72 COTTON IN EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 



given satisfactory results. The butterflies avoid sucn fields, and 

 the caterpillars find their death in them. Similar preventive means 

 have been tried in other countries, but have not proved a great 

 success. 



As early as 1883 and 1884 the Egyptian Government nominated 

 commissions who were to consider what steps should be taken 

 against the pests of cotton, but the fatalistic fellaheen took no notice 

 of the directions, as the appearance of the cotton-worm varies in 

 number and locality. After the bad year of 1904 the Government 

 issued energetic instructions for the destruction of the cotton-worm 

 by compulsory work, for which payment was made. Culprits were 

 threatened with fines of ;E1, or one week's imprisonment, and 

 in 1905 and 1906 a special staff of English officials was engaged in 

 order to assist the provincial authorities in their duties of carrying 

 out the law. This system was continued in 1907, but the control 

 from the central administration was not as strict, and in 1908 it 

 was thought that the local authorities, together with the cotton 

 planters, could exercise the measures without the help ot the central 

 administration, and therefore the European inspectors were with- 

 drawn. The instructions were exactly as in the former years, but 

 not only the fellaheen, but also the large landowners proved to be 

 very negligent in following out these instructions, and the cater- 

 pillars reappeared very quickly. For the purpose of seeing that 

 the law of 1905 was carried out, the Government engaged, in 1909, 

 77 inspectors, mostly Englishmen, and 167 assistants, also 110,000 

 children ; the latter had to collect and destroy the eggs in those dis- 

 tricts where there was a shortage of labour. 



On account of infringements against this ordinance, no less 

 than 11,000 planters and 650 local authorities were punished in 

 1909. 



At the end of 1909 the Government introduced a new law, 

 according to which the farmers have to pull up and remove from 

 the fields by December 31st in each year the cotton sticks and roots 

 of Hibiscus esculentus and cannabinus (Bahmia and Til), which dur- 

 ing the winter serve as food and concealed shelter for the boll-worm. 

 If this law is well obeyed, it will undoubtedly show good results. 

 The peasants ought to be made to conform to it through the Omdeh 

 (or head of the village), who has been entrusted with the inspec- 

 tion of the fields ; he is generally himself a cotton planter. 



It is a fact that in 1911 19,845 persons were punished for 

 omitting to give notice of the presence of the pest, and 3,137 officials 

 were punished for negligence in the carrying out of the work of com- 

 bating the insects. The cotton-worm was more numerous in 1911 

 than ever ; 830,000 feddans were infected, mostly several times, 

 against 643,000 feddans in 1910. In most of the districts 5 to 8 per 

 cent, of the crop were destroyed, in some only 1 to 3 per cent., but 

 the districts which had suffered most severely showed a loss of 16 to 

 20 per cent, of the crop. The cotton-worm was especially numerous 

 in the second half of July, and it was possible only by using the whole 

 staff and by energetic action on the part of the Government 

 officials to overcome its ravages. 176,000 people were engaged 

 (against 106,500 in 1910) in the collecting and destroying of the 

 leaves attacked by the cotton-worm caterpillar. The boll-worm, 



