HINTS ON SILKWORH-BEABINa IN THE PUNJAB. 



(8) DISINFECTION. 



The rearing-room should be disinfected before commencing opera- 

 tions by leeping the floor and walls with cow dung. Further one 

 ehatak of copper sulphate should be dissolved in a kerosine tinful of 

 water, and this solution should be thoroughly sprinkled on the floor and 

 walls before the worms are brought in. If the room has not been in 

 use for domestic purposes it should also be fumigated with sulphur. 

 For this the windows and all other apertures should be closed and four 

 ounces of powdered sulphur should be put in an earthen vessel on a 

 stove (angithi) containing burning charcoal. The sulphur will gradually 

 melt and burn. The doors, windows and other apertures should be 

 then immediately closed. The room should remain closed for 24 

 hours : in that time the sulphur fumes will destroy all germs. All 

 doors and windows should then be opened and the room thoroughly 

 ventilated for a day. 



(4) PROTECTION AGAINST ENEMIES. 



In villages Jcacha houses are generally infested with rats, ants and 

 lizzards which do great damage to silkworms. Sparrows also do 

 considerable damage. 



The following measures should be taken against these enemies 

 during the rearing season : 



Eats. 



(i) All rat holes in the room should be closed and vessels con- 

 taining flour mixed with a little arsenic should be placed on 

 the floor. 



(it) Four cones of tin should be nailed one on each leg of the 

 rack about 9 inches from the ground with the concave 

 side downwards. These will prevent rats climbing up. 

 (w) To prevent damage from rats and lizzards which drop from 

 the ceiling an extra tier should be made on the top of 

 the rack and some thorny branches should be spread on 

 it. This will prevent these animals from descending to 

 the lower tiers. 



Ants. 



(iv) A paste made by boiling a quarter of a seer of resin (ganda 



haroza) in half a seer of teria oil, to which some dk (cala- 



tropis) juice has been added, should be smeared round the 



legs of the racks to keep off ants, The paste should be 



kept fresh on the posts and not allowed to dry. 



Sparrows. 



(v) Cheap bamboo or reed chicks should be hung in the front 

 of doors and windows to keep out birds and flies. 



18. On about the twelfth day after incubation starts 

 the eggs begin to show signs of hatching ; they change colour 



