ChinaKnowledge.de -
An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature
Zuocan jianfa 柞蠶簡法 is a brief book on wild silk written during the very late Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Xu Lan 徐瀾, courtesy name Chengyuan 澄園.
His book, finished in 1909, consists of several parts, the first of which (Zhong zuo 種柞) deals with the cultivation of Quercus dentata (zuo 柞), a kind of oak tree. The second part (Yu can 育蠶) is explains the acquisition of and care for wild silkworms, while the third one (Chuncan 春蠶) clarifies the treatment of growing silkworms, while the part Qiucan 秋蠶 is dedicated to the advanced age. The chapter Chaosi 繅絲 describes how to win silk yarn from the cocoons.
An appendix called Chuncanfa 椿蠶法 is particularly dedicated to the species Samia ricini (chuncan 椿蠶). A copy of the book is owned by the Beijing Library 北京圖書館.
A supplement to the book, Zuocan jianfa buyi 柞蠶簡法補遺 (published in 1910), was written by Dong Xiangxiong 董祥熊, who was industrial commissioner (quanyedao 勸業道) of the province of Anhui. His book is a study focusing on tussah silk production in Lushan 魯山, Henan. It includes 12 illustrations.