18 



HINTS ON SILKWORM-REARING IN THE PUNJAB. 



These 

 making a 



(6) WEAK COCOONS. 



cocoons are easily pressed in and out by the fingers, 

 dry cracking sound meanwhile, or are easily pressed 

 and will not resume their original .shape. This defect is caused 

 by worms having lost part of their silk secretion before having started 

 spinning. They may have fallen off the heath or have been dis- 

 turbed, or they may have been unable to find a suitable twig till after 

 they had started seripositing. These cocoons will naturally be smaller 

 on account of the silk lost. Weak cocoons are also caused by the 

 death of tne worm while seripositing, Muscardine may bring this 

 about, but fin this case the chrysalis inside will be dead and dried up 

 and the colour of the cocoon will be clearer and redder. 



Killing the 

 cocoons. 



25. Insects which are inside the cocoons emerge about 

 ten days after they have been gathered, so in order to 

 preserve the cocoons it is essential to kill the inside worms 

 before they make their way out. This is generally done 

 by exposing the cocoons to the heat of the sun for two 

 or three days. Cocoons are spread out on matting in 

 the sun, and are covered over by a black cloth to keep 

 the light off them, as the sun's rays falling directly on the 

 cocoons ruin the silk and the colour of the cocoons. When 

 the insects have been killed, which is ascertained by cut- 

 ting open a couple of cocoons, the cocoons are gathered 

 and put away safely in bags till they can be disposed of. 



Produce and 

 ale of 

 cocoons. 



26. If the rearing has been successful a crop of 38 

 to 48 seers of green cocoons per ounce of seed should be 

 obtained. When these cocoons are stored for about a month 

 they become dry, and locse quite two-thirds of their 

 weights ; so the dry crop is equal to 13 to 16 seers. This 

 is sold according to the quality of the cocoons and the price 

 for dry cocoons generally varies between Rs. 80 and Rs 120 

 per maund. So a careful rearer can on average earn fjom 

 Rs. 25 to Rs. 48 from an ounce of seed. 



An annual exhibition of silk cocoons is held by the 

 Department of Agriculture, generally at Gurdaspur, at the 

 end of 1VI ay. Small prizes are distributed according to the 

 quality and quantity of the exhibits, and arrangements are 

 made for the sale of the silk cocoons. 



