106 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



March 31, 190G. 



INSECT NOTES. 



Cotton Insects from Egypt. 



A correspondent in Egypt has recently forwarded to tlie 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture specimens of two insects 

 which occur on cotton in Egyi't. 



One of these is the larva of a small moth, which bores 

 into the cotton bolls and eats the inside of the seed, leaving 

 only the empty seed-coat. This is probably the Egyptian 

 cotton boll worm {Earias insnlmia), one of the most serious 

 pests of cotton in Egypt. 



The other insect belongs to the Heniiptera or true bugs. 

 They are small black insects with whitish wings. The young 

 have reddish bodies, and when crushed on the cotton fibre 

 produce a stain similar to that of the cotton stainers. They 

 infest bolls that have been attacked by the boll worm, and 

 those that have 0[iened in ripening, sucking the juice from 

 the pod, seeds and fibre. 



Both these insects have been dealt with in a small book 

 entitled A'otes on Some Eyyjjtian Insect Fests, by F. Fletcher, 

 B.A., B.Sc, etc., which was mentioned in the Agricidtural. 

 A^eics (Vol. IV, p. 31i) as likely to be of value to planters of 

 cotton and other crops in Egypt. 



Insecticides for 1906. 



C)wing to remarkable advances in the price of 

 ar.senic, all arsenical insecticides are now commanding higher 

 prices than last year, and these seem likely to prevail for 

 some time. This would afi'ect Paris green, London purple, 

 and arsenate of lead, all of which have been discussed in 

 previous issues of the Agricultural ]\'etcs. 



Information has recently been obtained in regard to 

 green arsenoid, and at least one dealer in Barbados has 

 a stock of this insecticide on hand, in preparation for the 

 coming cotton season. 



Green arsenoid is a calcium arsenite, and has in the past 

 been considerably cheaper than Paris green, and it has been 

 found in trials in the United States to be as efi'ective an 

 insecticide as Paris green. 



Exi'erimental trials of green arsenoid will be made 

 during the coming season. 



A report on arsenical insecticides has been prepared by 

 the Island Professor of Chemistrv at Barbados, which will be 

 dealt with in a future issue, as will also the results of trials 

 of green arsenoid when these are available. 



The Blood-Sucking Cone-Nose. 



Within the past year several specimens of a large 

 heniipterous insect have been caught in houses in Barbados 

 and sent to the Imperial Department of Agriculture for 

 identification. In .some cases the cjue.stion has been asked 

 whether it bites, for it has been stated that some member of 

 the family has suffered a severe bite or sting, and the insect 

 forwarded has been susiiected as the cause. 



The insect, or bug, for it is one of the true bugs, has 

 been identified as the blood-sucking cone-nose {Conorliitiux 

 Muguimgus). It is found in the Southern States and through- 

 out the tropics. The younger stages of development live on 



trees or plants, and feed upon other insects. The adult gets 

 into houses and frequently ' bites ' human beings. The bite, 

 however, is like that of the moscjuito, merely a puncture for 

 the purpose of sucking the blood of the victim. 



The bite of this insect is sometimes very severe, 

 accompanied by intense irritation and swelling, and occasion- 

 ally results in fever sufficient to make it necessary to call 

 a physician. None of the more severe cases have, however, 

 come under notice in connexion with the specimens submitted 

 to the Imperial Department of Agriculture. 



The insect is nearly an inch in length, black in colour, 

 with a series of reddish spots along the sides of the dorsal 

 surface of the body. The proboscis is short and stout and 

 is turned under the body, and the antennae, which are 

 compcsed of four segments, are stout at the base, while the 

 apical segment is filiform. It may be distinguished from 

 closely related insects by the red spots and the thread-like 

 apical segment of the antennae. 



EDUCATIONAL 



School Gardens in the Leeward Islands. 



The following are extracts from the report by 

 the Inspector of Schools on the Educational Depart- 

 ment in the Lecwardlslands published in the Ojfivud 

 Gazette for February 15, 190(i:— 



There are, at present, twenty-five school gardens in 

 actual o}ieration which are distributed as follows : Dominica, 

 five ; Montserrat, six ; Antigua, seven ; Nevis, three ; 

 St. kitt's, four. Five other gardens have begun work, but are 

 not yet fully established. Many schools, however, not 

 authcirized to earn grants iov a garden, do something towards 

 beautifying the school premises by planting a few flowei'ing 

 plants. Most of the school gardens have received a set of 

 tools co.sting £.5, while necessary expenditure on the rough 

 preparation of the soil, and on fencing, has been met. It is 

 difficult, and in some cases impossible, to obtain land 

 conveniently near to the school on which a garden may be 

 made. The water supply is frequently precarious or 

 non-existent, and, in many localitie.s on the windward sides 

 of the islands, wind-breaks must l>e planted before a garden 

 can be established. 



In Donnnica, where a garden should be attached to 

 each school, there has been difficulty in acquiring suitable 

 jdots of land. As regards the schools on the leeward coast, 

 land is absolutely unobtainable, and the establishment of 

 four of the gardens on the windward side has only been 

 possible through the kindness of local proprietors, who have 

 given plots for the use of the schools. In all the gardens the 

 work has been neat and progressive, and some of the schools 

 have received the Diploma of Merit of the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture for exhibits at the local shows. 



The products of the gardens are the property of the boys 

 and girls who work in them. A record is kept of each day's 

 instruction, and, in schools where the vegetables are sold, 

 a cash book .shows the expenditure incurred as well as the 

 receii'ts. It is evident that the work in the gardens is found 

 interesting, and it appeals to children who show little 

 aptitude for the ordinary subjects of instruction. One 

 instance may be quoted as showing the keenness displayed. 

 Olveston school (Montserrat) to which a garden was attached, 

 was closed in September, 1904, but the garden class 

 continued to work on its own initiative, with assistance from 

 the Agricultural Instructor, until February, 1905, when 

 several of the boys took prizes at the local show. 



