HINTS ON SILKWORM-BEARING IN THE PUNJAB. 



As a rale it makes its appearance after the fourth moult. The 

 affected worms become languid, turn red and soon die. After death the 

 body dries and is covered with white efflorescence which is full of the 

 spores of the mould. This is the real sign of the disease. 



Even if only one or two silk worms are found dead of this disease, 

 the following precautions should be immediately taken ; any delay will 

 result in the destruction of the whole rearing : 



(*) All the dead worms should be removed and burnt. 



(ii) A one per cent, solution ot copper sulphate should be 

 sprinkled on the racks and trays ; care being taken that 

 none touches the worms. The floor should also be leeped 

 with the solution, which should be made fresh each time : 

 old solution is of no use. 



(Hi) The rearing room should be fumigated with half a seer of 

 sulphur for 5 or 6 hours till all the diseased worms are 

 located. The fumes kill the spores of the disease but do 

 no harm whatever to the healthy worms. It is remark- 

 able that the quantity of sulphur fumes that would kill 

 rats, lizzards or even human beings do no harm to 

 silkworms. 

 After fumigation fresh food should be given to the worms. 



One day's fumigation will not kill all the disease spores ; those 

 which are inside the body will escape : so it is important to do the clean- 

 ing and burn one ounce of sulphur each day so long as the dead worms 

 are found. 



Method of sulphur fumigation. 



People generally do not know how to burn sulphur. They put 

 fire in a basin and sprinkle some sulphur on it ; the result is that the 

 sulphur soon cakes, and extinguishes the fire and very little of it 

 is converted into fumes. This sort of fumigation is of no use. The 

 proper method is to powder the sulphur and put it on a tin sheet 

 which should be placed on a slow fire. The sulphur will gradually melt 

 and catch fire till the whole of it is converted into fumes. 



(4) GRASSERIE. 



Silkworm having this disease become restless, bloated and 

 yellow. If punctured they exude a purulent matter which under the 

 microscope swarms with minute polyhedral granular crystals. 



This disease is neither contagious nor hereditary, nor is it caused by 

 any living organism. 



In the climate of the Punjab it generally does not become serious > 

 only a few worms are affected here and there, but in a few cases it has 

 been seen to assume an epidemic form. The cause is generally mis- 

 management of the worms at the moulting periods, when feeding has 

 been stopped before all the worms have gone to sleep, or has been recom- 

 menced before all the worms have come out of sleep. 



67 DA 400 26-6-16 SGPP i.ah.r*. 



