70 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



to become a serious pest there also. In May 1914 I visited 

 Goorg, saw the affected areas and advised the planters on 

 the subject. The scale was found to be parasitized to a 

 very slight extent by a minute Chalcidid, apparently a 

 species of Coccophagus, which has been sent to Washington 

 for exact determination. 



A consignment of Microsporidium polyhedricum in 

 dead silkworms was received from the Government Entomo- 

 logist, Egypt. This organism is said to be effective in the 

 control of Prodenia litura in Egypt, but experiments at 

 Pusa, conducted with the help of the Imperial Agricultural 

 Bacteriologist, gave negative results with silkworms and 

 larvae of Prodenia litura. 



An event of the year which deserves mention in this 

 report is the passing of the Insect Pests Bill (Act II of 

 1914) for controlling the importation into British India 

 of living plants which might otherwise bring in noxious 

 insects in the future as they have done in the past. A 

 Notification has been issued regarding certain specified 

 crops, but this is aimed rather at the importation of fungal 

 diseases, and a second Notification will doubtless be issued 

 regarding all plants which are likely to bring in insect 

 pests. 



Under the Wild Birds and Animals' Protection Act, 

 1912 (Act VIII of 1912), a Notification regarding the pro- 

 tection of certain useful species of Wild Birds has been 

 issued by the Governments of Bihar and Orissa and 

 Madras, but I am not aware that any other Local Govern- 

 ment has as yet issued a Notification under the Act. 



Silk. — Six students completed a short course in Eri and 

 Mulberry silkworm rearing. Besides these, Mr. Ayoob 

 Ahmad of Mirpur, Azamgarh, Babu Shashi Bhusan of 

 Shahabad and the Superintendent of Industries in 

 Banganapalle State were given practical instruction in 

 Sericulture and Silk-dyeing. Amongst the visitors were 

 also the Consul for Italy and Rai Bahadur B. C. Basu, who 

 had been deputed specially to inquire into Sericulture in 



