12 



by the authorities. Directions are given upon the drums for diluting 

 and using the poison concentrate, which is poisonous to all plants. 

 It may be used as a spray or as a bait. Other methods of locust 

 destruction, such as the use of paraffin oil and dips, burning, trampling, 

 heating, screens and trenches and trapping, are briefly outlined. 



Thompson (R. L.). Sunheat v. Weevils. — Rhodesia Agric. Jl., Salisbury, 

 xii, no. 5, October 1915, pp. 653-656. 



The importance of Calandra wyzae (rice weevil) as a pest of maize, 

 wheat, rice, etc., may be estimated from the fact that in a recent 

 count 1 lb. of infested wheat contained 561 Calandra, but only 39 

 specimens of other species of grain-eating beetles. The usual remedy 

 by fumigation with carbon bisulphide has certain disadvantages, such 

 as the local price of material and the fact that as the eggs are resistant, 

 so that several fumigations may be necessary. An alternative method is 

 the employment of heat. Recent investigations in America have shown 

 that the weevils cannot stand a temperature of 119° F. for more than 

 two or three minutes. Observations were made by the author during 

 April 1915, relative to the effect of the sun on the rice weevils. 

 Infested grains w^ere spread out in a single layer on sail-cloth heated 

 by the sun to 115° or 116° F., for periods up to two hours. The 

 grains were sealed in glass tubes and examined five months later. 

 In many cases no weevils were found. 



Ballard (E.). Mango-Hopper Control Experiments. — Agric. Jl, India, 

 Calcutta, X, no. 4, October 1915, pp. 395-398, 1 table. 



Experiments in the control of the Jassid, Idiocerus niveosparsus 

 (mango-hopper) were carried out in 1913 and again in December 1914. 

 In the second instance, at Varagambady, 55 trees were selected for 

 experiment. When badly attaclced, the trees are covered with a sticky 

 secretion, the flower-shoots blacken and wither and no fruit is set. 

 A severe attack causes the total loss of the crop and greatly diminishes 

 the vitality of the trees. The eggs are laid in slits made in the young 

 leaves and flower-shoots. The young hoppers, upon emerging, feed 

 at once on the leaf or flower-shoot. The latter either becomes incapable 

 of producing fully formed fruit or dries up completely. As the adults 

 are very active and are unharmed by sprays, it was decided to spray 

 directly the young shoots were formed so as to kill the nymphs. Crude 

 oil emulsion was used at the rate of 1 lb. to 10 gals, water. Spraying 

 was performed every 10 days at first and later every 8 days from 

 December to the end of March. Towards the end of this period, fish-oil 

 soap was substituted for crude oil emulsion and proved of greater 

 value. The cost of spraying averaged about Qd. a tree. The number 

 of fruits from the sprayed trees was 2,044, compared with 642 from 

 unsprayed trees. There is thus little doubt that spraying is profitable. 



Rao (Y. R.). Helopeltis antonii as a Pest of Nim Trees. — Agric. Jl. 

 of India, Calcutta, x, no. 4, October 1915, pp, 412-416. 



Melia azadirachla (nim tree) in Coimbatore is frequently attacked 

 by the Capsid bug, HelopeUis antonii. Injury occurs especially from 

 December to February, when the attacked twigs wither. In a severe 



