Today, after getting new tires for the Sumo, Shyam took Ray's Bible students and us (Autumn, Andrew, Raysha and I) to a Mulberry farm. Shyam is fascinated with Mulberries and their various uses. He has already started growing a local variety of mulberry in the garden at the Kalapani school. Eventually he hopes to open a lab where they will study the properties of the mulberry plants. The farm we visited grows the mulberry plants to feed Silkworms. The state of Assam, where Guwahati is located, is well known for it's silk production. The silk worms feed on a diet of mulberry leaves. When they mature they spin a silk cocoon around themselves and then before they are able to complete their metamorphosis the cocoon is harvested for the silk. A year ago I wrote a post about Joyce's interesting choice of Korean Souvenirs, a can of Silk worm pupa. That's what you are left with after you remove the silk cocoon and apparently people in Asia like to eat them...*shudder.* You can read that post if you click here. It was a very educational little field trip. They invited us to come back in April when the silk worms will begin to spin their cocoons. Could be interesting.
A field of Mulberry bushes.
The Mulberry Expert, Shyam, and Ray.
Inside the Rearing House. Trays of Mulberry leaves being eaten by silk worms.
A closer look at one of the trays.
An even closer look.
These are what the cocoons look like before the silk is harvested.
A field of Mulberry bushes.
The Mulberry Expert, Shyam, and Ray.
Inside the Rearing House. Trays of Mulberry leaves being eaten by silk worms.
A closer look at one of the trays.
An even closer look.
These are what the cocoons look like before the silk is harvested.
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