110 



plants result in checking the growth of tin" 1 plant ami 

 producing ;i very unhealthy tree. 



The Castilloa tree sheds its leaves al intervals and on 

 this account scale insects which attack the leaves are not 

 injurious to the same extent as those which attack the stem. 

 The common mealy-bug (Pseudococcus citri, Risso) is very 

 commonly found (Fig. 127), and sometimes in extreme 



Fig. 127. The common mealy bug". 

 Enlarged. (Imperial Dept. Agric.) 



abundance, on leaves of Castilloa. The appearance of trees 

 attacked in this manner is very unsightly, because this 

 mealy-bug is accompanied by black blight ; but the injury 

 resulting from such attacks is not often very great. As has 

 been indicated, the leaves of the Castilloa fall to the ground 

 and carry the mealy-bugs with them, and also these insects 

 are often parasitized to a very considerable extent. 



Funtumia rubber is very liable to attacks by the green 

 shield scale (Coccus viridis, Green). The Ceara rubber, of 

 which a few trial specimens are now being grown in the 

 West Indies, are attacked by a flat black shield scale which 

 may prove to be Sciissetia nigra, Nietn. 



If it becomes necessary to spray rubber for the control 

 of scale insects, any of the standard insecticides would 

 probably be found satisfactory. 



Castilloa rubber is sometimes attacked by a borer which 

 is the larva of one of the long-horned beetles. Very little 

 seems to be known of the habits of this insect. It has been 

 identified as Taeniotes scalaris. The body of the beetle is 

 about 1^ inches in length, while the slender antennae are 

 considerably longer. The body is slender, and is distin- 

 guished by a broad white stripe extending from the head to 

 the end of the wing covers. The wing covers aie marked 

 by alternating white and black lines. 



