10 CULTURE OF SILKWORMS. 



" The measiu'es to be takeu are as follows : — 

 (c). The destruction of all the worms now in the State. 

 (f7). The disinfection of the houses and apparatus used. 

 (e). The introduction of fi*esh " seed," free from disease. 

 (/'). The prohibition of the importation of other " seed." 



"It is probable that the easiest way of carrying out these 

 measures would be to get " seed " from the Government breeding 

 establishment in India, but that would entail the sending of 

 some one to bring it over, as the attempt ah-eady made to send it 

 by post has failed, for reasons previously stated. 



"A second way would be to get "seed" from China, and 

 rear it under Pasteur's system. 



" And a thii'd way would be to select, by Pasteur's method, 

 a healthy strain from the worms now in the country." 



The Government decided to procure seed from India, but in 

 consequence of hearing that the silk-breeding experiments under- 

 taken in India had not proved a success, and that the eggs could 

 not be guaranteed, this had to be abandoned, and in November 

 I obtained permission to try the third coiirse indicated above. 



Shortly stated, the Pasteiu- system, which has saved the silk 

 indiistry of Europe from the utter rain which threatened it, is the 

 rejection, for breeding purjioses, of the eggs of those moths which, 

 on examination, are found to be diseased. 



This, in the case of the Ayer Kxming worms, could not be 

 carried out, as aU the moths when they came to be miscroscopi- 

 cally examined were found to be diseased. I therefore had 

 to take advantage of a fact which has been noted by Pasteiu-, 

 that although pebrine is hereditary, still that not all the eggs of 

 a diseased mother will be infected. To carry out the suggestion 

 contained in this observation, a number of small china cups were 

 obtained, the least diseased eggs were used, and the worms on 

 hatching out, were put four in each cup, and dm-ing their whole 

 lives rigidly isolated from their fellows. The cups were fre- 

 cpiently disinfected, and any worms which seemed diseased 

 removed as quickly as observed. By these means a considerable 

 number of cpiite healthy moths were produced. The microsco- 

 ]iical examination, isolation of the worms and disinfection of the 

 liouse and its contents were continued, and in the coui'se of 

 three generations, the disease entirely disappeared. This ex- 

 periment has now been carried on for over nine months, and it 

 goes far to prove that, given a healthy breed of worms to start 

 with, silk ctdtiu-e cotdd be successfully carried on in Perak, if 

 proper precautions were taken to disinfect the rearing houses and 

 apparatus, and to maintain the breed used for seed puif^oses in a 



