AVQVBt 1, J8S5.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



135 



long as the valley is thinly populated and fertile land 

 obtainable in any quantity, tliei-e is no chance of a large 

 trade arising in Eri silk. The condition of things is 

 different in your colony, and it may be that the cultivation 

 of the worm could be carried on snccessfirlly in Australia. 

 The two essential advantages the Kri worm possesses over 

 the Mulberry worm are — that it gives four to six broods 

 in the year ; that it feeds on an annual plant, which is 

 cheaply and easily grown, and whose leaves (now wasted) 

 can be largely utilized without materially impairing the 

 produce in seed. Its disadvantages are — that it must be 

 spun, not reeled, and that the silk is not of as fine a 

 quality as that produced by the Mulberry worm. Should 

 you be disposed to try the experiment, I shall be happy 

 to forward you eggs. There may be a difficiUty in send- 

 ing these without their hatching on the way, but I could 

 make more than one consignment, some of which ought 

 to be successful. — I hava, &c., H, Q. Dabrah, Officiating 

 Director of Agriculture." 



A lengthy report on the different species of silkworm 

 is attached to the letter, and from it we make the follow- 

 ing extracts, which refer particularly to the Eri worm : — 

 *' AVe have three kinds of domesticated worms in Assam, 

 or rather it may be said in Brahmaputra Valley, for 

 tho iSurma Valley is not generally a country of silk ciUtiv- 

 ation. These are the Pat or Mulberry worm ( bomby x textor), 

 the Muga or sum-feeding worm (Antherocce Assama), 

 who.se cucoou like that of the Pat can be reeled, and 

 the castor-oil worm (Attacus ricini), yielding a silk which 

 is never reeled, but spun by the hand. Looking simply 

 to their commercial potentialities these three species of 

 silkworm may be at once reduced to two by striking 

 out the Mulberry worm [Pat\ on account alike of the 

 costliness of its silk, the scantiness of the present supply, 

 and the difficulty of extending its cultivation. The two 

 remaining species — the Muga and Eri^present a much 

 more hopeful field of enterprise. They are produced in 

 considerable quantity already, they are thoroughly adopted 

 to the climatic conditions of Assam (being indeed probably 

 indigenous to this part of India), and there is no obvious 

 condition why their cultivatinn should not be capable of 

 immense development. The Eri is the more promising of 

 the two, both because ; is cheaper aud more abundant, 

 and also because being reared entirely indoors its cultivation 

 does not entail that troublesome necessity of watching 

 by night aud day which is imposed upon the Muga-breeder 

 during the period that his worms are on the trees. The 

 Muga, indeed, yields the finer siik, but as it is only in the 

 roughest shape that Assam silk can hope to become an 

 article of demand in the English market, the difference 

 of quality will perhaps prove to be a matter of secondary 

 importance. . . . The manufacture of silk plushes and 

 similar fabrics out of waste cocoons imported from India i 

 and China is a flourishing branch of the silk industry 

 in England, and although China has hitherto been the 

 princijial source of supply, there is no reason why Assam 

 should not contribute laj'ge quantities of an article which 

 is produced with so mnch ease in the valley of the 

 Brahmaputra. The kind of thing that is wanted is described 

 in the following words by one of the English gentlemen 

 engaged in its manufacture : — * The class of silk called spun 

 silk is made by a oombing and carding process out of 

 the refuse of the thrown silk and out of the cocoons 

 that are damaged and not windable, aud out of pierced 

 cocoons, as we name those from which tlie moth in the 

 order of nature has escaped. It is in this latter condition 

 that I think wild filks should be found somewhere in 

 Iiulii. and this is what I principally xvant. I do not wish to 

 windsuch silk, but to spin it into fine thread. It is no matter 

 how broken and rough it may look, or how nmch it is i 

 knocketl about, torn, or crushed- I only want it as free 

 a:j pos.-ible from the dead bodies pf the worms, and of 

 such foreign matter as .sand or branches. It will not look 

 like silk at all till the gum and dirt are boiled aud 

 washed out of it. You observe I ask nothing from India 

 that requires .skilled labour or machinery, I'Uly to collect 

 tho raw material in a state in which it must be almost 

 valueless in India, and let us by oar superior mechanical 

 appliances make something of it here. Eri I like best 

 for its whiteness. I believe it breeds frequently, but I 

 do not believe any amount of cultlvatioa could gel thrown 

 silk out of it, \ mean, of couvsc, tg be o{ finy commercial 



value. Muga is darker than Eri, but has some other pro" 

 perties, and are valuable principally as spun silk. No Eri 

 or Muga waste cocoons have, as far as I know, ever been 

 sold in the London market. I only know of trifling sam- 

 ples having been tried, too small to base any value upiui. 

