708 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Winter spraying with strong kerosene emulsion, or a lime-salt-sul- 

 phurwash is recommended for destroying the half-grown larvae in their 

 winter quarters. The best remedy is thought to be spraying with Paris 

 green when the leaf buds are unfolding. 



Report upon insect pests found in the Northern District, 

 W. W. Froggatt (Agr. Gaz. New South Wales, 8 (1897), No. 10, pp. 

 ; 16-720, pi. 1). — Among the large number of injurious insects mentioned, 

 the most important from the amount of damage done is the maize motli 

 (Heliothis armigera), which was found in several fields attacking corn 

 to the extent of 75 per cent; the silver spotted plusia (Plusia verticil- 

 Jala); the orange pest (Monolepta rosce); the harlequin fruit bug (Din- 

 dymus vericolor); the larva* of a moth, probably Gonogethes puiicti- 

 feralis; the castor oil plant pest (Achcea melicerata) ; and the fruit fly 

 (Tephritis tyroni). 



The destruction of magpies, larks, and fly catchers is deprecated 

 since they all feed upon the maize moth. 



The castor oil tree moth (Achcea melicerata) is described and figured. 

 The larvae strip the plants of foliage, and when ready to pupate make 

 their way into the stalks. The moth ranges widely, being found in 

 India, Ceylon, Celebes, and Moreton Bay, Queensland. Balfour, in his 

 work on the ''Agricultural Pests of India,'' says: "The larva is called 

 Thondala hoola by the Canarese. They feed upon the castor oil plants, 

 the leaves and flowers of which the}' eat; on 2 or 3 acres of laud, in 

 one night, they will leave nothing but bare branches. The plants 

 seldom survive their attack, and at best yield only one fourth of the 

 produce. The cultivators drive them from the plants by smoking, but 

 this is impossible of application when seeds are sown on an extensive 

 area, in which case the husbandman gives up all hopes of the crop." 



The caterpillar is about 1.] in. long, of a general reddish chestnut 

 with a darker chestnut stripe on either side. The head is mottled with 

 creamy white spots. The legs are reddish yellow, claws black, the 

 claspers blotched with white. The caterpillars exhibit considerable 

 variation iu color. 



The acacia pod moth (Arotrophora ombrodelta) is also described. 

 The larva' were found infesting the pods of the ornamental acacia 

 (Acacia farnesiana). The larva* were plentiful in the pods in May, and 

 were found pupating in June. The moths emerge in August. The 

 only way to get rid of the pests is to collect all pods as soon as ripe and 

 treat them with bisulphid of carbon. 



How flowers attract insects : Experimental researches, F. 

 Plateau (Bui. Acad. Roy. Set. Belg., 3. ser., 38 (1897), pp. 17-42).— The 

 author briefly reviews some of the literature that has appeared on this 

 subject and gives the results of experiments of his own along the same 

 line. In general he concludes that insects manifest neither preference 

 nor antipathy for the colors of the flowers of any particular species or 

 related species. They go without hesitation to ne.tarless flowers, habit- 



