ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY IN HAWAII. 59 



good, but many more at least as useful plants were known to grow in 

 other tropical and subtropical countries. There remained but the 

 necessity to import them. And so, from that day to this the crusade 

 of useful plant importation has been carried on in a most energetic 

 fashion. Catalogues of dealers in ornamental and useful plants and 

 seeds from the world over were diligently perused, and whichever 

 pleased the fancy of the individual, and later the Government, was 

 introduced, expense notwithstanding. Until comparatively recent 

 times little was it suspected what evil pests these plant importations 

 l)rought in their train. Fast as the country was being stocked with 

 useful plants, the best from all over the world, it was equally fast 

 being populated with most troublesome and injurious insects and 

 fungi. Failures directly due to some of these were no doubt attrib- 

 uted to unsuitable climate, soil, etc. Time came when introduced 

 vegetation, itself profusely inhabited by insect enemies that followed 

 in its train about the world, drove the native flora and fauna into the 

 mountain recesses. Time came also when the growing of one crop 

 on immense areas — sugar cane — became a staple industry of the islands. 

 Other crops were sought, and coffee growing seemed promising. But 

 when their natural food increased the insects, too, began to prosper 

 and multiply. The sugar-cane borer {Sj^lienophorus ohscurus auct.) 

 and cottony guava scale {Pulvinaria psich'i Mask.), both introduced 

 with their hosts, inaugurated a campaign of destruction. To save 

 cane and coffee from imminent ruin some active measures against 

 iheir insect depredators became imperative. The amount and variety 

 of tropical A^egetation adorning his dooryard has been from time 

 immemorial the pride and delight of every resident of Honolulu. 

 But these have of late years been marred by " blight." Cutworm, 

 Japanese beetle, scale insect, aphis, and fungus are all " blight " to 

 the Hawaiian. The streets were lined and yards were full of trees 

 and shrubs dead and dying from the effects of a host of species of 

 scale and other insects. Citrus trees and casuarinas were white with 

 the cottony cushion scale {I eery a purchasi Mask.) and unsightly 

 black with the dripping honey dew^ and consequent sooty fungus. 

 Bad as the plants about some deserted residences still look, they stand 

 no comparison with what they must have looked prior to 1890. The 

 success attained by Mr. Koebele with Vedalia eardhtalis Muls. was 

 still proclaimed by the press, and about 1889 or 1890 this species was 

 introduced into Honolulu. Here, too, this valuable little ally accom- 

 plished its mission and lent enthusiasm to the idea of the new 

 economic entomology. In a note in Nature " Mr. Perkins records the 

 fact that G occinella abdominaUs Say has been introduced, probably 

 accidentally, from California years ago. It would probably have 



« Vol. XV, p. 499, March, 1897. 



