170 



THE AGRICQLTURAL NEWS. 



Mav 



1911. 



INSECT NOTES. 



ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY AT THE 



IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE 



AND TECHNOLOGY. 



In a recent number of the Agricultural News (see Vol. X, 

 p. 122;, an article entitled The Control of Insect Pests 

 gave an account of an address delivered by Mr. H. Maxwell- 

 Lefroy, Entomologist to tlie Government of India. 

 Jlr. Lefroy, who is on leave in England, is offering a series of 

 lectures with laboratory work, on entomology, extending 

 over a period of fifteen months; the first lecture was given on 

 March 2 last. 



Circulars which have recently been received at the Head 

 Office of the Imperial Department of Agriculture present an 

 outline of the courses offered, which are five in number. 

 These afford instruction as follows: — 



Course 1, which provides a general introductory course 

 of lecture.-*, and practical work of an elementary nature 

 dealing with the whole subject, was planned to consist of 

 about twenty-five lectures, given on two days in each week 

 fiom March 2 to March SO^and from April 2-5 to .June 18. 



This course, repeated in the ilichaehnas term beginning 

 October 3, forms Course 2. 



Course 3. A special course for those intending to take 

 lip economic entomology abroad or at home. This course is 

 especially arranged for those desiring to qualify for jiosts in 

 agricultural and other departments. It will deal with 

 practical matters which come within the scope of entomologi- 

 cal administration, and will include (a) pests of the world's 

 crops; (b) pests of domestic animals, etc ; (c) use and value 

 of natural cbeck.s: (d) legislation — preventive and repressive; 

 (e) the work of the Government Entomologist; (f) technique 

 and office melliods; (g) illustrations, how prepared and 

 printed; (b) entomological literature. 



The course will be held three times a week during .July 

 and August 1911, at times arranged to suit intending 

 students. 



Course 4. Special course of lectures and practical work 

 on Uiptera on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, at 10 am. 

 to 1 pm., during July 1911. 



Course 5. Advanced course of general entomology in 

 continuation of 1 and 2, consisting of about fifty lectures, with 

 practical work, to be given on Tuesdays and Thur.sdays, 

 from .5 to 6 p.m., during January to June, 1912, beginning 

 about January 1.5, 1912. The time for tlie practical work 

 will be arranged later. 



It will be seen that there is thus provided an excellent 

 opportunity for any who desire to obtain instruction in ento- 

 mology from an exiiericnced and successful entomologist, and 

 it is hoped that advantage will be taken of it. 



tions can be carried out. 



In noting the recommendations, readers of the Agri- 

 cultural Neirf. should remember that in the Southern States, 

 during the winter season when no cane is growing, the moth 

 borer hibernates in the trash in the field, and burning the 

 trash thus destroys many of the insects. 



The experiirents are likely to be of interest to planters 

 in the West Indies, as they show how such an investigation 

 may be carried out; liut they do not seem likely to be useful 

 in the control of the moth borer in these islands, since this 

 insect is always to be found in the growing cane, for here 

 cane is available for its food during the entire year. 



In general, the owners of the land loaned for the demon- 

 strations in Louisiana will be requested to carry out the 

 following recommendations : — 



(1) In harvesting, to cut the cane so that the tops will 

 fall on the rows and not in the middles. After cutting, the 

 trash will be raked out of the middles upon tbe ro-ws, and 

 after the tops are thoroughly dry, l)urned off clean. This 

 will destroy all borers in the trash, and will also check the 

 .sprouting of the stubble. 



(2) After burning, the ground must be gone over care- 

 fully; all pieces of cane left lying on the ground must be 

 picked up or buried: all further trash that may act as a favour- 

 able wintering place for borers must also be removed. 



(3) All planting in the demonstration area must be done 

 in the autumn. This is to do away with windrowed cane, 

 which gives the borers the best possible opportunity to pass 

 the winter successfully. Also, adult cane borers cannot 

 escape from fall plant cane, as they are not strong enough to 

 make their way to the surface, and they thus perish in the 

 ground. 



(4) No cane is to be windrowed within 100 yards of the 

 limits of the demonstration area. This is to prevent moths 

 from coming from the windrowed cane and infesting the 

 demonstration area. 



(.5) All ditches and turnrows in the demonstration area 

 must be thoroughly cleaned up. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH THE MOTH BORER. 



The United States Department of Agriculture has 

 established a special experiment station at Audul)on Park, 

 Louisiana, for the purpose of investigating the insect pests 

 of sucarcane. According to the Louidann Planter and 

 'Sugar Manufacturer for April 8, 1911, this special experi- 

 jrnent station will cooperate in carrying out experiments to 

 devise cultural methods which shall reduce the numbers of 

 the moth borer and the amount of loss from its attacks. 

 ., • It is planned to establish demonstration areas,' with the 

 aid of planters, on j)rivatc estates where certain recOmnienda- 



BROOM CORN IN THE UNITED STATES 

 AND QUEENSLAND. 



The April number of the trade publication Brooms, 

 JJrushcs and Handles states that the results of the 1910 crop 

 of broom corn in the United States, have caused discourage- 

 ment to planters, so that there will probably be a decrease in 

 the area of this plant grown during the present year. It is 

 considered, however, that the [lolicy to be followed should be 

 to keep a good average area in the crop year by year, to 

 make additional efforts lo i)roduce good plants, and to take 

 .special care of the product when it has been obtained. 



In regard to Queensland, it is stated in the Queensland 

 Agricultural douriuil ior March 1911 that the supply of broom 

 millet, as it is more correctly called in that State, has beenquite 

 unequal to the demand, so that prices have risen to £40 

 per ton, or iiKne, for fibre of good quality. The average 

 yield of fibre in (^>ueensland is 600 lb. of broom and 1,.500 lb. 

 of seed, per acre, within four months after sowing, while a sec- 

 ond crop can I'e obtained three months later, giving an addi- 

 tional 500 II), of broom. 



In order to lueet the demand for broom in Queensland, 

 amounts to the value of £8,000 have to be importeil every 

 year. 'The average annual denuDid in this State amounts to 

 nearly 300,000 lb., and the supjply from 200 acres planted 

 amounted to 139,772 lb., of a value, at rates ruling at the 

 end of the financial ycnv of 1910, of £1,455.' • 



