78 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



soils that termites cause damage to sugarcane setts and 

 shoots. 



An experiment was undertaken in an area which is 

 known to be very much infested by termites to find out the 

 strength of Lead Arsenate solution which would be suit- 

 able for dipping the setts in order to protect them from 

 termites. Lead Arsenate manufactured by the Thomsen 

 Chemical Company was used. A strength of 1 lb. in 2 

 gallons of water has been found satisfactory. Even a 

 strength of 1 lb. in 1 gallon of water can be used without 

 any harmful effects on germination. Weaker strengths up 

 to 1 lb. in 4 gallons water are also effective. 



4. Maize. The larvae of Heliothis obsoleta caused 

 a curious form of damage by boring into the tender top por- 

 tion of the stem. 



5. Fruit Flies. Large numbers of Fruitflies have been 

 reared in the quest for parasites, but with little success. 

 At Pusa Chwtodacus cucurbit ce, for example, appears to 

 be almost free of parasites, although in Southern India it 

 is attacked by Opius fletcheri, which has been introduced 

 from India into Hawaii with considerable success. Car- 

 fomyia vesuviana, however, is parasitized extensively and 

 further consignments of living pupae were sent to Italy in 

 the endeavour to introduce these parasites there. An 

 important paper by Professor Bezzi, on the Fruitflies of 

 the genus Dacus occurring in India, Burma and Ceylon, 

 has appeared during the j^ear, the information contained 

 in it being largely based on material sent from Pusa. Pro- 

 fessor Silvestri has also described several Braconid para- 

 sites of Indian Fruitflies and has published a note on the 

 occurrence of Dacus olece in India and also a description 

 of its parasite in North-West India. 



6. Life-histories of insects. In the Insectary more 

 *iian 200 different lots of insects were reared and observa- 

 tions made on their life-history and habits as far as pos- 

 sible. Of these, many were new to Science and practically 

 none had been reared before. Several of them may be 

 ranked among pests and may be serious occasionally, for 



