2oS 



THE AGRICULTUIUL NEWS. 



December G, 1902. 



landing at nearly all the islands innu Btriiuida and 

 St. Kitt's, S(juthwards to British Guiana nu the main- 

 land of'Sduth America. There is also direct communi- 

 cation between Canad.i and Jamaica on the 15th. of 

 every month from H.ilifix, Nova Svotia, touching at 

 Bermuda antl Turks Islands. 



We might suggest to visitors tliat they would 

 greatly add to the interest of their tour in the West 

 Indies if they would visit the Botanic Gardens, 

 Agricultural Schools and the E.\pcrinient Stations 

 maintained in the various islands under the ausjiiccs 

 of the Imperial Jtepartmcnt of Agriculture. These 

 institutions are usually close to the landing places and 

 they offer an excellent means for becoming accpiainted 

 with the useful anil ornamental jilants of the tropics. 

 At Jamaica, Trinidad and Britisii (iuiana there are 

 Botanic Gardens of considerable beauty and extent, 

 and these should certainly not be missed. 



^fM^)^r 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Sugar-cane Pests in the Hawaiian Islands. 



The Lou Ikii 11(1 Sufjur Flcriter's .hniriKil of June 

 14, 1!)02, contained an article on the insect enemies of 

 the sugar-cane in the Hawaiian Islands observed by 

 Mr. R. C. L. Perkins, wIkj maiie very extensive insect 

 collections there. It is of interest to com])are the 

 insects found in or on the cane there with tho.se 

 known in these islands. 



The cane hovt;r ( SjjIic n < ij )ln)r us (}lisctirti.<:)v\UU'ut]\ 

 corresponds to the weevil or ladybird bt>rer (S/iliciic- 

 jtltoruti aeric/'tin) of the West Indies. Equally the 

 small borer ( Hi/pothcneiuus aih) is equivalent to the 

 shot borer ( Xylehoriis perfovans). Tiiere is no West 

 Indian e<]uivnlent of the longhorned beetle ( An/osonKt 

 rcfir.ritni) unless we include the Trinidad cases of palm 

 weevil (('(ilitndra paliuani m ), an occasional ])est of 

 sugar-cane. The Niti<lulid beetle ( Ilnjitinirhiis s-^h) 

 has a relative of the same family very abundant on the 

 canes in Barbados and equally harmless. 



Of caterpillars, the Hawaiian Islands have three ; 

 the two Omlodcn have no real eipiivalent cane feeding 

 species in these islands, though there are several that 

 ccpially eat grasses. Th(! third ( SjMKln/ilcrd maiiritia ) 

 is evidently similai- to the West Indian corn worm 

 (SjxHJiiptci'd friKjiiirrdii ), which occasionally attacks 

 young canes. 



The four-baiid( d liy ( h'li.ri'stn ii nnonnae) is 

 represented here by J'Jii.rcufn yti(jiniiliiis. The mole 

 cricket injiirious in the Havvaiian Islan<ls has not j'ct 

 beeti recorded as injuring cane in these islands, though 

 two species occur here. 



The shorthorned Grasshojiper (Oxyii vehix) is 

 represented hero by Sclii^stdcnrti ptdlens. Mr. Perkins' 

 remarks on the increase of Hawaiian species, 

 introduced in 1892, are very interesting reading 

 in the light (tf the efforts being made to ensure 

 that no iresh pests will be introduced to the West 

 Indian Islands. The longhorned grasshopper (Xipltl- 

 dium fiufcum) is here represented bj' two species of 

 (j'onocrplKdaK, both rarely injurious to cane. Of bugs, 

 the Hawaiian Islands have two leaf hojipers ( Fidjio- 

 riditc), an aj)his and a mealy bug (lJ<icfi/l<ijiius). The 

 West Indies have one leaf hopper (D('lpli<tx Nuccluiri- 

 -vura, also of the Fuh/oriiJ<u;), an a])his and two species 

 of mealy bug (Diiciylopi.as auccharl and adceohir'uie). 

 In all of the fifteen insects mentioned b}' Mr. Perkins, 

 there are in the West Indies representatives of twelve. 

 These are not only closely allied in every case, but work 

 injust the same manner. The West Indies have also 

 the moth-borer ( DUdnica yturhnrdlit) unrepresented, 

 by any insect in the Hawaiian Islands, and the root 

 borei (Dldprcpcy, idihiTchdas). 



The similarity between the pests of the two 

 localities is very striking, the more so as in no case are 

 the species identical. The whole paper is of interest 

 to West Indian sugar planters. Mr. Perkins draws 

 attention to the danger of introducing such pests as 

 Apog(nii(( dcntfuctdv from Java, or the moth-borer 

 from the West Indies, etc. The.se remarks apply 

 equally to these islands, both in the case of thr many 

 pests mentioneil by Mr. Perkins as occurring in the 

 Hawaiian Isl.mds and those found in Java, Australia, 

 etc. It is to be hoped that no new insect ])ests w-ill 

 find their way to these colonies, the list at present 

 being sufficiently long. 



Root Disease of Sugar-cane. 



The roots of jilants serve two j)iincipal I'unctions. 

 The first is to anchor the plant. The roots branch 

 undergidund and become interwoven with the soil 

 p.irticles and thus i'unction as anchoring organs. The 

 second function of roots is to al)Sorb from the soil 

 water containing mineral -salts, potash, nitrates, 

 phosphates, etc., in solution, which serve as food for 

 the plant. Anything that attacks and weakens the 

 root system causes loss to the plant in two ways : it 

 loosens the ])lant in the .soil so that it is more easily 

 uprooted, and secondly, it cuts off the plant's supply 

 of water and mineral food. 



The .symptoms of root disease are similar to 

 tho.se cau.sed by water and mineral starvation. 'I'he tips 

 and edges of the leaves dry uj), and finally, many of the 

 leaves wither and fall off. If the roots are examined 

 many of them will be deca^-cd and rotten, or covered 

 with a white felt or fungus tissue: tlu> young roots are 

 often seen to be dried up at their tips. 



'I'he most common root disease of the sugar-cane 

 is ca\ised by .a fungus that belongs to the same group 

 as the mushrooms and toad-stools. After wet weather 



