August i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



the bark, si ems to be the very one which followed 

 the so-called gum-disease ou Abbotsford. There these 

 blotches covered the stems of the cinchona plants, 

 and if cut across with a knife it was discovered that 



from them a canker was eating inwards to the pith 

 through which, if it was allowed to reach it, it 

 spread rapidly upwards and downwards, speedily pro- 

 ducing decay and death. The only remedy seemed 

 to be to stump the tree below the blotch, which as 

 a rule first attacked the stem about 10 to 18 inches 

 from its Jop. It was quite different from the ordinary 

 cinchona canki r, which proceeds upwards from the root, 

 the cause of which has never yet been satisfactorily 

 explained. 



As Helopeltis Antonii or theivora (the tea-bug and 

 mosquito blight of India) seems to be the most for- 

 midable enemy with us we give it the first place. 

 It is dei cribed by Mr. S. E. Peal in the " Tea 

 Cyclopaedia " as follows : — 



The Tea Bug has no jaws — only a sucker — belongs to 

 the Hemiptera, wherein the wing-cases are half like wings' 

 and used as such, aud vibrate. Also, half the outer wing 

 nearest its insertion ishardish, and the tip is membranous. 

 In foldiug the wings, they cross each other ; hence the 

 winged bugs have a cross on their backs like an x, and 

 are known from the Beetles at once, where the wing- 

 casesjoin in a centre line like an I. 



The " Tea Bug " is, when full grown, not unlike a 

 large mosquito ; when very young, it may, after some 

 trouble, be seen running (often sideways) on the young 

 leaves and stems of tea — say it is less than one-eighth of 

 an inch long, and of pale green color. 



As it grows, it turns darker (tea-liquor color), and a 

 pair of long anteuuse are developed. 



Its presence may be known by the small brown 

 punctures closely made in the younger leaves ; and, as it 

 grows, these punctures become larger and wider apart. 

 If recently made, the spot is pale greenish brown, turn- 

 ing bright, and then dark brown ; and when many are on 

 one leaf, it generally dies. Eventually the Bug turns to 

 a deep black — head, legs, antennas, and thorax ; the 

 abdomen to opaque white. It has a small spine on the 

 back, like a drum-stick. The damage caused by this 

 insect is, I think, much greater (when it does 

 appear) than all the previous ones together. I 

 have seen the greater portion of a large garden 

 so bad with it, that 35 acres of the worst part 

 was heavily pruued in July, the Mauagcr quite disbeliev- 

 ing that the " blight " was caused by any insect ; and it 

 can quite upset an estimate to the extent of probably 30 

 per cent, of outturn or more. 



Luckily it is not steadily increasing, but seems more or 

 less influenced by climate or season. In one year it may 

 be bad, and in the next hardly make head at all ; or it 

 may shew in one part of a garden and not in another. 



As a nt/c, shade favours it ; it is generally worse near the 

 edges of forest, hoflas, or under large trees. The only and 

 nearest approach to. cure that I know is the removal of 

 all shade : at the same time I am aware that it is often 

 bad in the open as well. This will hardly sound like a 

 tE cure." 



In this case I do not believe there is one, until the Bug's 

 natural enemy (and we maybe certain it has one) makes 

 head. Possibly to this cause we may attribute the fact 

 that it is not now an universal and serious enemy, for it 

 has everything in its favour — propagates rapidly, and can 

 elude us like the mosquito, which we might equally in vain 

 hope to exterminate. 



Another correspondent in the same work says " the 

 distinguishing mark of the mosquito pest is the drum- 

 stick standing erect between the shoulders." Others 

 describe this peculiar spike as resembling " the head 

 of a pin." Mr. J. Wood -Mason, who was specially de- 

 puted by the Bengal Government to investigate the 

 nature of the insect tea-pests in Assam, found that the 

 tea-bug is armed with a serrated ovipositor, in ap- 

 pearatce, as in sharpness, resembliDg a sword: with 

 this the insect pierces the leaves of the plant, and 

 deposits therein the eggs that eventually cause such 

 mischief. But the most important discovery was that 



the pest appeared invariably to choose the blighted 

 portions of hushes for these operations, and that by 

 vigorous and unremi'tiug plucking of those paits the 

 evil might be mitigated. This has certainly not been 

 our experience on Abbotsfoid, where Helopeltis has 

 put in an appearance in a mild form for the last two 

 years on trees so luxuriating in health that they sent 

 out double, treble, and even quadruple leaves, and 

 are now yielding at the rate 600 lb. per acre. The 

 small pekoe bud was first attacked, then the pekoe, 

 aDd finally the pekoe souchong leaf exactly as is 

 described above, but the superintendent has never 

 yet been able to find a single specimen of the insect. 

 Will someone kindly send us specimens in the various 

 stages of growth ? 



Yet another correspondent of the same work notices 

 anent mosquito blight : — 



1st — That it does not show itself in the cold weather. 



2nd.— It appears first on the little buds between the leaves 

 and stems where the new shoots come from. 



Sid. — It develops with the young leaves in spring, and in- 

 creases with them. • 



4th. — It appears yearly on the same plots. 



5th. — It sticks more to some plots than to others that are 

 treated the same way, and are on similar sites. 



6th. — It is worst under tree shade. 



1th. — Heavy rain affects it somewhat, anel hot sunny 

 weather helps it. 



8th. — It disappears to a great extent with heavy pruning, 

 and is worst on light pruned patches. 



9th. — It disappears to a great extent if the jungle be 

 allowed to grow over the bushes. 



10th. — Nothing but cutting the bushes down so as not to 

 leave an eye effects a radical cure. 



11th. — I have never noticed it ou grass laud. 



12th. — It is worst on high land. 



13(/j. — It attacks the silkworm. 



14(/, — It is very fond of the Pan plant. 



15th. — The Assamese call it ' Hoohonee.' 



VSth. — It breeds all through the rains. 



\7th. — You generally see two little ones together. 



1Mb.— The insects at all stages are easily caught with 

 the hand. 



19th. — Cultivation alone is of no avail against it. 



20th. — In plants that are badly attacked the pith of all 

 the green shoots gets poisoned. 



Another disease, which we have observed ou Ab- 

 botsford, and of which we could not identify the 

 cm e, is attributed by an Iudian planter to the 

 innocent looking lady-bird. He writes:—" I have been 

 troubled a great deal by a little iDsect of the lady- 

 bird tribe, bright-red ou top aud black underneath: 

 it scrapes among the shoot underneath the pekoe 

 tip, causing the latter to turn black and drop down, 

 never completely severed, but completely spoiled." 

 We have certainly ofteu seen the lady-birds on the 

 tea-plants, and believing them to be harmless as their 

 names would imply have freely allowed them to 

 " fly away home," but with the above information iu 

 view we shall in future take good care that they or 

 " their children do burn." 



We now come to red spider, who brings us the fol- 

 lowins; letter of introduction from a well known Haputale 

 planter : — 



" I send three coffee leaves which seem to me of a 

 peculiar colour on the upper side as if they were besmeared 

 with road-dust, and on the same surface of the leaf there 

 are either eggs or insects of a whitish colour all over, so 

 small that the naked eye cannot elefine what it really is. 

 Could you throw any light as to what it is ? If so, I shall 

 feel obliged." 



We sent the leaves to our entomological referee, 

 who unhesitatingly pronounced the verdict " Keel 

 spider. The white powdery patches are composed 

 of the cast skins of the insects." These pitiless 

 little wretches must have been present in large 

 numbers, for the leaves are simply covered with their 

 white dust-like skins. The following description by 



