Depaetmental Activities. 203 



DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES. 



(Note. — The work of the several Divisinns ami Schools of Agriculture covers a wide 

 range of agriciiltuial industry in the Union, ami we give hereunder noies and observations 

 from certain of them treating with mat' ers of special interest coming under their purview 

 nninth by month. 'I'he oliject "f these notes, which aie no' concerned wiih getiiral routine 

 work, is to inform the farmer of such matters as are calculated to be of interest and helpful to 

 h.m at the present lime. — EuvtoR.) 



THE DIVISIONS. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



Olive-fly Parasites. — With a view to ascertaining' to what extent 

 the larvae of these Dacus flies that infest the fruits of our native 

 olives are parasitized, certain observations are being carried out by 

 Mr. H, K. Miinro, of the Division, stationed at East London. Report- 

 ing- on the prog'ress thereof, this officer states that from a parcel of 

 infested seeds of Olca foreolata he has obtained six parasites, and 

 remarks upon the habit of the mag-g-ot which lives and pupates within 

 the seed, making an opening- in the wall for its emergence when adult. 

 The fruits of Oha u-oodiana, as found around East London, are 

 infested with a Dacus different from that attacking- the seeds of 0. 

 foveolata. These live in the pulp of the fruit and pupate in the soil. 

 This has not yet been determined, but differs from Dacus: oleae, 

 Gmel. ; the same species has also been reared from the fruits of Oha 

 laurifolia obtained at Storms lliver, Knysna. 



Grain Ladybird {Epilachna siinilis). — The Eastern Province 

 Entomologist, Mr. D. Gunn, reports tliat during- June no informa- 

 tion showing- that mischief was being- done to cereal crops by this 

 ladybird could be obtained. He adds that a number of adults captured 

 during October, 1921, and placed in the insectary cages were still 

 alive on the 12th June, 1922, surviving- in this stage for over eight 

 months. 



Tsetse Studies in Zululand. — The following observations, briefly 

 stated, are from a recent progress report furnished by Mr. It. H. 

 Harris, the officer in charge of our investigation in Zululand. 



Fly-helts. — The fly-belts of Zululand lie east of the Lebombo 

 mountains and the foot-hills of the Drakensberg that extend into 

 Zululand south of the Lebombo range. They are met with in the 

 country that lies north of the Umhlatuzi River to the Portuguese 

 boundary. The Enseleni rnd Umfolosi belts are almost exclusively 

 inhabited by Glossina palluJipes. As yet no direct evidence has been 

 fonnd of other species, although an empty pupa case, resembling that 

 of G. brevipalpis has been collected on the White Umfolosi. In the 

 Ubombo belt, south of the Pongola River, G. palJidipes is the pre- 

 dominant species, but G. brevipalpis pi-edominates in the noithern 

 or Usutu belt, a belt in which major forest exists and provides a 

 different condition to that of the more southern belts. 



