﻿86 
  PllOCEEBINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  take 
  the 
  seed 
  rate 
  to 
  be 
  12 
  lbs. 
  per 
  acre 
  the 
  total 
  quantity 
  of 
  seed 
  

   actually 
  required 
  for 
  sowing 
  purposes 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  area 
  quoted 
  above, 
  

   would 
  be 
  236,448,000 
  lbs. 
  If 
  20 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  this 
  seed 
  is 
  bad, 
  the 
  actual 
  

   loss 
  on 
  seed 
  account 
  is 
  Ks. 
  6,76,400 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  16 
  lbs. 
  for 
  a 
  rupee. 
  

   This 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  conservative 
  estimate 
  but 
  instances 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  my 
  

   knowledge 
  where 
  the 
  direct 
  loss 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  bugs 
  was 
  considerably 
  

   more 
  than 
  20 
  per 
  cent. 
  Besides 
  this, 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  and 
  far 
  serious 
  

   loss 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  lowering 
  the 
  vitality 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  which 
  in 
  

   such 
  a 
  condition 
  becomes 
  more 
  amenable 
  to 
  the 
  attack 
  of 
  insect 
  pests 
  

   and 
  fungoid 
  diseases. 
  When 
  once 
  such 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  affairs 
  has 
  been 
  started, 
  

   the 
  lowering 
  of 
  the 
  vitality 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  continues 
  from 
  generation 
  to 
  

   generation. 
  No 
  steps 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  or 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  

   taken 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  to 
  arrest 
  the 
  degeneration 
  and 
  deterioration 
  of 
  the 
  

   seed 
  supply 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  so 
  vital 
  importance 
  to 
  cotton 
  growing 
  in 
  this 
  

   country, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  elsewhere. 
  This 
  state 
  of 
  affairs 
  is 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  

   two 
  bugs. 
  The 
  one, 
  called 
  the 
  Red 
  Cotton 
  Bug 
  {Dysdercus 
  cingulatus), 
  

   and 
  the 
  other 
  the 
  Dusky 
  Cotton 
  Bug 
  {Oxycarenus 
  Imtus)^ 
  Both 
  injure 
  

   the 
  lint 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  seed. 
  The 
  former 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  bolls 
  and 
  can 
  suck 
  

   out 
  the 
  mucilaginous 
  matter 
  within 
  the 
  seeds 
  with 
  its 
  long, 
  strong 
  

   rostrum. 
  It 
  is 
  conspicuous 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  bright 
  scarlet 
  colour, 
  but 
  the 
  

   other, 
  Oxycarenus 
  Icetus, 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  of 
  obscure 
  colour 
  which 
  makes 
  it 
  an 
  

   inconspicuous 
  object 
  on 
  the 
  bolls 
  or 
  the 
  leaves, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  

   that 
  very 
  few 
  cultivators 
  have 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  insidious 
  loss 
  caused 
  by 
  it. 
  

   The 
  bugs, 
  both 
  nymphs 
  and 
  adults, 
  prefer 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  open 
  bolls. 
  Their 
  

   rostrum 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  powerful, 
  as 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  mucilaginous 
  

   matter 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  within 
  the 
  half 
  opened 
  boll 
  or 
  bolls. 
  Thus 
  they 
  

   have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  in 
  bolls 
  damaged 
  by 
  the 
  

   boll- 
  worms, 
  Earias 
  fabia 
  and 
  E. 
  insulana. 
  In 
  fact 
  a 
  serious 
  attack 
  of 
  

   the 
  boll- 
  worms 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  serious 
  attack 
  of 
  the 
  Dusky 
  Cotton 
  Bugs. 
  

   The 
  bugs 
  cannot 
  feed 
  well 
  in 
  unopened 
  bolls. 
  Thus 
  in 
  years 
  when 
  the 
  

   attack 
  of 
  boll- 
  worms 
  is 
  bad 
  the 
  cultivator 
  leaves 
  the 
  damaged 
  half-opened 
  

   bolls 
  on 
  the 
  plants 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  these 
  that 
  the 
  bug 
  multiplies. 
  When 
  the 
  

   attack 
  of 
  boll-worms 
  is 
  not 
  bad, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  smaller 
  number 
  of 
  damaged 
  

   bolls 
  on 
  the 
  plants, 
  and 
  the 
  cultivator 
  plucks 
  off 
  all 
  the 
  opened 
  bolls. 
  In 
  

   normal 
  years, 
  however 
  small 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  boll- 
  worms, 
  

   a 
  fairly 
  good 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  damaged 
  by 
  the 
  dusky 
  

   cotton 
  bug. 
  The 
  damaged 
  seed, 
  if 
  cut 
  open 
  and 
  examined, 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  

   to 
  be 
  not 
  so 
  healthy 
  as 
  the 
  unaffected 
  seed. 
  If 
  such 
  a 
  seed 
  is 
  sown, 
  the 
  

   resulting 
  plant 
  from 
  it 
  is 
  sure 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  healthy 
  and 
  vigorous 
  as 
  one 
  

   grown 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  healthy, 
  unaffected 
  seed. 
  If, 
  however, 
  the 
  seed 
  of 
  the 
  

   affected 
  trees 
  again 
  becomes 
  damaged 
  by 
  the 
  dusky 
  bugs, 
  the 
  damage 
  is 
  

   intensified 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  seed 
  from 
  the 
  second 
  lot 
  is 
  sown, 
  the 
  plants 
  from 
  

  

  