30-1 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



Locusts. — The indications at present (2nd March) are that next 

 spring there will be extensive outbreaks of voetgangers in many of the 

 Karroo districts. Farmers are urged to be keenly on the watch for 

 evidence of egg-laying and to report observations without delay to the 

 magistrate of the district. The outbreaks of voetgangers in Graaff-Reinet 

 and the neighbouring districts southwards have now nearly subsided. 

 About 1500 swarms are reported to have been destroyed in Graaff- 

 Eeinet district alone. As narrated in previous notes, a close approach 

 to eradication was quite impracticable, and swarms of flyers repre- 

 senting the voetgangers that survived the poisoning operations are 

 now spread far and wide. The chief movement has been west to 

 north. Swarms thought to have come from the middle Karroo area, 

 chiefly Graaff-Eeinet, have been reported since 8th February in the 

 Prince Albert, Beaufort West, Murraysburg, Victoria West, Rich- 

 mond, Britstown, Prieska, Carnarvon. Middelburg, and Steynsburg 

 Districts. Some small swarms of voetgangers in the Prince Albert 

 and Carnarvon Districts were also reported during February. It 

 further seems probable that there have been some swarms in the far 

 north-west. Sheep Inspector C. J. Mollett reported a swarm of 

 flyers at Lariesfontein, in the Calvinia District, in the middle of 

 February, and on the 26th of the month the Magistrate at Springbok 

 (Namaqualand) telegraphed he had learned of two small swarms of 

 flyers in Bushmanland. 



The Railway Administration reports that during January and 

 February gangers on the track between Graaff-Reinet and Kendrew 

 destroyed seventeen swarms of voetgangers. One swarm is said to 

 have been one-quarter to half a mile wide by one-half to a full mile 

 long. 



Woolly Ajyhis Parasite. — The outlook in the Transvaal for the 

 permanent establishment of this beneficial insect became very gloomy 

 early in February. The woolly aphis decreased almost to the 

 vanishing point owing, it is thought, to the very hot dry weather 

 where the largest liberations of the parasite had been made. But the 

 aphis has come on again, and is now (2nd March) already as prevalent 

 as it was in December, and the parasite is showing up strongly at 

 places where we thought it might have died out. The latest reports 

 from the Capetown branch of the Division are also very favourable. 

 Liberations of colonies reared at Pretoria have been made at ten 

 places in or near Pretoria, five in or near Johannesburg, and also at 

 one or more places in Heidelberg*, Standerton, Middelburg, and 

 Ventersdorp, in the Transvaal, and at Clocolan, in the Orange Free 

 State. One colony has also been sent to Kokstad, in Griqualand 

 East. Colonies reared at the Cape branch have been put out at 

 several places in the Cape and vStellenbosch Districts. Although 

 little larger than fly specks, the insects appear to be great wanderers 

 and readily able to find small colonies of aphis on trees a hundred 

 yards or more from where they are put out, despite intervening trees 

 of kinds other than apple. 



The original material from America, which began to yield adult 

 parasites on 5th December, continued to yield a few up to the 22nd 

 February. Apparently nature wisely provides for the emergence of 

 the parasites after winter to be over a period of many weeks as an 

 insurance against all perishing throug-h lack of aphis at any time. 



