May 2, 1887.3 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



749 



Like any other iusects, the black weevil seems 

 to flourish particularly well m Burma. This is 

 owing to the even temperature of the climate, 

 as it dislikes the sudden changes to heat or 

 cold. It is impossible to estimate the amount 

 of damage caused by this insect in Burma, but it 

 is enormous. 



A large percentage of the shrinkage in stored 

 grain may properly be attributed to this awful destruc- 

 tion by this insect. It is not detected unless in 

 very large numbers, but when the grain is cleaned 

 by being passed through a fan or winnowing 

 machine, grain which has been thoroughly cleaned 

 will show a large percentage of dust and a material 

 falling- off in the weight and bulk of grain. 



The natives try to combat the ravages of 

 these insects by spreading the grain in the sun 

 and then placing gunny cloths on tke grain, 

 when the insect disturbed by the hf-at of the 

 sun, crawls out of the grain to the top of the cloth, 

 and is then shaken off, and the grain again returned 

 to the bin. This method of temporarily getting rid 

 of the insect cannot be followed when there is a 

 large amount of grain 'in store on account of the 

 expense of handliog the gram. The cheap and simple 

 method of preventing the ravages of the disturbing 

 of the weevil is "Naphthaline powder." The me- 

 thod of application is this: it is but to place the Naph- 

 thaline powder at the bottom of the bin or bulk of 

 grain. To accomplish this, take a bamboo about IJ 

 inches in diameter and long enough to reach from 

 the top to the bottom of the bulk of grain, punch 

 the Joints out of the bamboo so as to enable to pas; 

 a stick from one end of the bamboo to the others 

 have the stick made to fit the caviiy in the bamboo ; 

 pass the bamboo with the stick in it down through 

 the bulk of grain from the top to the bottom ; with- 

 draw the stick and drop into, the top of the bamboo, 

 about half a tea spoonful of the powder; the bamboo 

 then can be drawn out as the powder will be safe 

 at the bottom of the bulk of grain. If the bulks are 

 large this should be done to every 10 feet square of 

 the bulk. Kepeat the application every 15 or 20 days 

 as the powder evaporates. The weevils that can leave 

 the grain, will do so, and those that cannot leave are 

 killed by the odour of the powder. Naphthaline thus 

 used does no harm to the grain. Por such purposes 

 the grain is not affected in the least— rather improved 

 as it is not damaged by this cursed grain pest. 



For marketable grain the colour is not affected, and 

 the odour will leave in a short time if fresh Naphth- 

 aline is not applied to it. 



The quantity of powder used is infinitely small in 

 proportion to the quantity of grain and the powder 

 is entirely destroj'ed by evaporation, so that for food 

 purposes the effect is nil. Naphthaline powder can be 

 had at any respectable Meoical Hall for R250 per ounce; 

 a few ouHces will be suflncient for a larger quantity of 

 grain. 



I send you this for the good of my old enlightened 

 friends, the Sii)halese and Moormen of your Bonn e 

 Island, Ceylon. J. D. W, 



TBOUT FOK MADEAS HILL WATEBS. 



Mr. H. tS. Thomas, f. l. s., author of the " Kod 

 in India," writes to us ; — " As the accompanying 

 papers are likely to interest not a few of your 

 readers, may I beg the favour of your inserting 

 them in an early issue. I have a subsequent tele- 

 gram from Mr. Le Mesurier, that the trout fry, 

 which are being so handsomely presented, were to 

 le^ve Nuwara Eliya on the 15th ultimo, but in what 

 numbers, and with what arrttngementa for ice and 

 carriage, I have no information as yet. If there 

 are enough to justify dividing them into two 

 batches, I think it would be well to send one batch 

 to Ootacamund, and the other to Kodaikanal, on 

 the Pulney Hills. If there is only enough for one 

 batch, I am inclined to think it will be best for the 

 trout, and therefore most to the public advantage, 

 (bat tbey should go to Kodaikaual; jbecause tlie 



Kodaikanal lake is so very much richer in cphevicra. 

