288 



paid to the nursery on 16th May and the weevils were found there in 

 enormous numbers. Thousand-heads, kohl-rabis, poppies and 

 Nemophylh were all eaten off so that the ground was bare. CoUhisia 

 bicolor and candytuft were badly damaged and were only saved by 

 a heavy application of lime and soot. Gypsophila elegans escaped, 

 although situated in the middle of the area attacked. A few weevils 

 were found feeding on the leaves of ornamental maples. Potatoes, 

 peas and spruces were free from attack. Near the attacked area, 

 large numbers of the insect were found under the spruces and also 

 sheltering in rabbit burrows. Leaves of cabbage and rhubarb placed 

 on the ground were found in a few hours to be entirely covered with 

 the insects on the lower surface. 



The insects usually feed on the lower surface of the leaves, at least 

 in the sunlight. Many young plants were eaten ofE just above the 

 ground level, i.e., through the portion of the stem below the seed 

 leaves. 



The damage was first noticed on 13th May, and on 14th May 75 

 bushels of soot was spread over the attacked area, measuring about two 

 acres. This was followed by the application of 30 bushels of lime on 

 15th May. On 16th May a large immber of the beetles were found dead. 

 On 17th June large numbers of dead beetles were present over the 

 attacked area and only an occasional living one was found. 



GowDEY (C. C). Notes on a Scale-Insect attacking Cacao in Uganda. 

 Ann. App. Biol, London, i, nos. 3 & i, January 1915, pp. 399-402. 

 1 fig. 



Stictococcus dimorphus, Newst., has been collected in Uganda on 

 mulberry, Markhaynia pJuty calyx, ornamental Hibiscus, Anona 7nuricata, 

 Croton iiglium, guava and Cajanns indicus, as well as on cacao. With 

 the exception of M. platy calyx, all these plants have been introduced. 

 As this Coccid has been found in the depths of a forest of 180 square 

 miles, on M. plaiycalyx, it is clear that it is an indigenous species. 

 Cacao appears to be the favourite food-plant. When the varieties, 

 Theobroma cacao, Yar. for est eir a and var. creollo are grown side by side, 

 the infestation on the former is invariably the more serious. The 

 insects are always restricted to the pods and stems of the pods, and 

 never occur on the foliage or branches of cacao. 



This scale-insect is not readily killed by insecticides at the usual 

 strengths ; but, fortunately, as it is always found on the pods, insecti- 

 cides may be used at greater strengths than they could be apphed to 

 the foliage in Uganda, where the trees are never dormant and where 

 for some reason, probably the altitude, oils used at the usual strengths 

 are most apt to scorch the foliage. The results of some experiments 

 with a large number of contact poisons are tabulated. As a result of 

 these, the author recommends the use of whale-oil soap (1 lb. to 4 

 gallons of water) and soft soap-kerosene emulsion, made by boiling 

 together 8 lb. soft soap and 5 gallons of kerosene ; on coohng, this 

 becomes a jelly, 10 lb. of which is added to 30 gallons of water for use. 

 The average percentage of scales found killed in three examinations, 

 was 94-8 for the former insecticide, and 93*8 for the soft soap-kerosene 

 wash. 



