Sericulture in India: Industrial Application from Seventeenth to Nineteenth Century

Abstract

It has been observed in the course of our investigation that the sericultural community of West Bengal had reared since the 17th century four types of silk-worms, i.e. : (i) <i>Bombyx textor</i>,<i> </i>(ii) <i>Bombyx fortunatus, </i>(iii) <i>Bombyx creasi</i>, and (iv) <i>Bombyx</i> <i>sinensis </i>in houses constructed with local materials on the basis of certain specifications. Principal cocoon growing seasons were March, May, July, August, October and November to obtain both univoltine and bi-voltine silk. They appeared to have studied that the ideal food component of silk-warm feed is solid fibre, saccaharine, resinous substance, colouring matter, and water,

relationship of tenderness and maturity of mulberry leaf with the growth process of the worms, the ideal temperature being 23^oC and appropriate level of humidity between 65 per cent to 75 per cent. It was also studied by them that yield or silk from cocoons varied between 6.8 per cent in 3 kg to 8.3 per cent, 9.4 per cent and 12.5 per cent, respectively. The sericulturists indentified eight silk-warm diseases like (i) <i>Pebrine</i>, <i>(ii) Muscardine, (iii) Flypest, (iv) Flacherie, (v) Gatine, (vi) Grasserie, (vii) Court, </i>and <i>(viii)</i> <i>Dermestes vulpine </i>and observed preventive and curative measures. The total annual output of silk in Indian then was 4000 tonnes (all coming from Bengal), dominating 50 per cent of the global silk trade.