114 



would justify the expenditure of considerable money in the at- 

 tempt to control this pest. 



On January 22 the S. S. Mariposa was compelled to call here 

 to secure a supply of fuel oil to finish her voyage to San Francisco 

 from Tahiti. She had on board a quantity of young cocoanuts, 

 also some "alligator pears," which we would not allow to be 

 landed here, the former being subject to the attack of a fly (similar 

 to the melon fly) in seme of the South Sea Islands. 



On January 11 the four-masted American iron ship E. M. 

 Phelps arrived from Manila. We inspected the ballast on board 

 and found it to consist of dark sand and small shells taken from 

 the beach of Cavite below Manila. We also examined it when it 

 was being discharged, but failed to find any trace of vegetable 

 matter. It vras used for cement work in town. Another Ameri- 

 can iron ship, the Astral, arrived from Japan on March 4 with 

 clean sand and gravel and was allowed to discharge on the wharf. 

 The inspection of ballast of this nature coming from foreign ports 

 is to prevent the introduction of soil which might contain the 

 larvae or grubs of obnoxious insects. 



Fifty grafted peach trees slightly infested with the destructive 

 *'West Indian Peach Scale" (Alancaspis peufagona) arrived from 

 Japan and \\ere immicdiately burned. This is the scale that was 

 introduced into the grounds of the Department of Agriculture at 

 Washino;ton, D. C, and which withstood treble strength of the 

 best liquid insecticides which only killed a very low percentage of 

 them. From the same country came ten small Japanese maple 

 trees badly nifested with Parlatoria theae, also five Japanese Ca- 

 mellias with Pscndaonidia duplex. As both these pests were in- 

 jurious, the plants were also destroyed. 



A few orchids from the Philippine Islands were imported hav- 

 ing a small larva working in the crowns of the plants. The plants 

 were fumigated with hydrocyanic acid gas even to injuring the 

 foliage, but as the larva did not seem to be affected by the fumi- 

 gation each plant had to be hand picked before delivery. 



Several lots of lemons imported from California were found 

 slightly infested with "red scale" (Chrysonipholus anrantii), 

 which is already here. This fruit was therefore only fum.igated. 



The establishment of the American-Hawaiian line of steamers 

 between Salina Cruz and Honolulu exposes us to a new danger, 

 i. e., the introduction of the serious orange maggot (Trypcta hi- 

 dens). I therefore addressed a letter to the local general freight 

 agent, C. P. Morse, calling his attention to this pest and re- 

 questing hnn to instruct the agents at Salina Cruz not to accept 

 any citrus fruits as freight for any portion of this Territory, 

 nor to allow any one to bring such fruits on any of their steam- 

 ers. I also enclosed a copy of the Board's regulations and the 

 law covering this matter. 



