40 



FROOIIOPPER BLIGJIT OF SUGAR-CAXE. 



The first brood was at its height about the third week in July ; 

 was vf-ry widely distributed and caused severe damage in the Couva 

 district, at Woodford Lodge, and slight damage at Orange Grove, but 

 no noticeable injury was recorded in the Naparimas. 



The second brood was at its height about the middle of September 

 and caused very great damage. In this month and October the blight 

 spread rapidly in the sections already damaged and injury was reported 

 throughout the Island. 



In the Naparimas, Hindustan Estate reported worse damage than 

 ever before, Craignish had severe injury. Cedar Hill reported damage 

 on the red soils, blight was severe at Petiit Morne, Picton and Hermitage 

 and very severe on Harmony Hall. Reform, Williamsville and Malgre- 

 tout on the contrary were very little damaged and Union Hall was only 

 slightly affected and much less so than in the following year. 



In the Central district Forres Park and Esperanza were much less 

 damaged than the estates further North. At Perseverance on the other 

 hand the damage was so severe that if it had been a separate small 

 estate as of old, there would have been scarcely enough cane to work 

 the factory. 



In the North, Caroni was very severely damaged, but not quite so 

 badly as in 1912, and Orange Grove had several fields Ijadly damaged 

 and a large area less affected. 



Hy the end of September the second brood had passed and towards 

 the end of October the canes began to recover considerably. 



The third brood began to emerge at the end of October and in 

 November, but was extremely small and did little damage. At La 

 Fortunee, in the extreme South of the sugar district however, damage 

 was caused in December by adults of either a late third or early fourth 

 brood and in one field of young canes the adults persisted throughout 

 the following dry season in gradually reducing numbers. 



1918. 



Damage was severe this year, but not so wide spread as in 1917. 

 The most remarkable feature was the rapid recovei-y in many areas 

 after the passing of the second brood. 



The appearance of the broods as shown by captures in light traps 

 at La Fortunee Estate is shown in Fig. 5 ; on most estates however the 

 second brood was larger than here. 



Fig- 5. 



Fig. 5— Xumbers of froghoppers caught by light traps, on one night per week, at 

 La Fortunee Estate, 1918. 



