15 



at the same low standard, because an avaricious grasping ignoramus is deter- 

 mined to pursue that course alone, which an equally ignorant " Papa, pur- 

 sued before him?" Go to; you must entirely " changez tout cela," and 

 take every branch of the system into your own hands the trees, the mode 

 of cultivating them, and the rearing houses ; in short from first to last 

 everything pertaining to the growth of the finest silk must be taken over in 

 toto by the sericulturist, whose money, whose common sense, and energy of 

 mind and body, must all be invested in the speculation. It is the " Master's 

 eye that makes the horse fat," and the very same principle applies equally 

 well to the cultivation of silk. Pursue this system if you wish to thrive ; 

 if otherwise, then you must be content to remain, as the drill sergeant says 

 " as you was" 



4. The wild mountain species known as Bombyx Huttoni is in some 

 seasons found in thousands; every mulberry tree, whether wild or cultivated, 

 being literally covered with them. The worm is double brooded, and the 

 eggs remain exposed to the inclemency of i mountain winter, securely glued 

 to the bark of the tree. The silk is decidedly first-rate and of an ashy white 

 colour, but the insect is so intractable that it will not submit to domestication, 

 and must therefore be reared upon the trees, a method which must always 

 render the crop precarious. I have repeatedly tried to introduce this species 

 into France and England, but always unsuccessfully, the reason being that 

 while our worm hatches in early March, when the young mulberry leaves 

 appear, in England there is not a leaf procurable until May. I therefore 

 propose (D.V.) if alive this coming autumn, to convey a bundle or two of 

 cuttings to my friend Dr. Wallace, of Colchester, of the wild mulberry tree, 

 in the hope that they may find a congenial climate somewhat resembling our 

 own in this " Ultima Thule," and so continue to put forth their leaves at the 

 season when the worms are hatching; it may be considered as a wild attempt 

 and forlorn hope, but nevertheless the value of the ultimate results in case 

 of success proclaim it a venture well worth trying. 



I have lately read, although I cannot at this moment remember where, 

 that what are termed the perforated cocoons of the Bombyces, that is of 

 cocoons from which the moths have effected their escape, are contrary to 

 received opinions, quite capable of being reeled off like the others, the silk 

 not having been cut but only pushed aside. If such be the case the 

 cocoons of other species may likewise be turned to profitable account, and a 

 large additional quantity of silk be saved. 



In the Supplement to the Oudh Government Gazette for May 29th, 

 1869, appeared a communication from " The Silk Supply Association of 

 London," upon some portions of which I propose to make a few observations 

 for the benefit of those who are far more prone to be led astray by the 

 sophistry extant in high quarters, than to be guided by hard facts and the 

 experience of the past. Gentlemen in England are very apt to take a purely 

 English view of silk cultivation in India, and appear to think the natives of 

 this country are such a docile and teachable people that they will readily lay 

 aside " the superstitions of ages," as uphelid by their ancestors, and adopt 

 the suggestions of foreign speculators, who in many instances are as far from 

 pointing out the proper course to be pursued as the natives are slow in 

 adopting it. Thus Messrs. Chadwick and Dickins at a meeting in London, 

 convened by themselves, propose first " to stimulate the production of silk 

 by cottage cultivation and otherwise, in every country where the mulberry 

 tree is capable of giving food to silk-worms." In this first clause, as stated 

 by the Association, there are two points to be considered, which appear to me 

 more likely to prove injurious to the worms than to extend the growth of 

 silk. These are, first "The production of silk by cottage cultivation," 

 and secondly " the introduction of silkworms wherever the mulberry is 

 capable of giving food to the insects." 



Now if by " cottage cultivation" is meant the rearing of silkworms by 

 cottagers in Europe, the thing may probably be feasible enough, because 



