March 1, 1864.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



SERICULTURE IN OUDH. 353 



twigs of mehndee (Lawsonia inermis), were stuck all round the trays 

 between the meshes of the mat, and bits of paper stuck in here and 

 there among the twigs to afford nooks for the worms to creep into. And 

 as soon as the worms which were in the middle part of the tray left off 

 feeding, they crept upon the twigs and spun their cocoons. In Bengal, 

 coils of bamboo are prepared for the worms. But the advantage* of my 

 method is, that it can be used by any villager in Oudh. The arhar 

 plants, which villagers sow in their fields, will supply the twigs, and 

 any largish dry leaves of any sort will supply the place of the paper. 



The best cocoons were put aside for a supply of eggs for future opera- 

 tions, and the rest were sun-dried for reeling. 



In about twenty days after the worms had begun to spin, the moths 

 were emerging from their cocoons. The moths were kept in shallow 

 boxes covered with netting, to prevent their wandering away, but a 

 chick as a cover would have done just as well. 



One of the moths was kept separately, and the eggs it gave were 

 counted. They were 575 in number. The total amount of eggs pro- 

 duced by the moths of the cocoons kept for the purpose was 11-^- oz. 



I apprehend I shall have some difficulty in preserving these eggs in a 

 good condition for the next season, on account of the excessive heat 

 during the summer months. I have divided them into three portions, 

 and have kept each in a different place and in a different way. I shall 

 be able to say next sea.son which, it' any, of these different methods I 

 adopted, is the best for preserving the eggs through the summer. 



With regard to the quality of the cocoons, the best were those which 

 were spun before April, as their worms, having hatched early, had the 

 advantage of the cold weather to grow in ; consequently they grew 

 slowly, their leaves kept fresh for a longer time, and they were vigorous 

 at the time of spinning. Those that spun later, for opposite reasons, 

 produced smaller cocoons, and the aggregate amount of silk produced 

 by these cocoons was comparatively less. It appears that want of vigour 

 in the worm does not so much affect the quality as the quantity of silk 

 produced. 



In order to try how the Cashmere worms would fare in the hands of 

 the villagers, I constructed a small hut of grass with a common thatch, 

 against a wall with northern aspect, having only a chick to close the 

 door. I placed, as soon as they hatched, several thousands of worms in 

 it on trays, as before, and fed them in the hut till they were ready to 

 spin. None of them died. They produced smaller cocoons than those 

 reared in the building (which I attribute to the hut being hotter), but 

 their silk appears to be just as good. To test further the possibility of 

 villagers rearing silkworms at their own homes, I gave a small quantity 

 of eggs to a man named Sooklal, son of Fukeer, of Gungrowlee, in the 



* In later experiments with the China worm I had, by the assistance of a Ben- 

 galee reeler, made up some spinning trays, Bengal fashion, and I have no doubt 

 that they will be found the best. 



