263 



"We (Queensland Aorieiiltural Journal) shall l)e very pleased 

 to hear that Mr. Caniphell's experiments lachieve such a result, as 

 it would be of exceedingly great value to Australia generally; and 

 would doubtless (give rise to an extensive business in Papua, where 

 there are large tracts of land on navigable rivers notaldy the Kemp 

 Welsh Eiver, covered with a. luxuriant growth of this hitherto pest 

 of the planters. And it must not be forgotten that native labour 

 in New Guinea is cheap, plentiful and reliable." 



There are no doubt many in Malaya who will also be interested 

 to hear of further results in this direction. 



T. F. C. 



A Remedy for Bean-Fly. 



In the last issue of the Garden's Bulletin page 205, mention 

 was made of a beetle attacking the Lima Beans in the Economic 

 Gardens. Other material was collected and forwarded to the 

 Imperial Bureau of Entomology. In his reply the Director 

 states: — "The fly is Agromyza yha^eoli, Coq. a widely distributed 

 pest of beans. The beetle belongs to the family Eumolpidae, the 

 species being Par/ria fiavopusfuhfa. Bahj. 



" With regard to the methods for dealing with bean-fly, the 

 remedies of which 1 enclose particular have been adopted with 

 success in Australia. 



" The action of an appliance for destroying Agromyza phaseoJi 

 depends upon a habit which this fly has of making a rapid upward 

 flight when disturbed. In its simplest form it consists of a sheet 

 of window glass set in a light wooden frame, with a curtain of 

 calico about 6 in. wide attached to three of its sides, and a pair of 

 Avooden handles on the u])per side. The under side of the glass 

 is lightly sprinkled Avith kerosene, which spreads into a thin film 

 over the glass. The frame is the]i carried over the young bean 

 plants with the open side in front, and about 9 or 10 in. from the 

 ground, the rear part of the glass just clearing the young plants. 

 The advancing sheet of glass passes over the flies before they rise, 

 and as they do so directly upwards, they strike the glass, become 

 satuiated with kerosene and die instantly. 



" A larger horse-drawn apparatus, constructed on a similar 

 plan, is suitable for larger areas. After about nine days the flies 

 are less destructive, and as they prefer young beans, a good trap 

 may be prepared by sowing a row of beans in the near vicinity 9 

 or 10 days after the crop is planted. 



"The rows of beans should be covered about four days after- 

 planting the ,seed with a light layer of sawdust, which should then 

 be wetted with kerosene emulsion applied with a watering-can. 

 When the plants are in the second leaf, a second dressing Avith 

 this emulsion should be given. It should be made Avith 1 lb., 

 ordinary soap dissolved in about 2 gals, of boiling Avater. When 



