RAW- SILK. 



93 



is no doubt. The cost of labour, too, has not in- (I ) 

 creased, though that of fuel, so extensively used in the Boanlon 

 manufacture of silk, has certainly somewhat risen. ^ June i 



Our attention, then, should be directed to the 

 means of bringing down the prices to their former 

 standard, bearing in mind, that they must be such 

 as would remunerate the mulberry cultivator, rearer 

 of cocoons, and all who are necessarily employed 

 in the manufacture of the silk. This will lead us 

 to investigate narrowly into every item of expense 

 which the investment is now made to bear, on ac- 

 count of the delivery of the cocoons at the factories 

 until the final despatch of their produce in silk to 

 the presidency. 



We regret that the result of our inquiries does 

 not afford sufficient data, on which to calculate 

 with precision the comparative net profit arising 

 from the cultivation of the mulberry over that of 

 other products of the soil ; but we are assured that 

 it is considerably greater, and yields on an average 

 little less than twenty rupees per begah, which 

 would bear a great reduction, and still hold out 

 sufficient encouragement to the cultivator. 



The expense of rearing cocoons, including the 

 cost of the mulberry-leaves, varies in the different 

 bunds ; and the following is a pretty accurate 

 statement of the actual cost in each bund of 

 cocoons sufficient to produce one seer of silk, at 

 which rates the mulberry cultivator and chassar 

 or rearer (supposing them to be procured direct 



from 



