Vol. VIII. Xo. 189. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



229 



THE ORANGE THRIPS. 



The Experiment Station Record for May 1909, 

 reviews parD 7 of Bulletin J J, Technical Series, 

 Bureau of Entomolopjy, United States Department of 

 Agriculture, entitled The Orange Thrips, by D. Moulton. 



The autlior presents a descri|ition of Euthrips cilri, 

 a speeie-s new to science, which has become a very important 

 orange pest in tlie southern San Joaquin Valley of California. 

 Curled and thickened leaves and scab-like markings on the 

 oranges have been known for from ten to fifteen years, but 

 these injuries have only recently been attributed to the thrips. 

 While the quality of the fruit does not appear to be affected, 

 yet, as oranges are graded and sold largely on appearance, 

 many thousands of dollars have been lost annually. 



There are apparently two broods of E. citri. ' Adults 

 of the first brood appear just before the blossoms in 

 February, March and April, and a second brood appears in 

 July, August, September and October. Adults and lar- 

 vae of the first brood feed on the small oranges just as tiie 

 petals are being thrown ort", the larvae usually under the 

 protection of the sepals, and on the first growths of the 

 foliage. The second brood feeds on the nearly mature 

 oranges, and on the third and fourth growths of the foliage. 

 All varieties of oranges and lemons are attacked, but the very 

 noticeable scabbing on fruit is common only on the navel 

 orange; it is less conspicuous on the Valencia'. That the 

 thrips are not so prevalent on trees planted in sedimentary 

 or loam soils as where the soils are of a clayey or adobe 

 texture is explained in the protection afforded by the latter 

 .soil to the larval, pupal and early adult stiges, which are 

 presumably pa.ssed in the soil. 



A strong tobacco extract and the cheaper soap washes 

 are suggested as lemedies. 



PRE-COOLING. 



In the Agrividtund A\'ics, Vol. \TI, No. IGl, 

 p. 200, mention w^as made of a process known as pre- 

 cooling, the purpose of which is to keep fiuits in as 

 good a condition as possible during transit. The 

 following additional information on the subject is 

 afforded in a report, by the British Consul at Chicago, 

 on the method as it is used by the Southern Pacific 

 Railway in California : — 



The process consists in rapidly refrigerating fruit, vege- 

 tables and other perishable goods at the point of shipment in 

 the cars in which they are to be transported. The chief of 

 the advantages of this process is that the product so pre- 

 cooled is allowed to become thoroughly ripe before shipment ; 

 and the transportation of any fruit or vegetable, hov.-ever 

 delicate it may be, for a long di.«tance, becomes fea.sible and 

 practicable ; so much .so, that its condition at its destination 

 is jiractically the same as that when it was shipped. As is 

 well known, fruit is ordinarily carried over long distances in 

 ice-cooled cars. The objection to this method has always 

 been that, during the two or three days that it took the car 

 to cool, the fruit was undergoing additional ripening, and 

 this had to be allowed for by shipping it before it was quite 

 ripe. Pre-cooling entirely obviates the necessity for this 

 premature packing, and allows the frnit to reach the consignee 

 in jiractically the same condition as it had been when freshly 

 picked. 



The characteristic difi'erence between pre cooling ani 

 other methods of refrigeration appears to be that, in the 

 former, the warm air of the car is withdrawn intermittently 



and its place is sujiplied by the admission of purer, cold air 

 which, by suitable means, is made to pass through the 

 packages of fruit. The jirocess is rendered all the more 

 efKcient by the production of a partial vacuum iri the car 

 before the colder air is admitted. 



The first air which is driven from the car is allowed to 

 escape, but that which has been employed in cooling is 

 returned through a coil of cooled pipes, with the result that 

 moisture and vaixmrs given off by the fruit are separated. 

 The upshot, then, is that the fruit is not only (juickly cooled 

 at first, but that it travels in an atmosphere of fairly dry, 

 clean air which has been partly- sterilized by refrigeration. 



BANANAS IN NICARAGUA. 



The monthly Coiisvlur and Trade Report of the 

 United States, for June, states that attempts are 

 being made to develop the banana trade in western 

 Nicaragua along the Pacific coast. 



A company has obtained a concession of 22.5,000 acres 

 of land, with the privilege of constructing all nece.ssary rail- 

 ways and docks, the free importation of all machinery, 

 material and supplies necessary, and the exclusive right of 

 exporting bananas from all districts bordering on the Pacific 

 Ocean in Nicaragua. The concession is to last for thirty- 

 years. 



The firm undertakes to run a special line of steamers and 

 to pay ■30c. gold coinage, for every bunch of bananas 

 delivered alongside its ve.ssels. It further assumes the 

 responsibility for any fruit that may be lost through its 

 failure to provide adequate transport. It is stipulated that 

 the steamers shall begin to run within one year of the date 

 of approval of the concession by Congress. The firm also 

 agrees to cultivate one-half of the lands allotted to it during 

 the first ten years of the concession, or in default to pay 

 .?.50,000 American gold. 



The results of the enterprise, however, are uncertain, as 

 the district is usually considei-ed to be too dry for the 

 successful grow'ing of bananas. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial (Jommissioner of Agriculture pro- 

 ceeded to England, on duty leave, by the R.M.S. 

 ' Magdalena ', on Jul}' 13. 



Mr. W. Biffen, B.Sc, Scientific Assistant on the 

 staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, who 

 has obtained leave of absence owing to ill-health, pro- 

 ceeded to Canada by the S.S. ' Ocamo ' on the 7th 

 instant. 



Mr. A. H. Kirb}-, B.A., Agricultural and Science 

 Master, Antigua, arrived in Barbados on .July 1.3, in 

 order to take up the duties of Mr. W. Biffen, B.Sc, 

 while the latter is on leave in Canada. 



Mr. G. A. Jones, Acting Agricultural and Science 

 Master, Antigua, had been appointed to the post of 

 Assistant Curator at the Botanic Station, Dominica, 

 and will probably leave Antigua, to take up his duties 

 there, on July 31. 



