108 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



IV. Bees, Lac and Silk. 



Bees. The experiments with the Indian Bee (Apis 

 indica) were continued. There is, however, nothing of 

 special interest to record. 



Advice and help was given during the year to various 

 bee-keepers in India. 



A note was written and submitted to Government on 

 the adulteration of beeswax in India. 



Lac. Emergence of lac larvae took place at Pusa on 

 12th October, 1917, for the winter brood, and on 20th June, 



1918, for the summer one. Forty trees were inoculated in 

 October-November and sixty trees in June. Brood-lac was 

 supplied to various inquirers, and numerous inquiries 

 regarding lac were dealt with during the year. No 

 students attended 'the lad courses during the year. An 



' article on the present position of the Lac Industry in India 

 was written for the Agricultural Journal of India. This 

 year it was found that, besides the species of Eublemma 

 and of Chalcididse which normally damage lac whilst on 

 the trees, considerable damage was done to Ber (Zizyphus 

 jujuba brood-lac by Holcocera (Hypatima) pulverea 

 (Blastobasidae). The larvae of this moth usually damage 

 scraped and unwashed stick-lac in store, but do not damage 

 the growing lac as a rule. 



Silk. The establishment of the silk-house, which is on 

 a temporary footing, has been extended up to 31st March, 



1919. Large numbers of broods of both mulberry and eri 

 worms have been under rearing during the year, and the 

 work of crossing the races of the mulberry worm has been 

 continued with the object of producing a superior fibre. 

 The multivoltine mongrel races, which we have already 

 succeeded in establishing, continue to yield more and better 

 silk than the indigenous multivoltine races. Eggs of some 

 of these races have been distributed on a small scale to 

 practically all silk centres throughout India, for trial 

 under local conditions there, and the reports received, with 

 the exception of that from the Superintendent of Sericul- 

 ture, Berhampore, show that satisfactory results have been 



