Mr. Fletcher. 
Mr. M. M. Lal. 
Mr. G. R. Dutt. 
108 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 
down when the rope is drawn over the plants. After that, when the 
field is irrigated, this gives the same effect as a shower of rain. In this 
way we reduce the attack in the early stages. When we irrigate the 
field, the attacked buds and flowers drop and rot in the standing water ; 
we have collected many of these fallen buds and flowers and found the 
bollworms inside, and these bollworms are drowned in the irrigation 
water. By this means a large area can be gone over with comparative 
ease. 
What time of year do you do this ? 
In the Punjab cotton is generally sown in March and it remains in 
the field until November or December. We get a number of buds in 
May, but the cotton-plants are not much attacked before June or July, 
after which bolls begin to be formed. It is therefore when the later buds 
and flowers are present, in June or July according to locality, that this 
control-measure may be carried out. 
At this stage of the discussion it seems desirable that a few words 
may be said as to the facts which led to the idea of shaking the cotton 
plants artificially and then submerging the tallen affected buds and 
flowers and bolls by irrigating the area. 
In the year 1911 there was a bad outbreak of the Cotton Bollworm 
in the Punjab, and I had the good fortune of having been deputed there 
by the Imperial Entomologist to study the pest. I reached there in the 
last week of August and started forthwith three experimental plots :— 
(1) the “‘ treated plot,” ¢.e., the plot from which all affected buds, 
flowers and bolls were periodically picked off and des- 
troyed, 
(2) the “‘ untreated plot,” 7.e., the plot which was left to itself and 
in which no remedial measures were adopted against the 
pest, ; 
(3) the “ parasite breeding ” plot, ¢.e., the plot in which the 
parasites of the cotton bollworm were encouraged. 
The next step taken was to ascertain the condition of these plots 
from an entomological view-pointand for this the following method was 
devised :— 
Two central rows of cotton plants were selected in a field ; all the 
buds, flowers and bolls on a plant (commencing from one 
end) were counted and then the number of damaged buds, 
flowers and bolls on the same plant was noted. The next 
plant in order was then dealt with similarly. This opera- 
tion was continued till the total number of buds, flowers 
and bolls examined reached up to 2,000 or so. Loss per- 
centage was finally calculated. 
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