 Tusser waste silk, however, is regularly sold in Loudon. 

 It comes both from India and China; tho ]irice is about 

 Is. 6d. per lb., and it is very dirty ; I should say the 

 Eri and Muga would be much more valuable. In a letter 

 from another firm engaged in the same business I find 

 the raw material described as pierced or spoilt cocoons 

 — cocoons from which the moth has worked itself out 

 and escaped, while cocoons with the chrysalis inside them 

 are not wanted at all." — Suvth Australimi Itigistcr. 



THE CHINESE SABAH LAND Co. 



Report of Mr. Ernest Major, Chairman of the Chinese 

 Sabah Land Farming Company, on tho ISandakan Estate 

 dated the 1st February, 1SS5. I have to report having 

 arrived in Sandakan on the 12th ult. Sahooija Jistate. — 

 I visited this estate on the 13th January. It consists 

 of a felling of about 70 acres, of which aljout 25 a 30 

 acres are planted, principally with Liberian Coffee. There 

 is also a little Cocoa, Laroot hemp. Bananas and Pepper. 

 Liberiau Coffee looks remarkably strong and healthy. 

 Cocoa looks well when protected from wind. Hemp is 

 planted too close, and looks weedy. Bananas look well. 

 Pepper — This is very young, but looks very healthy. By 

 calculations made on particulars giveu to me, I am of 

 opinion that Hemp and Bananas will not pay in a 

 foreign plantation, and the future value of this block 

 of land will be its adaptabihty for Coffee and Pepper. 

 It has also the advantage of being within walking dis- 

 tance (about ten miles) of Sandakan. The present open- 

 ing will facilitate the future sale of the land. It will 

 show the capabilities of the land ; will form a healthy 

 place of residence for planters beginning in the neighbour- 

 hood, as also a nursery from which to obtain plants and 

 seeds. If the uncultivated land be divided in blocks of 

 50 to 100 acres, there seems a fair probability in my 

 mind of being able to sell the blocks to Chinese planters 

 in a year or two at s5 a >10 per acre ; such sales 

 would be also the more readily made it time, say 

 one to two years, was given for payment conditional on 

 planting being commenced at once. Clearing, etc., are 

 finished for some 20 11 30 acres more, which will be 

 planted over with Coffee, leaving a surplus of plants from 

 tho nurseries. In view of the cleared vacant ground to 

 be left annually on the Suanlamber suitable for being 

 planted over with trees, it would be unwise on th<; part 

 of the Company to continue extending on the Sabooga. 

 A staff of 4 or 5 men will therefore oidy bo kept ou 

 the estate, sufficient to plant out the 20 a 30 acres of 

 clearing referred to, aud to keep up what. has been done. 



Nm)ilamber Entate. — I resided with Mr. Gibson on the 

 estate for three days. The buildings consist of three large 

 drying sheds, the Manager's residence, an Assistant 

 JIanagor's residence, a house for Malays, aud various 

 smaller buildings. The opening for last year's Tobaeoo, 

 some 60 acres, is now overgrown with grass. Roads and 

 new felliULjs have now been completed for 220 fields of 

 about li acres each, and fellings fur 30 fields more are to 

 be completed in about a fortnight more. There are 011 

 the estate some 2fi0 Chinese labourers and 50 Labonani 

 Malays; also 20 Sulus, temporarily. The programme to 

 be now carried out is -.—FidtU to bo alloted over to each 

 n)an ou 1st February, and burning and clearing to be 

 made separately by each allottee. Nm-xeiie) to be sown 

 out iiulividually by each man on his own field, a little- 

 seed at a time each week from 1st March till planting 

 fiui.vhed. Pluiitiiuj out from mirldle of April till end of 

 •July, or, if season bad, to end of August. Gatlurim/ 

 licgins end of June. Dri/iny takes about 20 days. Foment- 

 inif begins when sufficient dried plants are in hand ; 

 time required depends on quality. Sintinij after fometnt- 

 ing begnis about Noveinbi-r. Pai-kinij begins end of 

 December, finishes end of February. 



1st Sliipmciit: about end of January. '2nil ShipmciU : 

 about end of February. This prograimne, Mr, Cibsoji says, 

 will be carried out in due couise. The !)0 laborers will 

 finish tlie remaining 30 fields of fellings in about a fort- 



