247 



heavily damaged while the ears are forming, hence very early sowing, 

 eipecially of wheat, is advised, so that the plants may be well past 

 the most vulnerable stage before the attack is at its worst. Antestia 

 variegata is troublesome to fruit-growers owing to the deformation 

 caused to peaches, but, apparently owing to an egg-parasite, the pest 

 was less in evidence than usual in the season under review. This bug 

 i^ very partial to Psoralea pinnata, a native bush, and it is thought 

 that this plant might prove useful as a trap. The Lamellicorn beetle, 

 Heteronychus arator, Iridomyrmex humilis (Argentine ant) and Pseudo- 

 coccus capensis (vine mealy-bug) have also received attention during 

 the year. Further studies have been made on the false codling moth, 

 Argyroploce [leucotreta], and on Strophosomus amplicollis. a weevil 

 that for several years has seriously interfered with the growing of maize, 

 cotton and sunflowers. The pustular oak scale [Asterolecanium 

 variolosum] is an important pest of the common oak and has spread 

 considerably in recent years. A parasite is exercising considerable 

 control at the Cape, but is apparently absent from the Transvaal, 

 where it is hoped to establish it. 



Fraymouth (W. a.). An Improved Method of Cultivating Lac. — 



Indian Forester, Allahabad, xlv, no. 2, February 1919, pp. 74-79. 



The lac insect [Tachardia lacca] is subject to periods of intensive 

 reproduction, which are always followed by others during which its 

 numbers are greatly reduced from various causes, so that during the 

 past 40 years there have been periodic rises and falls in the shellac 

 market, repeated every 7 years or so. These fluctuations are due 

 to the irregular way in which the insect either swarms vigorously 

 or fails to reproduce itself, accentuated by the habits of the lac collector, 

 [See this Review, Ser. A, vi, p. 513.] 



The first principle to be observed in an improved method of lac 

 cultivation is the non-removal of lac before it has yielded its swarm 

 of larvae to other branches of the trees. The food-plant and climate 

 best suited to the cultivation of commercial lac are the ghont {Zizyphus 

 xylopyra) in the forests of Damoh, Sangor, Jabalpur and Central 

 India. These trees require no extensive pruning, and it is only 

 necessary to throw a piece of brood-lac on to the crown of the tree 

 to find that the larvae will drop on to the whole of the lower branches. 

 The swarming occurs in mid-July and in mid-November and usually 

 lasts 3 weeks. It being most necessary to prevent theft during the 

 months of May, June and July, all stick-lac should be cut out and taken 

 away from distant and inaccessible jungles so that the work may 

 be concentrated in those areas which are accessible and easy to super- 

 vise. At the end of June all branches that carry lac should be cut 

 off and thrown on the top of other ghont trees and allowed to remain 

 there while they yield their swarm, it being essential that the whole 

 of the lac should be cut and spread. This general cutting of the 

 branches affords the necessary amount of pruning to the trees. 



After the swarming in early August as much as possible of the 

 sticks covered with empty lac are collected and the lac is scraped 

 off, dried and cleaned from sand and dust. If labour is not available, 

 however, the whole of this spring crop may be left on the trees till 

 the cold season swarm appears, the lac being then cleaned and bleached 



