Artificial Food for Eri-silkworm Raising

Authors succeeded in rearing eri-silkworms from hatching to the mouth stage on an artificial food. The artificial food devised were composed of powdered leaves of castor-oil plant, “Kinako” (a powder of parched soy bean), sucrose, agar-agar, inhibitor solution and water. The results on larval raising, cocoon fibres and eggs of the eri-silkworms reared on artificial food were the same as those in the case of the eri-silkworms reared on fresh leaves of castor-oil plant, natural food for this insect, or rather better. The raising of eri-silkworms on artificial food may be adopted industrially for production of a wild silk.