589 



Weiss (II. B.). Notes on the Occurrence of Some Economic Insects 

 not Hitherto Recorded from New Jersey. — Psyche, Boston, xxii, 

 no. 3, June 191."J, pp. 105-lOG. 



The occurrence is noted of the following economic insects :— 

 Gracilaria zachri/sa, Me}T. {azaleae, Busck), in greenhouses ; the saw-fiy 

 leaf- miner, Kaliosysphinga idmi, Sund., on elms; Coleophora limosi- 

 penella, Dup., on elms; the leaf-miner, Monarthropalpus buxi, Lab., 

 on box ; Leucaspis bambusae, Kuw., on bamboo ; and the larvae of 

 Merodon equestris, L., in narcissus bulbs. 



Senstius (M. W.). Observations on a Recent Invasion of Insects in 

 the Coffee Nurseries in Java. — MOdy. Bull. Agric. Intell. <& Plant 

 Dis., Rome, vi, no. 7, July 1915, p. 1006. [Abstract from Mede- 

 deelingen van het Proefstation Malang, Soerabaya, no. 7, December 

 1914, pp. 5-19, 3 figs.] 



Each year since 1910, young coffee plants whose roots appeared 

 to be attacked by borers have been received in August at the Malang 

 Experiment Station. Sometimes the bark was also destroyed at some 

 distance from the ground. Generally the young plants attacked in 

 this manner died, whilst older ones were almost always checked in 

 growth. Young plants of Quillon, Excelsa and Liberian coffee, as 

 well as tea, are attacked in this manner. In the soil near the damaged 

 plants were found the larvae of Opatrum depressum to the number of 

 about 250 per square yard. These larvae cause damage to the plants, 

 but it has not yet been determined if the adult beetles are also injurious. 

 Numerous Tipulid larvae were also found in the coffee nurseries, but 

 whether they attack coffee roots is not yet known. Trapping the 

 larvae with pieces of potato is recommended, also spraying the soil 

 before sowing with carbolineum of a strength of 1 in 250, or 1 in 500 

 after sowing. 



Per sapere se lo zolfo e puro. [How to ascertain the purity of sulphur.] 

 ■ — Venezia Agricola, Venice, xviii, no. 27, 4tli July 1915, p. 2. 



Simple tests of the purity of sulphur may be made as follows : — 

 When a small quantity of sulphur is burnt on a plate, there will be no 

 residue if it is pure. If a pinch of sulphur is placed in a test tube 

 containing carbon bisulphide no residue will be present if the sulphur 

 is pure. A still simpler method is to try to make a paste of sulphur 

 and water ; pure sulphur will not form a paste. 



Per riconoscere se il solfato di rame e adulterato. [How to ascertain 

 whether sulphate of copper in adulterated.] — Venezia Agricola, 

 Venice, xviii, no. 27, 4th July 1915, p. 2. 



The addition of iron sulphate is the most common form of adultera- 

 tion of copper sulphate. The presence of this substance may be 

 detected by dissolving a small quantity of the copper sulphate in water 

 and then adding a few drops of ammonia to the solution. A flocculent, 

 brown precipitate indicates the presence of iron sulphate. 



