AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES. 207 



greatly over-estimated, both in Japanese writings, some of which 

 have reached us in translations, and in the Consul's reports, which 

 have been made from oral testimony of not very reliable character. 

 Von Scherzer, ^ too, must have been falsely informed when he 

 wrote, " In Japan itself, this product, mixed sometimes with cotton 

 and at others with common silk, is much used in the manufacture 

 of clothing material." 



The Japanese designation Yama-maT, better Yama-mayu, signifies 

 mountain (yama) or wild cocoon (mayu) ; the worm is called 

 correspondingly Yama-ko. According to old statements, at the 

 time of the conquest of Hachijo-shima (pronounced Hatchijo- 

 shima)^ by the Japanese in 1487, this species of silkworm became 

 widely diffused over the island, and its silk product greatly prized. 

 Its introduction into the chief island, where it was probably never 

 native, and certainly is nowhere found wild, took place consider- 

 ably later.^ 



The localities which seem most favourable to the Oak spinners 

 in Japan lie, as a rule, in the usual silk districts and generally on 

 the mountain slopes. This is specially true in the province of 

 Shinano, which furnishes the largest quantity of Yama-maT silk. 

 I know of four districts in this province where the Oak spinner is 

 bred more extensively than elsewhere, viz. : the country about 

 Uyeda on the Chikuma-gawa, lida on the Tenriu-gawa, Ikada, 

 and Matsumoto in the valley of the Sai-gawa. 



The Matsumoto district spreads ten or fifteen miles westward to 

 the spurs of the Shinano-Hida Snowy Mountains and some thirty 

 miles in the same direction from Yokohama. The Matsumoto- 

 Gumi is a company (Gumi) which works in fifteen communities 

 of the district, and has for its object the production and manu- 

 facture of the Yama-mai silk. There are, however, small establish 

 ments in and near Matsumoto itself. 



The worms are chiefly raised in the open air, the leaves of Quercus 

 serrata, Thunb. (Jap. Kunu-gi or Kunugi-nara) * serving as food. 

 This tree grows to a considerable height, even in dense groves, and 

 is common in the north of Hondo. Its leaves remind one of those 

 of the edible chestnut, and like them, appear late in spring. 

 The young seedlings after one year's growth are planted in rows in 

 a sheltered place, and after three or four years and frequent cutting 

 back, grow to bushes two meters high, with plenty of room between 

 them for passage and free circulation of air. When the plantation 



^ K. von Scherzer : " Die Oesterreichisch-Ungarische Expedition nach 

 Ostasien." Stuttgart, 1872. 



^ Hachijo-shima Hes south of Shichi-to, 33" 8' N. Lat. and 139° 50' E, Long. 

 On the map it is often put down under the old orthography Fatsicio and Fatsi- 

 syo. 



^ I saw in the British Museum Aiitheria Hazina^ Buth, and Aiitheria Morosa, 

 But)., from Japan, which I took for varieties of this species. 



•* Ihe leaves of Quercus de?itata^ Qu. acuta and Qii. glauca are also some- 

 times used. 



