SILK 



FOOD-PLANTS OP THE TASAR AHTHWMMA PAFHIA 



Silk Industry of the Punjab was written by W M. Hailey (1IM), which one* more 



reviewed Mr. I 'oldstream'f \|..T.IU. nth 



The insect lives essent i.dly ... t ),.. f..reata remote from the railway* and centres 

 of commerce, and in tracts of country tinam- 



Natives, the occupation of tutor silk rearing can hardly be viewed mm a favourite 

 one, for in addition to having to leave their homes wl to take up i 

 residence in tho jimmies, they have to submit to austeritia* enjoined by 

 th.it iniike the occupation a punishment rather than an enjoyment. M ,, 



the advances of agricultural occupation are daily pressing the area of possible' 



silk production farther and farther away, hence it can easily be understood why 

 the cocoons, even when collected from purely wild "ourrea. can hardly be eon* 

 veyed to the nearest railway station at a price at all In 

 sole. Mukerji suggests that the most practicable wa> 



rearing industry in a new locality is to settle a number of SonthaJ fanulie*. ac- 

 quainted with this industry, in the new locality. The 8. 

 ditiiry affection for the taaar caterpillar and certain notions regarding Ha treat- 

 ment, acquired from childhood. This affect I teas notion* snafrkt thorn 

 to watch patiently the worms all day and at all seasons. They have also the eon* 

 viction that they are personally liable to supernatural visitations boding 

 they neglect any of their traditional rules regarding the rearing of fosor silkworm. 



All this is quite different with the Chinese Uuar ( i . Chinm 



native of the worm temperate tracts of China, feeds on oak leaves (see p. 912), and Taaar 

 has been semi-domesticated for centuries. Moreover, it is a bivoltine insect ; that 

 is to say, it gives two crops in the year. A domesticated insect that can be reared 

 with ease on a plantation within an accessible locality can hardly help proving 

 more profitable than a wild one, the collection of the cocoons of winch over an 

 extensive inhospitable tract of country entails considerable labour and expense. 

 The capabilities of .1. prrtiyi in China are as different from those of .4. *> 

 India as any two subjects of inquiry could possibly be. The one i* a dan Jinn 

 of a salubrious and invigorating richly cultivated temperate country, the other 

 of enervating tropical jungles infested with disease and ^"frneh inimical to 

 human life. The inhabitants of the one country are industrious and eoeiv 

 of the other apathetic and enslaved by religious restrictions and obligation* that 

 make the collection of tasar cocoons distasteful and unpopular. It M one thing 

 to say the insect is " found in the forests of all parts of the Indian continent and 

 to be hod for the trouble of collection." It is quite another matter to make 

 that wild insect tractable to the necessities of commerce, or even to overcome 

 the religious prejudices of the agents who have to be primarily employed in 

 the development of the trade. 



FOOD-PLANTS OF THE TASAR WORM. Thf following are the chief trees food- 

 on which the Indian tasar silkworm feeds : plants. 



Anogeiasns iatifolia, dhaura (pp. Ficus Benjamins, nandruk: 



70-1). F. rtllgiosa, awat (pp. 53R-9). 



Bassia Iatifolia, mahua (pp. 116-7). F. retosa, kamrup. 



Bauhinia variegata, kanchan (p. 121). Lagentromia Indica. telinga-china. 



Bombax malabaricum, aemul (pp. 168- L. panrlflora, baleli (p. 701). 



9). Ricinus conunonis, antnd (p. 916). 



Careya arborea, kumbi (p. 269). Shorea robusta, al (p. '.' 



Carisua Carandas, karaunda (pp. 270- Tectona grandis, *agun (p. 1070). 



1). Tennlnalla Arjuna, arjan. 



Celastrus paniculata, mal kangni (p. T. belertca, bhaird. 



292). T. Catappa, jangK-badam. 



CWoroxylon Swietenia, biUu (p. 294). T. tomentosa, oson, taj (p. 107S). 



Dodonsea viscosa, sanatta. niyphus Jojoba, ber (p. 1144). 



Eugenia Jambolana, jdman (p. 526). 



Crops of Tasar. The tasar silkworm has generally two crops, but Crops. 

 instead of being bivoltine in its wild state, it is most probably quadri- 

 voltine. According to the Rev. Dr. Campbell, there are often three crops. 

 The cocoons are procured in May and June, from persons who collect them nimm 

 in the jungles. The larger ones are generally female and as much as 

 8 to 10 cowries apiece are paid for these, while the smaller male ones fetch 

 much less. From these moths emerge, and the 1st crop of 



Mil);. 



