ON THE EXPERIMENTAL CULTURE OF 

 SILKWORMS IN PERAK. 



In November, 1889, a small Chinese company, after liaviui:,' 

 cleared and planted up a few acres of land witli mulberries at 

 Aver Kuning, in Larvit, introduced from near Canton, in Cbina, 

 some silkworm eggs. These eggs hatched, and successive broods 

 of the worms were raised and seemed to thrive in a perfectlj^ 

 satisfactory manner. 



Mr. F. Light then planted up some land at Ayer Kuuing 

 with the same mulberries, and began breeding the worms from 

 eggs given him by the original Chinese company. 



CHINESE METHOD OF CULTURE. 



The eggs are laid on sheets of common yellow Chinese paper, 

 known in the shops as kertas apt. When the time arrives for the 

 eggs to hatch, the sheets of paper are laid on bamboo trays and 

 lightly sprinkled with finely cut mulberry leaves, and the worms 

 as they emerge from the eggs crawl on to the cut leaf and are 

 removed with it to fresh trays. These trays are round, and are 

 made of split plaited bamboo; they are from two to three and 

 a half feet in diameter, and have a rim of about one and a half 

 inches high. The worms are kejjt on these trays, at first o\\ a 

 few ; as they grow and require more room, the number of trays 

 is increased. The trays are put on rough round wood racks, 

 about nine inches apart. Cut leaf is given for the first five or 

 six days and then the worms, having grown large enough, are fed 

 on uncut leaf. The trays are kept clean, the refuse leaves, dead 

 and sickly worms, etc., being removed daily. The houses, which 

 are of the ordinary high-pitched attap roofed Chinese pattern, 

 are kept as much shut up as possible, to exclude the wind and 

 sun. The west wind is thought to cause sickness amongst the 

 worms. Lights are kept burning at night, and the houses are 

 used as dwellmgs by the cultivators. Smoking, by the bye, is 

 not allowed as it is thought to be prejudicial to the welfare of 



