INSTITUTE AND COLLEGE, PUSA, FOR 1913-14. 71 



Assam, both of whom wished to acquire special information 

 regarding silk-work. 



A multivoltine mongrel race of mulberry silkworms was 

 established after many trials, and this at first yielded silk 

 superior in quality and quantity to those of the Bengal 

 multivoltine races, but this strain unfortunately began to 

 deteriorate after the fourteenth generation and in the six- 

 teenth generation there was practically no difference 

 between the mongrel race and the ordinary Bengal multi- 

 voltine races. Experiments are being continued to try and 

 obtain a stable race. The univoltine mulberry silkworm 

 eggs which were sent for cold storage to Ramgarh (Nainital) 

 Muktesar and Calcutta, gave satisfactory results. Mul- 

 berry silkworm eggs were supplied to 157 rearers and eri 

 eggs to 145 rearers, and mulberry seeds and cuttings to 14 

 applicants. Forty pounds-weight of eri cocoons were 

 supplied to Messrs. Killick, Nixon & Co., of Bombay, for 

 testing in the spinning mills in England. There is still 

 difficulty in disposing of the small lots of eri cocoons which 

 are offered for sale by small rearers. Silk exhibits were 

 sent to Exhibitions held at Muzaffarpur and Monghyr, 

 materials for exhibits were supplied to Mr. Audinarain- 

 swami, of Madras, who was awarded a gold medal for his 

 exhibit, and materials for ten sets of silk exhibits were 

 supplied to the Deputy Director of Agriculture, Bengal. 

 Instruction was also given by correspondence in silk-dyeing, 

 bleaching, silkworm rearing, spinning, reeling, and weav- 

 ing. A Bulletin on Mulberry Silkworms and Silk was 

 published during the year and a Bengali translation of 

 this is now in the press, whilst another Bulletin on ' How 

 to improve Silk-reeling in Bengal " has been written and 

 submitted for publication. A paper on Eri Silk was read 

 at the All-India Industrial Conference held at Karachi in 

 December 1913 and articles on Tasar and Mulberry Silk- 

 worm rearing were contributed to the vernacular maga- 

 zines " Grihastha ' (Calcutta) and " Krishi Sampada ' 

 (Dacca). Approximately Rs. 400 were credited to the 



