Vol. XVIII. No. 436. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



11 



CUCKROACH CONTROL. 



Experiments on cockroach control by E. V. \Va ter 

 Ames, Iowa, are recorded in the Journal of Economic Ento- 

 mn/ogv, for October 1918, Vol. XI, p. 424. 



the cockroaches used in the experiment were B/afta 

 vermanica and B. orientahs. 



Powdered boric acid and powdered borax and sugar 

 were used as insecticides, and trials were made of traps. 



The results obtained in these experiments are given in 

 the summary of the article, which is reproduced herewith: — 



1. Traps may be used as a means of control, but 

 cannot be relied on as a method of extermination. 



2. Boric acid is a safe and economical material to use 

 against the cockroaches, as it is non-poisonous to human 

 beings, and yet very etiective against cockroaches- 



3. A mixture of equal parts of powdered borax and 

 powdered sugar ground together is effective against cock- 

 roaches, is safe and economical, although acting slower than 

 boric acid. 



4. Cockroaches eat these substances in an tftbrt to keep 

 clean, and not for any possible food value. 



The large cockroach which is moie frequently a house- 

 hold pest in the West Indies may be controlled by the same 

 means— the use of boric acid. This is freely scattered in 

 places frequented by the cockroaches, and as they move about 

 in .search of food the boric acid adheres to their legs, bodies 

 and antennae and in cleaning it ofi' with their mouth-parts, 

 they eat enough to cause their death. 



A cockroach covered with dust or dirt will, when unmol- 

 ested, again begin a process of cleaning. Usually it draws 

 first one antenna after the other slowly between the mandibles, 

 then begins on the legs, later the abdomen, doubling up 

 almost into a ball until it cleins itself thoroughly. Boric 

 acid, being a very fine, light powder, readily adheres to the 

 insect's legs and body, and must be cleaned off- The pow- 

 dered borax and sugar mixture is heavier, and readily 

 hardens if moisture is present, so is not so well distributed 

 upon the parts of the insect's body. Hence the greater 

 efficiency of boric acid as compared with the borax and sugar 

 mixture. 



OLYTUS DEVASTATOR, NEW PEST OF 

 THE FLORIDA ORANGE 



This is the subject of a paper by Dr. E. A. Back. 

 United SUtes Bureau of Entomology, in the Journal of 

 Econctmic Entomology, Vol. XI, No .5. October 1918, p. 411. 



The in.sect with which the paper deals is a long-horned 

 beetle of the family Uerambicydae, the larva of which lives 

 as a borer, attacking the healthy wood of the branches, trunks, 

 and roots of the citrus trees. It was first described in 1 836, 

 at which time it was recorded as a serious pest of citrus in 

 Cuba. 



It has now appeared in Florida, and has demonstrated its 

 ability to become a serious pest in that State. r 



It is said to have been reared from pomegranate {Punka 

 Granatum), 'Cuban mahogany', and Citrus (orange), with the 

 common mangrove {Rhizophora mangle) as its preferred host 

 plant. 



AN OUTBREAK OF FIELD CRICKETS. 



The common field cricket {Gryliiis integer) of the south- 

 ern part of the Sacramento Valley. California, became so 

 abundant in May and June 1917, as lo cause severe injury to 

 young plantings of truck crops, and especially young growths 

 of vines and trees. 



The grasshopper bail (bran and arsenic) was tried but 

 gave little protection. Flooding the vineyard or orchard 

 for a few hours was the most successful treatment. 



The attack terminated in a complete disappearance of 

 the cricket. (Journal of Economic Entomology, Vol. XI, 

 October 1918, p. 433.) 



This attack is similar to attacks by field crickets in 

 St. Kitts and Xevis,on cotton seedlings. In these instances, a 

 common, but usually not particularly abundant insect, 

 developed enormously, and caused considerable injury for a 

 short time, and then practically disappeared. 



AUSTRALIAN WINES. 



Apropos of the making of orange wine in the West 

 Indies, to which attention was drawn in th&Agricultural A'ews, 

 November 16, 191^, the following extract from an article in 

 The Times Trade Supplement, November 1918, is of interest 

 as showing how fermented drinks of low alcoholic standard, 

 and of local production, may become of commercial impor- 

 tance, and, it may be added, of national benefit when com- 

 pared with more fiery spirits: — 



'Australians cannot be called a wine-drinking people, but 

 the shortage in spirits has led to a large increase in the con- 

 sumption of cheap wines. It is reasonable to assume that 

 many persons hitherto in the habit of drinking beer or spirits 

 will continue to consume wine, even after the conclusion of 

 the war. Australian soldiers will also have cultivated a taste 

 for wine afier their sojourn in France, where spirits are pro- 

 hibited to the ordinary soldier, and French beer is not liked. 

 This is leading to additional areas being devoted to the 

 growth of the vine in Australia, and later on strenuous efforts 

 will also be made to increase the export trade. Even at the 

 present time, when shipping is so scarce, the Australian wine 

 grower is steadily increasing his exports to the Far East, 

 where Australian wines are taking the place of European 

 products. On one steamer which left Sydney during July 

 for the East there were 1,400 cases of Australian wine. The 

 Dutch in Java and the neighbouring islands are the largest 

 consumers, but consignments are also going to centres to 

 which before the war great quantities of German wine were 

 shipped. The Chinese are also buying the choicest brands of 

 Australian wine, one merchant alone taking 200 cases in a 

 single order. 



'The greater demand for Australian wines is revealed 

 by official figures issued in August by the Government of 

 South Australia, which show that last season (1917-18) the 

 output of wine from that State was 5,322,116 gallons, being 

 an increase of 2,371,118 gallons, or 80 per cent, on the 

 output for the previous season. The largest preceding 

 vintage was 3,974,838 gallons in 1913. Approximately 

 32,404 tons of grapes were used. The stocks of wine in 

 South Australia on .Tune 30, 1918 (including the latest 

 vintage) amounted to 86,642,330 gallons While in other 

 States the increase in the area devoted to wine-producing 

 grapes is not so pronounced, the indications are that Aus- 

 tralian growers are making preparations for a big expansion 

 in business after the war. Their anticipations should be 

 realized, for while'the ,\ustralian product does not yet equal 

 the choicest vintages of France, it is of extremely good 

 quality.' 



The first colonists in the West Indies used to make, 

 according to Hughes, most palatable wines from bananas and 

 pine-apples. It may be worth while to reproduce his 

 instructions for their manufacture in a future number of this 

 Journal. 



