A Report on the Diseases of Silkworms 



in India. 



I. INTRODUCTION. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH OF DISEASE IN INDIA. 



The question of silkworm diseases is no new one in India, although 

 it is only in comparatively recent times that any really reliable 

 data are to be found regarding this subject. Despite the fact that 

 sericulture is probably a much older industry in India than in 

 Europe, there are no records, so far as I am aware, which show 

 what the condition of the worms was in the early centuries — nothing 

 comparable with the treaties on sericulture by Olivier de Serres 

 published in Europe in 1599. There are references in Indian 

 literature to sericulture,* but in these no account of the methods 

 and trials of the rearer are given. It was not until the arrival of 

 the traders from Europe in the 17th century that attention began 

 to be paid to means whereby the increase of silk could be attained. 



The early reports of the East India Company contain many 

 references to the trade in silk, and some of them seem to me to 

 indicate that it is at least possible that disease was not absent, 

 although there are no direct references to any epidemic. The 

 repeated attempts made to introduce foreign stock — Chinese in 

 1710 and 1770, Italian in 1795 and 1833 — might indicate that all 

 was not well with the local races, or it might merely be the desire 

 to try to obtain a worm yielding more and better silk. There are, 

 however, several references to the degeneracy of the worms. which 

 make one think that diseases must have been prevalent although 

 they were not specifically mentioned. Thus Italian worms intro- 

 duced in 1795 all " perished" ; while in 1796 a report by the Resident 

 of Jungypore — " an authority on silk " — deals with the question of 

 degeneracy and puts it down to three causes : 1 " improper food" ; 



* My first assistant, Mr. Harihar Prasad, has called my attention to some lines in the 

 Ramayan of Tulshi Das, written about 1574, Chapter 7, Part VI. 



" Pat keet te hoi, tate patamber ruohir, 

 "Krimi pale sab koi, pram apawan pran sam." 



He has translated them for me freely as follows : — " Silk is produced by an insect, from 

 that beautiful silk-cloth is prepared. Although the insect is most untouchable, many people 

 c are for it as carefully as their very lives." 



Evidently as far back as the 16th century sericulture was a well known industry in the 

 tjlains of India. 



