334 NATURAL SCIENCE. 



JULY, 



Diatreea. The notes on geographical distribution seem to point to a 

 wide range ; West Indies, United States, Sandwich Isles, India, and 

 Queensland, are mentioned. The injury done by the larva is very 

 serious; in one case a grower writes, "we had estimated for 140 

 tons, but will not make more than 115 tons of sugar," a reduction 

 probably resulting in loss instead of profit. The larva of Diatreea 

 has been found to attack maize, sorghum and gama grass, and as 

 Mr. Cockerell points out, " the occurrence of the borer in a wild 

 grass may be of considerable practical importance, as it would be 

 almost useless to kill the borers in the canes if they were breeding 

 abundantly in an adjoining grass-patch." Of the remedies, the most 

 effective seems to be that of burning the waste upon the plantation 

 itself, though Paris green, carbolic acid, sulphate of ammonia, kero- 

 sene, have all been serviceable. A fertiliser called " Kainit " seems 

 to be protective, and has the additional advantage of improving the 

 soil for future crops. Some remarks on species allied to the sugar- 

 cane borer, and on some other sugar-cane pests, complete a careful 

 paper, which, from the fact that the author has collected together 

 the writings of his predecessors on the subject, and added to them 

 many personal observations, should prove of much value to growers 

 of this plant. 



The imports of raw caoutchouc and raw gutta percha into the 

 United Kingdom for the past seven years, occupies the Supplement to 

 the India Rubber Journal for 9th May. The article gives the weight 

 imported per month, its value, and the localities from which it is 

 obtained. We notice that, as regards caoutchouc, the import 

 steadily increases, while the import of gutta percha varies consider- 

 ably from year to year. The price of the latter has risen rapidly the 

 last few years. 



English grown tobacco was, we believe, not a success, and 

 English grown tea will probably never be more than a curiosity. 

 However, Mr. W. Iceton has recently reared a number of the latter 

 plants in his palm nurseries at Putney, and Mr. John Roger, formerly 

 a Ceylon tea planter, has prepared tea from them. The plants and 

 the economic product were exhibited at Exeter Hall at a recent 

 meeting, and the Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lome, who 

 were present, were regaled with the beverage. Mr. Roger believes 

 this to be the first preparation of tea from the home-grown leaf. 



In the June number of Grevillea Dr. M. C. Cooke takes leave of 

 the subscribers to the journal, which he has directed and edited from 

 its commencement twenty years ago. Increasing years anti fickle 

 health are the reasons for transferring the duties and responsibilities 

 to other and younger hands ; but Dr. Cooke does not intend to "sever 



