2G 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



■ J AN" VARY 



1908 



INSECT NOTES. 



Throat Bot Fly in Cuba 



Tlie accompanying note on the occurrence of tlie 

 throat bot fly in Cuba is published in the report of the 

 proceedings at the recent Conference of tlie U.S. Associa- 

 tion of Economic Entomologists: — 



Altlinugli the bor.so bot (Go.ftriijthiliiK et/iii, Fab.) is 

 cdtniuouly known in Cuba, it does not appear that G. misntis 

 has yet been reported. Specimens of the latter had been 

 obtained from Texas, Kansas, and Wyoming. Xow it has 

 been taken Hying about the plough nuilesliere on the grounds 

 of the Agricultural Station. 



This occurrence is specially interesting, lieiause with it 

 maj- be noted an apparent divergence in liabit. Ordinarily 

 it has said to annoy animals by striking for the vicinity of 

 .he neck for the deposition of its eggs. Here, as we have 

 observed, it flies almost entirely beneath the body. Whether 

 this shows any definite indication of a difference in the egg- 

 laying habit remains to be determined. 



The House Fly. 



In a pamphlet recently published by the Health 

 Committee of the City of Liverpool, Mv. Robert 

 Newstead has given the results of investigations carried 

 out by him into the life-history and bleeding habits of 

 the common house fly (Masca thnnctifiai). 



This insect is so well known that it may seem strange 

 that there is anything new to learn in reference to it. 

 Mr. Newstead, however, has leen able to produce some new 

 and interesting facts. He finds that the fly breeds in ferment- 

 ing vegetable matter in preference to any other. Stable 

 manure provides the best material, but ash pits containing 

 refuse of various sorts also contained the maggots though in 

 a far less degree. The tiy does not breed, like the liiuc- 

 bottle and many otter carrion feeders, in decaying animal 

 matter. The maggot stage varies nnuli in its duration, 

 being shortest (about a week) in warm, fermenting media, 

 and this points to the desiialiility of eniptynig aslipits, etc., 

 at frequent intervals. I'oultiy search very greedily for the 

 grubs, and thus help to keep the nuinher of flies down in 

 places where stable manure or other litter accumulates. 



The inforniatioii thus gathered by Mr. Newstead is of 

 considerable economic value, as indicating the best means of 

 preventing the rapid multij)li(ation of so troublesome a ]iest. 



Now that the breeding hat)its of this pest have become 

 known, it is more po.ssible to devise suilalile means for its 

 destruction, and at a time in its life-histon when il is most 

 vulnerable. 



Preventive measures become the more imperative wiien 

 it is rcmemliered that besides the annoyance which it causes, 

 the iiouse Hy is one of the connnon agents resi>onsible for the 

 s-jiread of certain disea.scs. owing to tlic filthy habits of 

 feeding which characterize the adult insect. 



An Insect Pest and its Parasite. 



The following interesting note, published in 

 the lirpart of the U.S. Association of Economic 

 Entomologists, was contributed by Mr. C. F. Baker of 

 Cuba : — 



A common fi-uit which occuis in gardens in Cuba is the 

 tree gooseberry, (I /'/n/ttiintfiiis Eiiihlica). This tree is com - 

 |)letely and rapid I}- defoliated by a most pernicious pest 

 the lar\a of M'-lanrhrum (jeomctroides, Walk. As far as I had 

 ob.served until recently none of the parasitic enemies of this 

 insect ap|)eared to e.xercise any check U])on it. One day how- 

 ever in visiting a tree swarming with the larvae and almost 

 defoliated, I discovered that numbers of them were dead and 

 dying, their blackened ,=;kins hanging from the tree or lying on 

 the ground beneath. Drawing nearer 1 found that the lar\ae 

 were being attacked by a very small sucking fly, from one to 

 half-a-dozen being perched on each larva on which they 

 remained until it was .sucked dry. Mr. Coipiillet has kindly 

 determined this tiy as Cer itojuxjon i";v/>/io*-o».v, WiIl.,previou.sly 

 reported only from the island of St. Vincent. This mosipiito 

 like method of attack and its remarkable efficacy is very 

 novel and interesting. 



Sleeping Sickness Conferences. 



A second International Conference on Sleeping 

 Sickness was to have mot at the British Foreign 

 Office on November 1 last, but this gathering has been 

 postponed for a time. 



The London T'uius states that this is in deference to the 

 wishes of the (ierman Government, which has [lointed out 

 the advantage that would be gained if their delegates were in 

 a jiosition to submit to the Conference the fruits of the recent 

 labours of I'rofessor Ivoth. Professor Ivoch has lately been 

 engaged in an exhaustive inijuiry into the ipiestion of Sleep- 

 ing Sickness, and has spent a considerable time in the infected 

 districts of Africa. He has now returned to Berlin, where he 

 is at present engaged in the preparation of his report. 



As this work mu.st neces.sarily occupy a considerable 

 time, the Conference is unlikely to as.send>le before the 

 middle of February. 



The T'nius also states that an i?idependent Slecpinsj 

 Sicknesss Connnittee, with Sir Alfred Jones as Chairman, has 

 also been formed at fjivcrixiol. This Committee has for its 

 object the collection of information dealing with Sleeiiinff 

 Sickness, the slinudation of research into the cau,se, method 

 of transference, and cure of the disease, and the publiciUion 

 from time to time, of connimnications with reference to it. 

 The Committee includes the names of several eminent scien- 

 tific and medical men. 



RUBBER AREAS OF DIFFERENT 

 COUNTRIES. 



At a meeting held not long ago in Jle.vico City of 

 Mexican rubber planters. Dr. Pehr Olsson-Sefler made 

 the following statement in reference to the areas of 

 planted rubber in Me.xico and in oilier countries of the 

 world : — 



From tiata at hand I would consider the world's area of 

 rubber i-lantalions t,, be 3ii.^),000 acres, distributed as follows • 

 Mexico, y.").000 acivs ; Malay Peninsula, 92,000 • Ceylon 

 8.3,000: Africa, .iO.OOO : Central America, 14 000 ■ Ju-i' 

 10,000: In.lia, 8.200; Brazil, G.OOO : Venezuela, ■6 400- 

 Ecuador, 3.000 : P.,.rneo, 2,000 : Colombia, 1,800 ; and 'AVest 

 Indies, 1,600. . 



