14 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES 



November, 1920. 



(Note. — The wurk (if the several Divisions and Schools of Agriculture covers a wide 

 range of agricultural industry in the Union, and we give hereunder notes and observations 

 from certain of them treating with matters of special interest coming under their purview 

 during the month. The object of these notes, which are not concerned with general routine 

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

 to him at the present time. — Editor.) 



THE DIVISIONS. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



Potatoes froTTh East Africa. — A number of consignments 

 o^' potatoes, aggregating- 1400 to 1500 bags, reached Durban 

 from Kenya (British East Africa) during October and Novem- 

 ber. Every one arrived in a filthily rotting state. 01 one 

 lot of 170 bags the health authorities condemned 110 outright, 

 and the remaining 60 bags, on being sorted over, yielded only 35 bags 

 of sound tubers. The clearance of several consignments was seriously 

 delayed owing to the non-production for a time of the necessary 

 "consignor's declaration" under the plant import regulations; but 

 from the inspector's reports it appears the decay is chiefly attributable 

 to the potatoes having been carried in bags stored in the holds of the 

 ships. The potatoes have been a source of much complaint at the 

 port, owing to the horrible stench arising from them. The entomo- 

 logist and botanist had anything but an enviable time inspecting them. 



Codling-moth Parasites. — When visiting Naples in June 

 last, Mr. C. P. Lounsbury, Chief of the Division of 

 Entomology, arranged with Professor F. Silvestri, the chief 

 of the Italian entomological service for soutliern Italy, to 

 have codling-moth larvae collected during the autumn months and 

 sent to South Africa with the view of introducing Italian parasites 

 of the codling-moth into this country. In Italy the codling-moth is 

 of slight importance as a pest compared to what it is in South Africa, 

 due in a large measure, it is thought, to the presence of parasites in 

 the former country and not in the latter. However, to get the major 

 Italian codling-moth parasites established in South Africa may prove 

 a most difficult and perhaps impractical task ; and if they do become 

 established it does not follow that they will do satisfactory work. 

 Dt. F. W. Pettey, the entomologist at the Elsenburg School of Agri- 

 culture, who for several years has made a special study of the codling- 

 moth, has been entrusted with the responsible and arduous work of 

 dealing with the project at the South African end, and on 24th 

 November he received the first batch of material from Professor 

 Silvestri. 



