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REPORT ON THE DISEASES OF SILKWORMS IN INDIA 57 



rearer, like peasants all the world over, is slow to change and sus- 

 picious of new things, and he is as a rule terribly poor. If the 

 benefits to be derived from a change are very great he maybe 

 induced to alter, but a series of small improvements do not appeal 

 to him, especially, when they entail the taking of a good deal more 

 trouble. He seems, however, to appreciate the benefit of disease- 

 free seed, for in this way he usually gets a full crop instead of 

 losing " 2 annas " or more. Other improvements while very 

 necessary are not so showy, and it will need prolonged and good 

 propaganda work to effect any change. 



Thus the question of environment is largely the question of the 

 rearer. Within the limits imposed by climate and the type of worm, 

 which is really in many respects dependent on climate too, some- 

 thing can be done to combat pebrine so that it need not be a more 

 serious pest than in other countries, but it will mean harder and more 

 constant work and supervision. The human factor will be very 

 important in India — more so than in more temperate countries. 

 The Indian rearer has been much condemned for his want of care, 

 his want of cleanliness and his ignorance — failings which he evidently 

 shares with sericultural workers in other tropical countries — and 

 from what little I have seen of him I should fancy he would be a very 

 difficult person to convince of the error of any of his ways, but it 

 is useless to approach him looking for faults. His virtues should be 

 sought out and developed. There is great room for and great hope 

 in a really intelligent and sympathetic propaganda in sericulture, and 

 if anything is to be done towards improving the environment of 

 the silkworm and altering those things that tend to make tropical 

 sericulture more difficult and more precarious than that in more 

 temperate lands it will have to be done in this way through the ryot, 

 for after all he ordains to a great extent the conditions under which 

 the worms are to live. 



2. CHUNA, CHUNA-KETE OK CHHIT (MUSCARDINE OR 



CALCINO). 



Definition and diagnosis. I The Italian name Calcino and the 

 Bengali Chuna-kete are excellent descriptive terms for caterpillars 

 attacked by this disease, referring as they do to the chalky or lime- 

 like appearance of the dead insect. The onset of the disease is as 

 a rule very rapid and relatively little warning is given until one 

 finds dead worms in the litter. Careful observation, however, would 

 show that gradually the worms become sluggish while the beating, 

 of the dorsal vessel or heart is said to become faster than normal. ) 

 A pale rose-pink colour appears, first round the spiracles usually, 

 and later spreads all over the body just before death. /The body 



