Vol. XVIIl. No. 447. 



THE AQRICULTCJIAL NEWS. 



187 



and have very much the same habits. For instance, when 

 corn is attacked, the newly hatched larvae feed at first upon 

 the epidermis of the letves, and then enter the stalk, 

 and tunnel through all parts of the plant except the fibrous 

 roots. Here we see a similarity to the larvae of the moth 

 borer, which, hatching from eggs on the leaf of the sagar- 

 cane, make their way to the stalk into which they tunnel. 

 The moth borer attacks Indian corn in the same way- 



If this insect should be introduced into the West Indies 

 and become established, there would seem to be no doubt that 

 it might become a pest of great importance, and if it 

 thoroughly adapted itself to climatic and other conditions, 

 Ihere is every chance that it would develop into a most serious 

 pest of corn and sugar-cane In one instanca in the course 

 •f observations on the European corn borer in a plot of corn 

 J-acre in extent, it was found that 1 00 per cent, of the ears 

 were attacked, and that in certain badly infested areas 

 an average of forty-six larvae per plant was found. 

 An infestation in West Indian crops of anything like thit 

 degree of severity would be considered nothing short of 

 calamitouB. 



LIVING INSECTS BY POST. 



In the Monthly Bulletin of the California State 

 Commission of Horticulture for January 1919, there is an 

 article entitled 'Movie Stars Travel by Mail.' This gives an 

 account of an attempt to send some living grasshoppers 

 througk the post from Kansas to California, where they 

 were discovered by the postal clerks and turned over to the 

 Stale Horticultural Quarantine officials. 



The sending of live injurious insects from one State 

 into another is a violation of the law, and when this particu- 

 lar package was held up, the addressee was communicated 

 with and informed that, under the circumstances, the package 

 and its contents were liable to be destroyed. 



In reply to this communication the addressee stated 

 that ' grasshoppers are the only insects which have some 

 actions resembling human beings, and that these were intended 

 to be used in trick photography before the motion picture 

 camera.' The violation if the law was stated to have been 

 unintentional, and the quarantine officials were asked to 

 destroy the package and its contents. 



This is a good illustration of the difficulty of 

 enforcing the laws for preventing the introduction of 

 injurious insects fiom one locality to another. 



PINK BOLL WORM. 



The pink boll worm was introduced into Texas with 

 sotton seed consigned to oil mills, and on its discovery in 

 that State the Federal ard State authorities at once started a 

 campaign to eradicate it. The following note would indicate 

 that this campaign has been successful:— 



'No pink boll worm has been found in Texas this year 

 (i918\and the Federal Horticultural Hoard is joining with the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture of Texas in a recommendation to 

 the GoTcrnor of that State, that the growing of cotton be 

 permitted under certain conditions within the quarantined 

 districts. These restrictions will involve complete control of 

 the seed for planting and of the disposition of the crop pro- 

 duced in the season of 1919.' (The Journal of Economic 

 Entomology, Vol. XII. p. 131.) 



H (A. B. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



The light but refreshing showers with which May opened 

 practically ceased on the 12th of the month. The past fort- 

 night has therefore marked the extension of a very protracted 

 and trying drought. This is now the third month in succe* 

 ■ion during which a minimum of rain has fallen, audit frill b« 

 remembered that these were preceded by three months of very 

 moderate rainfall. Except over limited areas in some of the 

 hilly districts, no rain in excess of an inch has fallen lince 

 November 1 7 last year. 



The rainfall for the corresponding fortnight last year waa 

 very favourable, exceeding, as it did, 3 inches in the lowly ing 

 districts and 4 inches in the hilly parishes. The total to date 

 for this year is practically 50 per cent, leas than that for the 

 first five months of last year. 



The old crop is fast disappearing. St. Lucy, with but 

 two exceptions, has finished. The yield in this parish has 

 been in some fields materially reduced by the ravages of the 

 root borer, which seems to find dry weather specially suited to 

 its destructive work. 



The crops in Christ Church and St. Philip are also being 

 rapidly closed ; indeed, several estates in both parishei 

 have already finished. In St. Michael and St. George one 

 week more will leave few fields outstanding. The yield in 

 these parishes, as far as we can ascertain, has been generally 

 satisfactory in spite of the large percentage of rotten canes. 

 The rotten canes, a large quantity of which are quite dry, are 

 supplying the labourers with cheap fuel. They are allowed to 

 remove them from the fields, and day by day both adults and 

 children may be seen collecting them and taking them to their 

 homes. Wiih firewood at 72c. per 100 tt). our people 

 find this privilege a real boon. 



The weather this season has been distinctly unfavour- 

 able for ratonns. They need late rains to ensure satisfactory 

 development. There is also the fact that to obtain a good 

 return from ratoons, even with the most favourable weathei, 

 the land must receive a liberal application of farmyard 

 manure. The new varieties should be most judiciously 

 ratooned if their yield as ratoons is to be maintained. 



In connexion with this point, we would mention that 

 in OUT opinion, the Ba. 6032 should uot be relieiloBai a 

 ratooner. In several districts it is failing to grow regularly 

 even under favourable circumstances. If there is undue 

 delay in reaping the plant canes, the result will be still more 

 unsatisfactory. We are able to speak confidently concerning 

 the B.H.IO (12) as a ratooner. It springs thickly and 

 vigorously at whatever stage the previous crop may have 

 been reaped, and this is a very strong recommendation. 



In referring to the young cane crop, it is fairly correct 

 to say that two-thirds of the fields still require extensive 

 supplying. It is intended on some estates to cut plants in 

 considerable quantity from the last fields, and 'hatch' them 

 for supplying the less forward fields. The more advanced 

 fields will have to be stumped, and of this work in some 

 fields there will be a large amount to be done. We know of 

 one estate on which 40,000 plants will be cut for the 

 purpose above-mentioned. It is a very long time since our 

 planters have had sach a trying season for establishing their 

 crops. (The Barbados Agricultural Reporter, May 31, 1919.) 



