806 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



(3) Remove the wings and examine the juice of the moths on the 

 fifth or sixth day after oviposition after thoroughly crushing 

 them with a few drops of 5 per cent, solution of caustic 

 potash which dissolves the fatty globules. This will help 

 quick detection of pebrine corpuscles. 



Our experiments in reeling are. given in Bulletin No. 44. Indian 

 reefers find it difficult to dispose of their raw silk. Organized efforts 

 are being made for the sale of raw silk of China, Japan and Europe but 

 there is no such organization for the disposal of Indian raw silk. Im- 

 ported silk finds a ready market here but there is not sufficient demand 

 for the local produce. Taking all the disadvantages into cyonsideration, 

 our silk can have a good sale in Europe and America and the local market 

 can also be captured if the quality of our silk is improved by the 

 provision of one porcelain button and two small aluminium or glass wheels 

 in the country system of reeling machines, by which 200-350 twists 

 can be given to the reeled thread. In this method the simple country 

 appliance for. reeling has been greatly improved and yet its suitability 

 for cottage workers maintained. The first thing required is to produce 

 a standard quality of raw silk for the local market and to place a fairly 

 large quantity of it with merchants to create a market for it. Perhaps 

 it will not be profitable to produce very fine thread for the consumption 

 of France and England. 



We have devised a new Twisting Machine on which 24 threads can 

 be twisted at a time (Plate 128). The working of the machine is as 

 follows : — There are 24 spindles w^ith 24 bobbins inserted on one end 

 of each of the spindles. The bobbins should contain double or threefold 

 thread. One wheel rotates all the spindles by means of an endless rope , 

 and a swift by means of another cord on which twisted thread is wound 

 up. The cord is passed under the following spindles 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 

 11; 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23 and 24 and upon the following 

 spindles 2, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, and 22. The bobbins on the former 

 are inserted in the front of the machine while those on the latter are 

 inserted in the back part. When the wheel is revolved in the righthand 

 direction all the 24 bobbins are turned in the same direction so that a 

 righthanded twist is given to the thread before it is wound upon the swift. 

 It should be noted that the bobbins should always contain wet thread. 

 When the spindles do not revolve properly the cords should be rubbed 

 with a little dust of resin. The hooked guides through which twisted 

 threads are passed to the swift are of glass. As there is no difficulty in 

 unwinding the twisted thread wound upon the swift no mechanism has 

 been provided for cross- winding the thread on the swift. If the weavers 



