SILK 



ANTHER>EA PAPHIA 

 Tasar 



Manu- 

 facture of 

 Tasar. 



INDIAN WILD SILKS 



Jlurshidabad. 



Hughli. 



Bard wan. 



Midnapur. 



Bankura. 



Bhagalpur. 



Sonthal 

 Parganas. 



Hazaribagh. 



Singlibhum. 



Manbhum. 



Gaya. 



MANUFACTURE OF TASAR. Mukerji (Monog., I.e., 1903, ,104) 

 points out that it is strange the cocoons should be gathered in the 

 jungles of Singhbhum, Manbhum, Sonthal Parganas, and even of Assam, 

 and brought down to the filatures of Murshidabad for reeling. To secure 

 improvement the tasar-s\\k reeling and weaving industries should, as far 

 as possible, be estranged from the corresponding mulberry industries, and 

 be developed on their own lines. There should, for example, be no diffi- 

 culty in establishing tasar factories in tasar-growing districts, where labour 

 and fuel (both coal and wood) are abundant and cheap. He then adds, 

 " A tasar reeling and weaving company organised on European principles 

 and working in the tosar-growing districts is likely to have a very 

 prosperous career before it." 



In exemplification of these views he then deals with the industry 

 district by district. Of MURSHIDABAD, he says the tasar cocoons are 

 reeled in European filatures, chiefly at Bajarpara and Narayanpur 

 factories. Of HUGHLI, Jahanabad Sub-division, he speaks of some 350 

 families being engaged in tasar and mixed tasar and cotton weaving. 

 Of BARDWAN, tasar spinning and weaving are carried on by some 228 

 families. A certain amount of weaving is also practised for which yarn 

 is imported. Of MIDNAPUR, he observes that cocoons are found in the 

 jungles, especially at Mourbhanj and Dhalbhum the hardest kind are 

 preferred. The cocoons are reeled locally and also spun and woven. Of 

 BIRBHUM, he says the tasar industry is followed by some 300 families, 

 the cocoons being reeled and the cloth woven locally. BANKURA has 

 long been famous for its silk industry, but the tasar manufactures are 

 not very extensive. The most important fabric produced is known as 

 kethe. This is made from pierced cocoons, is coarse but cheap. Of 

 BHAGALPUR, the cheap bafta cloth is far better known than the kethe of 

 Bankura. About 2,000 weavers (both Hindu and Muhammadan) gain a 

 livelihood by producing various tasar textiles. The cocoons are importeo 

 from the Sonthal Parganas, etc., and sold at Nathnagar at rates of 8C 

 to 250 to the rupee, according to quality pierced cocoons fetching only 

 from 100 to 400 to the rupee. The yield is about one tola of tasar silk 

 from 15 to 20 cocoons and eight to ten tolas of tasar silk will bring in 

 about a rupee. In the bajtas the woof is usually cotton and the warp 

 tasar silk. Of the SONTHAL PARGANAS, Mukerji says that the cocoons 

 are reared throughout the district for export to Murshidabad the local 

 reeling, spinning and weaving are practised to some extent, especially 

 in the Godda Sub-division. Of HAZARIBAGH, RANCHI and PALAMAU, 

 he remarks that there is no tasar weaving, but that a considerable 

 industry exists in rearing and exporting the cocoons. The pages devoted 

 to these districts will accordingly be found to contain many useful par- 

 ticulars regarding the methods and seasons of the operations concerned. 

 Of SINGHBHUM, he remarks that there are only a few tanti (tasar) weavers, 

 and the cocoons are reeled by hand by the weavers themselves. The 

 dhutis or saris so made are largely exported to Dacca and Lower Bengal, 

 and fetch from Rs. 3 to Rs. 4. But if weaving be unimportant, the 

 rearing of tasar cocoons is an industry of considerable magnitude in 

 Singhbhum. The tasar weaving of MANBHUM is, on the other hand, 

 of considerable value. There were at the last census 12,911 tantis or 

 tasar weavers, and Raghunathpur is the most important centre. The 

 tasar weaving of GAYA is also fairly important, though the cocoons are 



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