M^ 



THE 



i i'-.t^r iuyiirf jfi'jKJU Ui^i U-HXis's 



'AiV 



2d3ti 



ed a little. It is hoped that this end may be attained 

 by greater care in the breeding of the worm". The 

 Bengal biikworm, it is well known, has lung beeu 

 teadily degenerating nnder the neglect and cirelessncss 

 habitual to the natives of the conntiy, whose only 

 object is to raise a vroyt as rapiilly as possible, with 

 the least expenditure of money :unl trouble. Un- 

 fortunately reform in this respect is a matter of extreme 

 difficulty. In the Punjab and in Dehra Dun no pains 

 have been spared to teach tlie ryots liow to rear 

 fiilkworms, good seed has been distributed, and com- 

 petition lias been stimulated by exhibitions where the 

 best collection of cocoons finds a liberal reward ; but 

 it has all proved vain, except indeed ns a demonstration 

 of the impossibility of getting the ryot to give that 

 methodical attention to his j^ilkvvorms without which 

 the goodness of the stock cannot be maintained. An 

 experiment that has failed anong the livelier and 

 keener peasantry of Ujiper India has but a poor chance 

 of success, we fear, in lazy, listless, Bengal. Then comes 

 the question whether it might not pay to undertake 

 the breeding of one's own silkworms: and this, too, 

 has been tried in the Punjab, where those beautiful 

 yarns were produced which attracted so much admir- 

 ation at the Calcutta Exhibition. But the old defect 

 of the Indian breed still cling to it, and all the care 

 bestowed upon the selection and rearing of the silk- 

 worms has failed to develop the essential quality of 

 bone in sufticient strength. The last resource is to 

 make an entirely fresh start with new seed imported 

 from Japan. But the history of these experiments 

 suggests a doubt whether the new strain will long 

 preserve its vigour. The hereditary weakness of the 

 Indian silkworm may, of course, be traceable entirely 

 to a long course of reckless breedings, but it is perhaps 

 more probable that the cause is a climatic one, and 

 in that case we shall see the Japan stock gradually yield 

 to the fatal influences of its new habitat, and part 

 with the firmness of its fibre just as the Eiuropeau stock 

 of animals, or of men and women, parts with its 

 stronger qualities of body and mind when condemned 

 to reproduce itself in this country. 



Look at it, then, as we will, the business of manu- 

 facturing thrown silk in India does not seem to have 

 very bright prospects before it. The ludian product 

 will hardly retrieve its price in the European market, 

 and the question of successful manufacture for export 

 seems to depend on whether some cheaper way of 

 working can be devised, since it is yearly becoming 

 plainer that the old-fashioned style of fiiature, with 

 costly buildiugs and European niaun.gement, cannot be 

 made to pay. But if the whole situation has thus to 

 be reconsidered, it is worth while to go a step further, 

 and a.sk whether the fault does not lie deeper than any 

 mere change of system. The grand secret of succt-ss- 

 ful production is to have Nature as one's ally ; but in 

 seeking to produce thrown silk of European quality in 

 India we seem to he constraining Kature against her 

 will, or at any rate to he making the mistake of not 

 setting her to work along the line of greatest efhciency. 

 The special aptitude of the soil and climate of India is 

 for the production of coarser kinds of silk ; multivolline 

 varieties not adapted for reeling, but capable of a vast 

 number of uses it properly spun. The demand for this 

 waste silk, or wild silk as it is called, is rapidly growing 

 in Europe, and at the present moment greatly exceeds 

 the supply. A few years ago the product was value- 

 less, but now we have improved niachiuory that can 

 turn every particle of waste to account. 



* * • 



This sudden opening up of new prospects for waste 

 or wild silk occurs most opportunely at a time when 

 the cultivated silk industry, the manufacture of thrown 

 silk, finds its outlook so miserably daikcr.od. Silk 

 firms might well consider whether they might not 

 turn tbeir capital to the ilevelopmcut of thi'^ new trade, 

 instead of sinking it in the uttempt to rehabilitate a. 

