at 

 the close of the Exhibition. An assistant from Pusa was 

 in charge of the exhibits, and his time was fully occupied 

 in explaining the processes and attending to innumerable 

 inquiries from interested visitors, and particularly in 

 bringing to their notice the advantages of Eri Silk and its 

 cultivation in the provinces in localities where the climatic 

 conditions and other factors are favourable to the adoption 

 and extension of the industry. Batches of visitors — espe- 

 cially of the cultivating classes — were taken round and 

 carefully shown the details of the work. A discussion was 

 also held at the Agricultural Conference nt Allahabad re- 

 garding the steps to be taken to extend the industry in the 



