830 TROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



be in Bengal. Kashmir may be compared with Europe so far as these 

 advantages are concerned so as to get an instance near at hand. But 

 I understand that even now they have not been able to successfully 

 introduce their own seeds in Kashmir. 



In my Hill experiments I had noticed that a diseased lot had shown 

 lesser percentage of disease when reared in the Hills after examination 

 according to the system prevalent in Bengal. But the control reared 

 at Berhampore showed more percentage of disease although reared 

 after similar examination. It may be said that in the Plains the chances 

 for outward infection are greater or it may be that the conditions 

 are not so favourable for the disease to have multiphed rapidly. In any 

 case the conditions are likely to have played a very important part 

 so that the infection of pebrine was higher in one case than in the 

 other. 



From what Mr. De has quoted from Monsieur Lambert's letter 

 regarding the examination of the gut in the case of the pupse as an 

 effective method, I think the conditions under which we have to labour 

 in India are such that we may consider our position, so far as the time 

 available for the development of pebrine is concerned, as practically the 

 same for the pupal stage in Europe and the pupal plus the moth stage 

 in India, owmg to the cycles being finished within a very short period. 

 I have had amfle opportunities of closely following the method 

 advocated by Mr. Hutchinson. I have studied the various points in 

 connection with the technique of this problem. So far as practical 

 appHcation is concerned I have tried minutely to examine the relative 

 importance of both the methods by actual trials in the nurseries under 

 me. I submit below some results of my examinations which I had 

 already submitted to the Bengal Silk Committee meetings. I would 

 like however, to point out that in each case I have given the figures of 

 the examination of two overseers who have been helping me in examina- 

 tions in the nurseries. This has been purposely done so as to test the 

 actual figures according to the average possible for the nursery staff 

 in Bengal. The examinations were done under my supervision and the 

 good moths passed by them again re-checked by me so as to avoid any 

 possibility of error. I might add that in each case the percentage was 

 derived from a number of 250 to 300 moths. 



The examination figures of the summer and rainy Seasons are shown, 

 as this is the time when the difficulties are more pronounced, as the 

 winter crops are not so unfavourable for a reliable examination. 



I am giving only two instances, although we had made a number 

 of tests. In one lot examined on the fourth day after the emergence 

 of the moths, according to Mr. Hutchinson's method we obtained 9 



