527 



Amargos (J. L.). El Gusano Verde {Proloparce Carolina, L.).— 

 Rev. Agric, Santo Domingo, R.D., xvi, nos. 4 & 5, July & 

 August 1920, pp. 110-114, & 138-143, 8 figs. 



Tobacco in Dominica is severely damaged by the caterpillars of 

 Protoparce Carolina, L., a well-known pest in 'almost all tobacco- 

 growing countries. A great number of eggs are laid, two or three being 

 placed on each of the upper leaves of tobacco plants. The larvae 

 hatch in 4 days, and pass through several instars, being most injurious 

 in the third and following stages, in which 2 or 3 caterpillars entirely 

 strip a plant in one day. Pupation in the soil lasts 21 days. The 

 greatest emergence of the moths takes place after heavy rain or a period 

 of moist weather, and it is probable that in dry seasons many adults 

 perish when the ground is too hard for emergence. The average hfe- 

 cycle occupies 48 days, and the generations are continuous. 



Natural enemies of P. Carolina include wild birds and poultry, the 

 latter devouring the caterpillars or pupae with avidity, and certain 

 spiders. The wasp, Sphex flavipennis, attacks the larvae, as well as 

 a small Hymenopteron. Ichneumon magnus might be introduced with 

 advantage. The larval stage is frequently attacked by a bacterial 

 disease that often proves fatal. 



Artificial methods of control include clean cultivation, particularly 

 the destruction of tomato and other Solanaceous plants. A few days 

 after the tobacco crop is gathered, the ground should be dug to the 

 depth of 3 to 5 inches in order to expose the pupae : poultry should 

 then be turned in to devour these. Many adults can be caught at 

 iight-traps, of which a practical model is described. As the moths 

 usually fly in large numbers, many Dominican growers burn debris in 

 their fields as they arrive, surrounding the fires w^ith a screen of cloth 

 smeared with some sticky substance ; the moths are then attracted 

 by the light and fly against the screens, on which they are caught. As 

 tomato is a preferred food-plant of P. Carolina, it is suggested that rows 

 of tomatos should be sown between each 10 or 12 rows of tobacco 

 as a trap-crop. 



The best treatment for infested plants is a poison-spray of Paris 

 green or lead arsenate, either in the form of dust or in solution. When 

 used as a dust,l part of Paris green to 60 parts of fine soil or 50 parts of 

 fine maize flour has proved successful. This should be apphed while 

 the dew is on the plants, and if possible after rain. These treatments 

 do not in any way depreciate the value of the tobacco. 



OiLLETTE (C. P.) & List (G. M.). Some Data on Codling Moth Control 

 in the Grand Junction District in Colorado. — Proc. Soc. Prom. 

 Agr. Set., xxxix, 1919, pp. 113-123, 4 figs. (Abstract in Expt. 

 Sta. Record, Washington, D.C., xhii, no. 2, August 1920, p. 161.) 



Orchardists in Colorado have not been satisfied with the results 

 <jf spraying for codhng moth [Cydia pomonella], for while 5, 6 or 7 

 apphcations have given 70 to 80 per cent, of sound apples, other 

 vStates have obtained as many as 90 to 95 per cent, after only 2 or 3 

 applications of arsenical poison. It must be remembered that chmatic 

 conditions in Colorado are very favourable to the continuous develop- 

 ment of the moth, but there is obvious need for a rehable chart to show 



