138 THE CHIEF SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL CROPS 



rather widely distributed in cane-growing countries. 

 It bores into the stalks, forming irregular galleries. 

 It also attacks corn and some of the other large 

 grasses. When sufficiently abundant, it is capable 

 of doing serious injury, but for the most part it 

 seems to be kept in control by natural enemies. 

 The principal remedy, when one is needed, consists 

 in burning the trash as soon as the cane is harvested. 



A mealy-bug is frequently found abundantly on 

 sugar cane. It lurks under the loosely fitting leaf 

 sheaths, and undoubtedly causes considerable in- 

 jury from sucking the juice. It has not, however, 

 attracted much attention, and no remedial measures 

 have been proposed. 



One of the army worms QHeliophila umpuncta 

 Haworth) sometimes causes damage in Cuba by 

 eating the leaves from the young canes. It is not 

 often very troublesome, and no remedies have been 

 tried. Dusting with Paris green and the use of 

 poisoned baits, as for cutworms, could be resorted 

 to if necessary. 



The sugar-cane leaf hopper (^Perhinsiella saeeTia- 

 ricida Kirkaldy) was accidentally introduced into 

 the Hawaiian Islands some years ago from Australia, 

 with some varieties of seed canes that were brought 

 in for experimental purposes. Being free from the 

 presence of the native insect enemies that have 

 always kept it under control in Australia, it multi- 

 plied with great I'apidity, and for a time tlireatened 

 serious injury to the sugar industry. The experi- 

 ment-station entomologists, however, succeeded in 

 importing successfully some of its Australian insect 