 They are bred in countless myriads on the rush 

 with which the whole lake is surrounded. The 

 trout are more likely to thrive and reproduce 

 where they are best fed, and if they multiply at 

 Kodaikanal, their progeny can easily be removed to 

 Ootacamund hereafter. Also the trout-like Barilins 

 thrive excellently at Kodaikanal, so that I have 

 taken seven dozens of a morning with a fly. Still, 

 I am afraid that there will be a good many who 

 will think that they ought to go to 

 Ootacamund, simply because Ootacamund is 

 the larger place, just as one gentlemen wants 

 one to put them in the Madras People's ParS ! 

 I only hope we may get the little strangers safely 

 to their journey's end somewhere, and as it is for the 

 public, not for myself, that the efl'ort is being 

 made, I don't wish to decide the destination 

 without the public having their say and then if we 

 fail once, or twice, I shall hope they will be the 

 more patient of failure till at last we succeed." 



Dear Sir, — Your letter to Mr. Kirwaii, of the 27th 

 February last has been sent to me for reply. Mr. 

 Kirwan was mistaken in saying that trout fry had been 

 brought out to Ceylon. What we got were trout ej'ed 

 ova (S. Fario) and so far the experiment shows every 

 sign of being successful. "We got them out in two 

 batches of 15,000 each from Mr. Andrews, of Guild- 

 ford, by two P. & O. Steamers. The first batch was 

 almost a failure, only 56i hatching out, and of the.se 

 about 500 have survived, and are now healthy young 

 fry. I turned out 200 of these into the stream that 

 supplies our lake here, last week and they seem to be 

 doing well. The rest I am feeding so as to give them 

 a better chance of surviving, when turned out. The 

 second batch was a very succftssful one, nearly 50 

 per cent, of the ova hatching out. These are still 

 in the alevin stage, but, so far as appearances go, they 

 will do as well as or better than the others. I shall 

 be very happy to send on full details of our hatch- 

 ing apparatus &c., if you wish it. Judging, however 

 from the condition in which the ova arrived and 

 the rapid manner in which they hatched out, 

 I should be inclined to doubt the possibility of 

 your being able to introduce trout into your 

 hills, by means of ova, unless a different system of 

 packing than that of Mr. Andrew's is adopted. Nearly 

 all our first batch had hatched out before they ar- 

 rived though very carefully looked after on the 

 voyage, and the second batch only came just in time, 

 (nearly 3,000 hatched out the first night). The longer 

 sea voyage from Madras, and the far longer railway 

 journey to the hills, to say nothing of the trip 

 up country, would, I fear, be fatal to the ova. Nor 

 was this our first attempt. In 1882, and twice since, 

 we tried the same experiment, but each attempt 

 failed and it is only at our fourth that we seem 

 about to succeed. On the other hand, I believe you 

 could transport fry from this to Madras without diffi- 

 culty, and if you could arrange for their transport, I 

 shall be happy to give you some. The best way, of 

 course, would be for you to get some Indian visitors 

 to this station to take charge of the tank, and to see 

 that the water was constantly changed, and the 

 fry fed now and then. At any rate, if I can assist 

 you in any way in this matter, you may command 

 my services. And now, per contra, may I ask 

 a favour from yon, and that is, can yon help me 

 towards the introduction of mahseer into Ceylon ? 

 Could you send me some fry : and give me full de- 

 tails of how to treat them tkc? Perhaps we could 

 arrange an exchange, and by the eamo hand that 

 you send me mahseer I could return you trout. 



C. J. LeMesukier. 



Dkar SlKj-^With reference to my letter of the 

 20th, I am going to make an attempt to send you 

 a few trout by Mr. J. Howard, the Manager of the 

 Mtirree 15rewery Co. here, on the Tith or tith proximo. 

 Mr. Howard is away from Nuwara F.liya just now. 

 BO that I cannot give you the exact date and name of 

 ship, but will write you again in re when he returns 

 to the etatiofl,— 0. J- hzUzivvxa^r'^fadras Mailf 