 decaying business. India's place in the scale of pro- 

 duction .seems to be marked out by economic laws ns 

 that of a supplier of raw material. The tendency 

 of modern improvements is to remove even the simple 

 primary processes of manufacturo from tbe first pro- 



ducer, and get them done by the same sort of agency 

 as the secondary processes; indr;ed, the simpler the 

 process the more ingenious and elaborate, as a rule,- 

 is the machine. If this he true, the niaiuifacture of 

 silk in India is mere misdirection of energy ; but in 

 the growth and exportation of our waste and wild ^ilks 

 tliere lies an immense field all undeveloped. By wild 

 silks we do not mean silk gathered from the jungle, 

 but those species which, though cultivated, have never 

 received any scientific attention : such, for instance, as 

 the eri or castor-oil silkworm of Assam and Tsoi-th- 

 Eastern Bengal, from whose cocoons the natives of 

 those districts have for centuries spun thread which is 

 wrought into fabrics of astonishing durability. Treated 

 by the beautiful engines of the English spinner, these 

 cocoons furnish the material for pluslies with sof tat 

 tractive handling, for rugs, and for other kiuds of goods 

 combining cheapness with beauty. The silkworm is an 

 indigenous one ; Nature co-operates with man in mul- 

 tipl3ing its production; and it .seems reasonable to 

 conclude that only cnpital and perseverance are wanted 

 in order to lay the foundation of a new trade which 

 may make the fortune of its discoverer and pro\e of 

 immense benefit -to the country. 



EUCALYPTUS. 



Memorandum comprising extracts from various 

 sources relating to the Bledicinal Uses and Virtues 

 of the Eucalyptus. 



Extract from Jiurj/oiitie, Bviliitlffes i^ Co.'s Circ- 

 v.lai:~—The oil of Eticaiiiptus ylohirh's, as a substitute 

 for carbolic acid, has been much advocated of late. 

 It is a most valuable antiseptic and has obtained 

 the happiest results in bronchial catarrh. Professor 

 Lister is of opinion that the Etu-ah/jiins (jhhvii's 

 should supersede carbolic acid as an antiseptic because 

 of its harmless nature. 



Extract from ComjHinion to the British Pharm- 

 acopaia. — Liquid extract of Eucalyptus gum 1 part, 

 water 2 parts : dissolve and strain. An excellent 

 remedy in arresting bleeding from the nose. Lint 

 dipped in it checks bleeding -from wounds. The 

 gum is used in doses of 6 grains every four hours 

 in diarrhoja and dyseuter}'. The oil is obtained from 

 the leaves by distillation. 



Extract from Medical Times and Gazette, 1S82. — The 

 oil of Eucahiptv-S (flolndt'S is said to diminish the 

 action of the heart and the blood pressure and to 

 act as a stimulant, astringent and antiseptic on 

 mucous membraues. Dr. Currier speaks highly of 

 its use as a disinfectant and antiseptic in chronic 

 ovaritis and tumours of the breast, in removing the 

 fietor of the discharges and relieving the pain and 

 discomfort. 



Extract from E.rport Pfirc Cvirent and TracU 

 Report.— The leaves of several Of the 6peci<s of 

 EuccUiiirtus when duly prepared and compounded 

 into an ointment are found to possess healing pro- 

 perties, which, without exaggeration, may be termed 

 remarkable. Josephson's ointment is the property 

 of Messrs. E. Bow & Oo. of New South Wales. 

 In the colonies it has achieved, we believe, considerable 

 success in the treatment of wounils, ic. 



Extract from Australian Medical Gacette.— [Being 

 an article by John Murray Oibbes, m.b. and c.Jt., 

 (Aberdeen), m.k.c.s.e., Coroner of New Zealand, with 

 reference to a severe epidemic outbreak of diphtheria.] 

 First. — After swabbing the throat with liq. fer perchl. dil. 

 and glycerine. ,"<tcoi)d. — Pour boiling watek on blue- 

 gum leaves and let the steam be inhaled ilay and night. 

 Drawing steam through an inhaler, or holding the 

 head over a jug, is a most wearisome process, and you 

 finil tliat patients, espi-cially children, soon get tired 

 of it; so I order the pan, jar or jug containing the 

 infusion to be placed on a chair b<'side the bed, and 

 a tent of the bcd-'clotlie.s to bu placed over it and 

 the patient'.s head. This conveys the steam to the 

 patient without exhausting him. Children soon feel 

 the soothing elleet, all uneasiness and pain in the 

 throat leaving. Of course iu mild cases tbe steam 



