38 MONTHLY NOTES ON GRUBS AND OTHER CANE PESTS. 
CANE CRUB INVESTIGATION, APRIL, 1919. 
The abundant rains, in the beginning of April; have improved cane 
conditions materially Even the fields suffering from grubs have 
improved where they were not already too far gone. 
During the past month I made a survey of the Herbert River dis- 
trict, and found a most gratifying scarcity of grub-injury. 
HerBert River District. 
This district, hke the Mulgrave and most other cane areas, has 
suffered for rains, with the result that they will harvest only about half 
a crop. The lack of grub-injury this year is very fortunate. Even in 
the areas that were formerly badly infested the grubs are not showing, 
and digging under the stools failed to reveal them. 
The only assignable reason for this immunity is that cultivation 
has been continuous, because of the dry weather. The farmers in some 
areas told me that a good lot of beetles were on the wing; and the lack of 
foliage on the feeding-trees in these localities bears out their statements. 
In several localities, however, where the beetles were very numerous in 
former years, they did not appear at all this last season; in fact, beetles 
have been searee since the drought of 1915. 
During my limited time I was able to make a thorough survey of 
all the cane areas which had been infested in recent years, through the 
generous assistance rendered by the officers of the C.S.R. Company’s 
mills. In very few places were we able to locate any grubs by digging 
under stools, and in no case were there enough to do serious harm. This 
is certainly remarkable, and must be due to the better cultivation this 
rear. 
: I had a communication recently from Mr. J. Wittrup, president 
Halifax Planters’ Club, urging me to visit the district. He took me to 
several farms which had suffered in former years from grubs; but there 
is no indication that the crop is going to suffer this season. These 
farmers use meatworks manure, and the cane is of a fine dark-green 
colour. 
Mr. Wittrup called my attention to a small field (A. Baxter’s) lying: 
alongside a forest of young Moreton Bay ash trees, which were almost 
defoliated. He told me that the beetles were exceedingly abundant in 
this timber, and that the cane never suffered from grubs. It is certainly 
a notable example of the relation of prevailing winds to infestation, for 
these feeding-trees lie to leeward of the cane, and the country to windward 
is all open and without a tree within half a mile. 
Mr. W. Walker, at Ripple Creek, told me that he is ploughing up 
considerable numbers of grubs where he is turning down beans, and that 
the beetles were abundant on feeding-trees near his house this year, 
but that the cane has never suffered on either side of the creek. The 
soil is rich alluvial deposit, which may, possibly, account for the 
immunity. 
