THE TECHNOLOGIST. [March I, 1864. 



352 SERICULTURE IN OUDH. 



begun to Trad, and the leaves of the Morus midticaulis, (small entire- 

 leaved China mulberry) the only one in leaf at that time, had been in- 

 jured by frost. But fortunately in Makkagunge, a village near Luck- 

 now, a tree more forward than the rest was discovered. It was of a 

 kind which the natives call Bedana. From this I procured food for the 

 first worms, until the regular crop of leaves came out. I took the pre- 

 caution to cover the worms at night, as the difference of temperature 

 between the day and night was still very great. I don't know how far 

 this was necessary, but I thought that in making a first experiment, it 

 was advisable to take every possible care of them. A large ntimber of 

 the eggs continued to hatch every day. For the first month I had them 

 fed four times a day, and afterwards, when the days became hotter, I 

 had them fed seven times in the twenty-four hours, twice of which were 

 after sunset. The dry leaves and excrements were cleaned away once 

 every day. I don't think it is quite necessary to clean their trays so 

 often, but as I had on the establishment a sufficient number of men to 

 do it, I was desirous of giving the worms every advantage. 



They thrived well, and were all extremely healthy. The deaths 

 were rare, and the small number that died, did so during their first 

 stage, when the weather became hotter. I attributed the death of these 

 to the leaves drying up rapidly from theTieat of the day. 



The place in which they were reared, was the Baradaree in the Bad- 

 shabagh. The archways were closed by jamps and chicks to prevent the 

 wind from blowing through the building, and to keep out birds, bats, 

 and insects, especially wasps, which are very inimical to the worms. 

 The jamps and chicks kept these animals out very effectually. 



The worms were kept on trays, consisting of common narkool mats, 

 with a split bamboo frame. The trays were supported in layers on 

 stands, made of thin bamboos, tied together with common string. 

 The stands and trays could have been made more elaborate, but my 

 object in making them of simple construction, and of cheap and easily- 

 procured material, was to show the natives employed on the establish- 

 ment, that the whole arrangements for rearing the Cashmere silkworm 

 might be easily made up by themselves from materials procurable in all 

 the villages. 



The worms went through their usual changes of skin regularly, and 

 began to spin about the 7th March. At this time their condition was 

 very good, so much so that Lieut. Marsh, of the 18th Bengal Cavalry, 

 who takes an interest in silkworms, and who was at the time also mak- 

 ing some experiments with them, was so struck with the size and healthy 

 appearance of the worms in the Badshabagh, that he asked me to take 

 some of his own under my care, until they had spun, which I did. He 

 undertook to send a man to look after them. I attributed the healthi- 

 ness of mine entirely to plenty of air and plenty of food. 



The arrangements I made for the worms to spin upon were of the 

 simplest kind. When the worms approached their spinning time, dried 



