150 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



According to Boisduval, as quoted by Meyrick and 

 alluded to by Try on, in certain districts of Algiers, during 

 a single season, three-fourths of the potato crop was 

 destroyed by this pest, and Mr. Tepper, of Adelaide, sa^^s 

 — "As far as my continued observation goes, the insect 

 causes now (1891), in its immature form of the caterpillar 

 or grub, the destruction of hundreds of tons of potatoes 

 every year by boring them, and thereby inducing putridity." 

 Again, that these moths occur in other situations less 

 confined than the entomologist's hatching-case was gleaned 

 latterly from the information a farmer gave to me when 

 speaking on the subject. He said that — " He had several 

 bags of potatoes of his own production, and quite healthy 

 when dug, placed in his store-room, where they were left 

 undisturbed for a considerable time. When he at last 

 came to open a bag for use, quite a swarm of little moths 

 greeted the event, and to his surprise he found the tubers 

 spoiled by the grubs to a great extent." 



So far as can be ascertained, there is no record of the 

 natural home of this pest; but Mr. Meyrick remarks — 

 "It does not seem to have been noticed in the home of the 

 potato (America), and it is therefore perhaps more likely 

 that it naturally feeds on some species of Solarium in the 

 inland regions of Africa, and has spread thence on a 

 congenial food plant being brought to meet it." 



We have thus seen how much opinions differ as to the 

 mode of attack practised by these moths, and Mr. Gr. 

 Searle, in replying to questions as quoted by Mr. Tryon, 

 states : — " I am perfectly sure that the insect is not in 

 the potato while this is in the ground. We are almost 

 daily using potatoes which were all dug at one time, 

 immediately picked up, and placed in a dry-goods cask, in 

 which straw was placed between each layer of tubers. 

 The cask is covered up by a corn bag, and, with the 

 exception of a few near the top of it, none are affected by 

 the moth." In Tasmania it was " invariably found that 

 the moth attacks the roots. The uppermost potatoes — 

 those that are nearest the surface — are of course more 

 easily reached ; nor is it by any means a difficult matter 



