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The unique gender-based venture of the Mulberry Patch proposes the creation of a dedicated bio-habitat for the housing and rearing of the Bombyx Mori Silkworm at River Plantation, St. Philip, Barbados.

The River Plantation property, which has been visited by the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), has been identified by that organisation as the potential site for the establishment of Mulberry plantation and Residential Containment Laboratory Facility.

	The old sugar mill seen here will make an excellent Laboratory and educational facility as well as tourist attraction. Seen here Dawnay St John the CEO of Destiny Inc. examining the structure for suitability.
DEEP VISION OF THE MULBERRY PATCH The Deep Vision of The Mulberry Patch will integrate the sustainable agro practices of:

• Mori- and seri-culture;
• Horticulture
• Indigenous Herbi culture and allelopathic plantings
• Aqua-culture
• Energy efficient systems to power plant and recycle by-products
• Methanogizer technology to aid fertigation
• Bio-drainage planting that will protect and water nourish an essentially semi-arid landscape slope reclamation and bio-pest controls

Silk production today is a blend of ancient techniques and modern innovations.
In the first stage of silk production the silkworm eggs hatch, these eggs
have been previously examined and shown to be free from disease. Larvae are then fed cut-up mulberry leaves and after the fourth molt climb a twig placed near them and spin their silken cocoons.

The silk is a continuous-filament fiber consisting of fibroin protein secreted from two salivary glands in the head of each larvae, and a gum called sericin, which cements the two filaments together. Pupae within cocoons are killed by steam or fumigation to prevent adult emergence, which would cut and tangle the silk filaments. Cocoons are latter softened
in hot water to remove the sericin, thus freeing silk filaments for reeling. Single filaments are drawn from cocoons in water bowls and combined to form yarn. This yarn is drawn under tension through several guides and eventually wound onto reels. The yarn is dried, packed according to quality, and is now raw silk ready for marketing.

World silk production has approximately doubled during the last 30 years in spite of man-made fibers replacing silk for some uses. China and Japan during this period have been the two main producers, together manufacturing more than 50% of the world production each year. China during the late 1970's drastically increased its silk production and became the world's leading producer of silk. The 1970's were a period of tumultuous political and social upheaval in China, resulting in various economic reforms. Undoubtedly, these reforms are partially responsible for China's increased silk production. Thus the country that first developed sericulture approximately 4,700 years ago has again become the world's main producer of silk.

Some information compliments of http://www.insects.org