the whole
industry has been brought more under observation and control.

Numerous suggestions have been made from time to time for insuring that
only a good quality of egg shall be imported. As an effective--perhaps
the most effective--means to this end, the Department of Agriculture has
set itself to improve the production of local eggs and thus indirectly
discourage their importation: holders of licences to raise eggs are
required to pass periodical examinations; several have in consequence
had their licences cancelled, new licensees have been added, and many
unlicensed persons have been prosecuted and convicted for illegally
raising eggs.

The common method of hatching practised by villagers, by placing the
eggs tied in cloth with a little cotton-wool in their beds or by
carrying them on their persons, still prevails, but it is gradually
yielding to a better system of incubation. The Department has designed a
simple, inexpensive hatching-box, and these are now being used with good
results.

Until about three years ago probably 25 per cent. of the local rearers
were producing their own seed without any microscopical examination at
all. Bad feeding, bad ventilation, ill-adapted premises were general.
As a consequence pebrine and flacherie played such havoc that many
people were beginning to abandon silkworm rearing and uproot their
mulberry trees. The expansion and increased resources of the
Agricultural Department happily came just in time to check this backward
move.

Silk reeling is unfortunately done in the most primitive manner with
wooden appliances and hot water by village hand labour. The locally
reeled silk is used only for Island consumption and the great bulk of
cocoons is exported in the raw state, mostly to Lyons and Milan. The
burden of freight on this bulky cargo is naturally a heavy handicap and
the local silkworm rearers have consequently to be content with very low
and inadequate prices for their cocoons. During the reeling process 20
to 25 per cent. of the silk is lost, and a further loss is incurred
during weaving owing to the numerous knots having to be cut away and the
silk threads rejoined.

A considerable loss is said to take place in selling cocoons in the
European markets. The cocoons on arrival at Marseilles are subjected to
official tests and sold according to the reports made by the official
testers. It is of advantage to the buyers that the report should be made
as unfavourable as