259 



do little damage in this coimtry may find the unusual conditions 

 after the War so favourable for their development as to cause losses to 

 an unprecedented extent. The Forestry sub-committee has expressed 

 the opinion that the Forest Authority should give early attention to 

 this question and would do well to enforce orders for dealing effectively 

 with, insect pests. The importance of vigorous growth and the causes 

 for weakly condition are discussed. Methods of improper treatment 

 before planting are pointed out, and attention is called to the folly 

 of using inferior seed, and particularly of clieaj) foreign nursery stock. 

 The management of trees in general is discussed and the need for 

 education and research in this subj ect is insisted upon. The committees 

 that have reported on forestry in recent years have shown that they 

 are aware of this need, and the author expresses the hope that the 

 British Government will prove energetic in the encouragement of good 

 forestry and generous in grants for research, experiment and education. 



Duchesne (M. C). Preventive Measures against Pine Weevil Attack. 



— Qrtly. Jl. Forestry, London, xii, no. 2, April 1918, pp. 135-140. 



It has been suggested that, as a preventive of attacks of the pine 

 weevil [Hylobius abietis], when old trees are felled the area should 

 remain implanted for at least four years until the old pine or spruce 

 stumps should have rotted sufficiently to render the stumps unsuitable 

 places for breeding. The author has been conducting experiments 

 with a view to ascertaining to what extent it would be possible to 

 reduce this long period, in view of the necessity for speedy re-planting 

 and of the increased cost and very unfavourable conditions for 

 re-afforestation at the end of that time. The plan adopted was to 

 test methods of treating the stumps with a view to making unfavour- 

 able conditions for breeding and also destroying larvae in the stumps. 

 Cresylic acid or sulphuric acid 1 : 50 or 1 : 75 is considered eft'ective ; 

 creosote has been found beneficial in certain cases but is expensive ; 

 the difficulty is that all these substances are at present practically 

 unobtainable. It is hoped that a cheap and effective substance may 

 be found that could be placed on the stump and washed in by rain. 

 The destruction of the larvae in the stumps depends mainly on the 

 penetration of such an agent. The author considers it essential that 

 when burning brushwood and the tops of Scots pine and spruce each 

 stump should have a fire burnt on the top of it, and, whenever there 

 are any young forest trees or a nursery within easy reach of the area, 

 the stumps should be barked and the larvae destroyed. Details of 

 this operation are described. It is suggested that, as a means of 

 clearing up and burning brushwood, which is always an expensive 

 item, brushwood might be heaped on the top of the stumps and a large 

 fire started over the area to be cleared about the end of April or early 

 May. It is hoped that these suggestions may lead to further investi- 

 gations and experiment in the control of the pine weevil. 



Mackie (D. B.). Oryctes rhinoceros in the Philippines. — Philippine 



Agric. Rev., Manila, x, no. 4, 4th Quarter, 1917, pp. 315-334, 



3 plates. [Received 22nd April 1918.] 



Popular knowledge of the habits and bionomics of Oryctes rhinoceros 



(rhinoceros beetle) in the Philippines is aj)parently very limited and 



much erroneous and misleading information has been disseminated 



(C472) c2 



