REPORT ON THE DISEASES OP SILKWORMS IN INDIA 45 



manure mulberry land. All dead caterpillars or moths should at 

 once be burned. All moveable furniture in a rearing house should 

 be frequently exposed to the sun and the house and furniture should 

 be sprayed with some germicide — preferably 1 per cent, formalin 

 and lime-wash every bund. The use of cow- dung for smearing 

 trays, floors, walls, etc., is not to be discouraged. The place 01 

 rearing and its surroundings should be kept as clean and as 

 dust-free as possible. The worms should be given as much space 

 as possible — overcrowding is very harmful (for the results of over- 

 crowding as seen in weight of cocoons see Appendix V, Graph 5.) 



The question of overcrowding has always been a difficult one in 

 India, and it is not being too exaggerated to say that as long as 

 overcrowding goes on disease will be more dangerous and crops, 

 whether diseased or not, of poor quality. Unfortunately it seems 

 to be impossible to get rearers not to overcrowd. According to 

 Mukerji, " they understand very well that it is healthier to have 

 only 8 or 10 ddlds on a stand instead of 16 or 17, and only 1| to 



2 Jcdhdns (1 kdhdn=l280) of full grown silkworms, instead of 2 to 



3 hdhdns, in each ddld ; but they will never abandon their prac- 

 tices." 



It may be noted here that while the risk of contaminative 

 infection is slight, the possibility of hereditary infection is con- 

 siderable in the wild state. And here the domesticated worm may 

 be said to be actually in a better position than the wild one, for it 

 is possible to practically eliminate hereditary infection by a careful 

 microscopic examination of the parent moths, so that domesticated 

 worms may thus start. life actually in a better position than wild 

 ones. 



2. In nature there would always be a rapid and efficient circulation 

 of air and abundant light. The question of ventilation is probably 

 the most difficult thing that the rearer has to face. It is* rarely 

 efficient in this country. The large houses in the Government 

 nurseries in Bengal are very stuffy in the hot weather and rains, and 

 the rearers' houses are distinctly worse. The matter is admittedly 

 difficult, for while air is to be admitted as freely as possible the silk- 

 fly and dust are to be kept out. In the Government nurseries there 

 are special fly-proof wire-gauze doors and gauze-covered ventilators, 

 but these last are altogether too small and the houses are very dark. 

 The hutcha thatched house is said to be expensive in the long 

 run on account of the frequent repairs to roof, etc., but on the whole 

 they are cool, and instead of launching out into new types of houses, 

 especially pukka houses, as has been suggested, it would be 

 advisable to try to improve the existing type of house. This could 

 be effected to some extent at least by not running the wall right up 



d2 



