414 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. 1, 1902. 
SILK-PRODUOING MOTHS. 
Peradeniya, Ceylon. 20th Oct., 1902. 
Dear Sir, — By Attaeus taprobanensis, your 
com-espnndent alludes to the insect now 
referred to as Attaeus atlas, Linn.,— popularly 
known as the "Atlas" moth, the largest and 
one of the most handsome moths found in 
Ceylon. Our other representatives of the 
same family are the " Tussar Silk" moth 
(Anth?raea paphia. Linn.) and the " Moon " 
moth (Actias selene, Hubn.). All of these 
species produce silk of a certain economic 
value ; but thev belong to the family 
Saiurniidae which— thouj^h allied to— is 
distinct from the family Bombvcidne to which 
the true silkworm (Boinbyx mori, Linn.) 
belongs. With regard to the suggested ci^oss- 
ing of domestic with wild forms, it should 
be noted that Bombyx mori (the true silk- 
worm) is distinct, not only in species, but in 
p;enus and family also, from any of the 
large silk moths of Ceylon. Bombyx mori 
does not occur, in a wild state, either in 
Ceylon or India. It is a native of China, 
•whence it has been introduced to all parts 
of the world. 
It is a well-established fact that crosses, 
even between closely allied species, almost 
invariably produce infertile offspi'ing, (e.g. 
mules). In the present case, where the 
proposed parents are separated by three 
stages of affinity (species, genus and family), 
I think it extremely improbable that 
Istly,— the insects could be induced to pair : 
2ndly,— if this initial difflcnlty were over- 
come, the resulting ova would probably be 
unfertilised : 
Sidly, -If fertile eggs were actually pro- 
duced resulting in healthy larvae which 
reached maturity, the hybrid moths would — 
almost certainly— be themselves infertile. 
. Under these circumstances success seems to 
me very problematical. However, the ex- 
periment can do no possible harm and, if 
your correspondent wishes to try it, there 
should be no difficulty in obtaining living 
cocoons of Attaeus atlas, which is a fairly 
common species in Colombo. Any of the 
Colombo taxidermists (Mr. Lazarus for 
instance) could probably procure them in 
numbers. Packed in a light box, they should 
reach Algeria in good condition. . 
The known food-plants of Attaeus atlas are 
"Mahogany ' {Sioietenia mahogani), Cinnamon, 
Memecylon umbellatum, Osbeckia sp,. Tea 
Camellia, Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). 
Cinchona, and Phyllanthus emhlimatica. The 
caterpillars have also been raised— in 
captivity— on apple leaves. 
E. ERNST GREEN, 
Govt, 'Eatomologist. 
GKEEN TEA: QUERY AS TO PER- 
CENTAGE FROM LEAF. 
Oct. 21. 
DeAK Sir, — I see no response to my query 
as to outturn of green tea from leaf. My 
experience does not agree with that of the 
authority you quoted in foot-note to my 
previous letter on subject. " Ball," in bis 
pook on green tea-making in China, puts 
down 23 per cent as outturn of dry tea from 
leaf (panning system) and I am sorry to 
say that my experience, by steaming process, 
during a considerable period, coincides with 
this. Being a matter of so great importance 
to all concerned I hope others may be 
induced to give results of their experience. 
—Yours faithfully, VERDANT GREEN. 
[The authority we quoted for 25 per cent 
was backed by exnorience on several estates 
in a wet district, — Ed, T.a. | 
SALT AS MANURE. 
Oct. 21. 
Dear Sir,— Can it be that the Government 
is at last awakening to a sense of its duty 
to Agriculture in one particular direction, 
with which the Ohseynier has identified itself 
for years past? The Planters' Association, 
I believe, at one time sought to induce the 
Government to issue salt at special rates for 
manurial purpose-s, but it failed in its efforts. 
That must have been in pi'ehistoric times. 
I can recall the agitation in your columns 
for the past 10 to 15 years, editorially and 
through intelligent correspondents, in order 
to convince the authorities that salt can be 
denatured so as to render it unfit for human 
consumption, and that, even if such salt can, 
by washing or otherwise, be used for food, 
efforts so to use it would be too infrequent 
and too seldom successful, to be regarded 
as a danger to the revenue or to be weighed 
in the balance against the benefits which 
agriculture and stock will derive from cheap 
salt. The Government Agent of the Western 
Province is said to have sent a sample of 
salt to at least one low-country planter, and 
made inquiries which point to an early con- 
cession. If such be granted, all honour to 
the Lieut.-Governor, during whose adminis- 
tration light seems to be dawning on the 
official mind,— Yours truly, 
PROGRESS. 
TEA AND ITS ENEMIES. 
Sbawlands, Lunugala, Oct. 22. 
Dear Sir, —I am enclosing you, J dozen 
tea leaves all spotted over — as were the 
coffee leaves I sent to your office in 1870. 
The only difference, so far as I can reol- 
lect, is that those were yellow underneath. 
Have you seen anything like this before ? 
I trust it is nothing serious— and I am 
yours faithfully, CHANNING ESDAILB. 
[Our veteran friend Mr. Esdaile, who goes 
back further in Uva and Rangala than any 
planter now at work in Ceylon, brings "days 
of old " to mind with a vengeance, when 
he recalls what happened in 1870. In the pre- 
vious _ year Hemileia vastratix was seen for 
the first time in Ceylon in Madulsima, 
and how it spread and wore out coffee we 
need not repeat. Tea, we are glad to assure 
Mr. Esdaile is in a very different position : 
it has its enemies, especially in blights 
affecting the leaves of which this is 
one. We have seen bushes, often, we believe, 
similarly affected; but to make sure will 
send on the leaves to Mr. Carruthers for 
examination. In the meantime Mr. flsdail^ 
