﻿50 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  unprepared 
  when 
  the 
  pest 
  has 
  already 
  appeared 
  and 
  done 
  some 
  appreci- 
  

   able 
  mischief. 
  It 
  will 
  also 
  help 
  him 
  to 
  pre-arrange 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  his 
  staff 
  

   which 
  might 
  often 
  be 
  insufficient 
  and 
  not 
  available 
  in 
  time 
  if 
  some 
  sort 
  

   of 
  time-table 
  is 
  not 
  chalked 
  out 
  for 
  them 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  periods 
  of 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  crop 
  pests. 
  A 
  calendar 
  of 
  this 
  sort 
  is 
  not 
  

   without 
  its 
  use 
  to 
  outsiders. 
  To 
  an 
  outside 
  Entomoloist 
  who 
  wishes 
  to 
  

   study 
  particular 
  pests 
  of 
  the 
  Province 
  the 
  calendar 
  might 
  indicate 
  to 
  him 
  

   the 
  approximate 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  yeai 
  when 
  he 
  could 
  arrange 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  

   locality 
  with 
  advantage 
  ; 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  some 
  cases 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  when 
  

   experts 
  have 
  rushed 
  from 
  one 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  another 
  and 
  

   returned 
  disappointed. 
  And 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  utility 
  to 
  an 
  Insect 
  Expert 
  

   coming 
  fresh 
  into 
  the 
  country 
  with 
  absolutely 
  no 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  

   local 
  conditions, 
  no 
  one, 
  I 
  think, 
  will 
  have 
  any 
  doubts. 
  

  

  The 
  attempt 
  made 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  at 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  Calendar 
  

   for 
  South 
  India 
  is 
  entirely 
  bisxl 
  on 
  past 
  experience 
  with, 
  however, 
  no 
  

   pretensions 
  to 
  any 
  completeness 
  or 
  mathematical 
  accuracy. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  now 
  fourteen 
  years 
  since 
  work 
  in 
  Agricultural 
  Entomology 
  

   was 
  started 
  in 
  Madras 
  on 
  a 
  scientific 
  basis. 
  As 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  ofl&cers 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  this 
  work 
  from 
  its 
  very 
  inception 
  in 
  Madras 
  — 
  in 
  fact, 
  as 
  one 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  Entomological 
  work 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  next 
  year 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  official 
  

   Entomologist 
  was 
  appointed 
  for 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  India 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  

   opportunities 
  to 
  gather 
  information 
  and 
  acquire 
  a 
  fair 
  amount 
  of 
  personal 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  agricultural 
  tracts 
  of 
  the 
  province 
  from 
  an 
  

   entomological 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  apart 
  of 
  course, 
  from 
  suffering 
  the 
  various 
  

   disadvantages 
  incidental 
  to 
  the 
  lot 
  of 
  a 
  pioneer 
  worker 
  on 
  a 
  subject 
  quite 
  

   new 
  to 
  the 
  country. 
  Though 
  ten 
  or 
  fifteen 
  years 
  is 
  nothing 
  compared 
  to 
  

   the 
  long 
  periods 
  necessary 
  to 
  get 
  any 
  thorough 
  experience 
  of 
  entomo- 
  

   logical 
  conditions 
  of 
  any 
  tract, 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  may 
  lay 
  claim 
  to 
  some 
  

   experience, 
  however 
  limited, 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  insect 
  pests 
  of 
  the 
  

   Province, 
  

  

  In 
  any 
  agricultural 
  tract 
  all 
  crop 
  pests, 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  insect 
  pests, 
  may 
  

   be 
  conveniently 
  divided 
  into 
  three 
  groups 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  of 
  

   their 
  seasonal 
  occurrence. 
  Under 
  the 
  first 
  group 
  might 
  be 
  included 
  all 
  

   those 
  insects 
  which 
  appear 
  on 
  crops 
  during 
  regular 
  seasons 
  year 
  after 
  

   year 
  causing 
  sometimes 
  less 
  and 
  sometimes 
  serious 
  damage. 
  These 
  

   are 
  generally 
  the 
  major 
  pests 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  staple 
  food 
  and 
  industrial 
  

   crops 
  of 
  different 
  kinds. 
  In. 
  Madras 
  these 
  constitute 
  the 
  important 
  

   insect 
  pests 
  of 
  crops 
  like 
  paddy, 
  sorghum, 
  millets, 
  pulses, 
  cotton, 
  sugar- 
  

   cane, 
  gingelly, 
  groundnut, 
  castor, 
  tobacco, 
  mango, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  group 
  might 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  include 
  certain 
  insects 
  which 
  

   are 
  generally 
  of 
  minor 
  importance 
  and 
  occasionally 
  found 
  in 
  small 
  

   numbers 
  but 
  which 
  only 
  in 
  certain 
  years 
  become 
  sporadic 
  serious 
  local 
  

  

  