203 



Mods undata (Remigia archesia) is proceeding steadily, but the drought 

 has seriously interfered with their spread. It is often very difficult 

 to find any large numbers of Chloridea eggs on tobacco, and the best 

 time to release the parasites is at the moment of appearance of the 

 caterpillars. The report on insecticides shows a notable increase in the 

 use of Paris green. A modification called Urania green is coming 

 gradually into use ; it contains a larger proportion of soluble arsenic, 

 but is liable to cause scorching, and there are complaints of great 

 variation in composition ; zinc arsenite and izal are employed, but not 

 sufficiently to enable an opinion as to their value as insecticides to 

 be given. Mixtures of tapioca flour and Paris green are difficult to 

 prepare and are not recommended, and the use of fine sand as a 

 diluent is objectionable, as when strewn over the plants the falling sand 

 damages the leaves. Aphids are reported to have done but little 

 damage in the year under review, so that there was little opportunity 

 for releasing Megilla maculata. Some difficulty has been experienced 

 in rearing this American Coccinellid in captivity, as it requires to be 

 kept more or less in the open and needs light. In September 1914, 

 a quantity of Megilla was released on some plantations of " Katjang 

 pandjang " and "katjang poetih " {Vigna catjang). Ants and grass- 

 hoppers did only very local damage, nothing approaching that of the 

 previous year ; against ants it is important to keep the tobacco seed- 

 beds as far as possible from the rice fields of the previous year. The 

 possibility of locust invasion from the other side of the Straits is being 

 considered ; and as the species concerned has not yet been found in 

 Sumatra, it is thought that conditions at Deli are not favourable to 

 its development. Opatrum sabulosum [see this Review, Ser. A, i, p. Ill], 

 was not reported from a single tobacco plantation ; it was not common 

 in 1913, though in 1912 it was both numerous and destructive. 

 Nevertheless, precautions against it should not be relaxed. 



GoRiAiNov (A. A.). BpeflMTenM cenbCKo-xo3HMCTBeHHbixi> pacreHiii 



PflSaHCKOM ryfiepHiM. [The pests of agricultural plants in the 

 government of Riazan.] — Pubfished by the Zemstvo of the 

 government of Riazan, Riazan, 1914, 67 pp. 



This is a preliminary report on investigations on entomological 

 and ph}i;opathological problems in the government of Riazan. The 

 programme of investigation was (1) to determine by means of molasses- 

 traps the extent of the flight of imagines of Euxoa {Agrotis) segetum, 

 Feltia exclamationis and Trachea {Hadena) basilinea, in order to 

 decide whether and which remedies will be necessary in the fields in 

 autumn. (2) To determine the degree of injur}^ to summer and winter- 

 sown crops by Oscinella {Oscinis) frit and Mayetiola {Cecidomyia) 

 destructor, larvae of Elateridae, Apamea {Hydroecia) nictitans, and 

 other insect pests. (3) To determine the extent of injury to clover 

 by various species of Apion. 



The report also gives a list of orchard pests observed during 

 these investigations. Hyponomeuta malinellus and H. variabilis 

 take the first place amongst these, and there was no orchard 

 where these insects were not firmly established. The caterpillars 

 were found up to the end of June and the imagines appeared in the 

 first half of July. Over half the pupae were infested with parasites, 



(C144) D 2 



