HINTS ON SILKWORM-REARING IN THE PUNJAB. 



3. W-hen the required quantity of cuttings have been 

 made, the planting should be done with as little delay as 

 possible early in December. 



4 In India all hard wood cuttings are best planted 

 before the end of December, to give them time to " callus " 

 and make root before the sun gets hot enough to force them 

 into leaf. 



5. The best soil for planting is that containing a little 

 natural moisture, and if possible with a little shade, but the 

 latter is not of great importance it the planting is done 

 early in December and the beds kept thoroughly moist by 

 irrigation. The size of the beds will depend upon the 

 amount of water obtainable ; the soil should be dug up to a 

 depth of one foot, well pulverised, and the surface made 

 quite level ; the cuttings should be planted perpendicularly 

 about 9 inches deep, leaving 3 inches with 2 or 3 healthy 

 buds above the surface. It is important when planting to 

 see that a hole at least 10 inches deep is made for each 

 cutting, as it often occurs that the operator makes a hole, 

 say, 6 inches deep, and drives in the remaining three inches 

 of the set with the khurpi or whatever tool is being used ; 

 this is bad, as it bruises the end of the cutting and, instead 

 of roots, decay will be the result. Care should also be taken 

 to see that the base of the cutting is made quite firm in the 

 soil, and a good soaking of water given to each bed as it is 

 planted : afterwards watering once in ten days or so will be 

 sufficient, The best distance for planting is 6 inches apart 

 in each row, with a distance of 8 inches between the rows : 

 this provides plenty of room for a man to work between the 

 plants for removing weeds, etc. 



If there is any difficulty in obtaining suitable wood for 

 cuttings, the best method is to prune back a few old trees 

 very hard, that is to cut off all the small branches of less 

 than 6 inches in circumference any time during December 

 and January. This will result in the production of strong 

 straight growths the following year similar to those from 

 which mulberry baskets are made. 



If the soil is fairly good, and these instructions are 

 carefully followed, 80 per cent, of the cuttings will produce 

 plants from 4 feet to 7 feet high by the following November. 



