i88 



Native-born East Indian children are employed for the control 

 of these pests, each estate maintaining a gang of from thirty 

 to as many as one hundred individuals. The Giant Moth Borer 

 (Castnia licus) is destroyed by searching the stools, etc., of 

 recently cut canes and thus securing the grubs. The adult 

 insect is also captured by means of hand nets. During 1913 

 as many as 1,374,878 grubs and 597,503 moths were thus 

 destroyed. 



The Small Moth Borer attacks the cane principally during the 

 first four months of its growth, penetrating the interior of the 

 young shoot and destroying the growing point. This causes 

 the central shoot to die ; those plants with a dead shoot are cut 

 off close to the ground, split open and the contained grub or 

 chrysalis of the Borer secured. During 1913, 25,583,987 cater- 

 pillars were thus destroyed. The gangs are invariably paid 

 by results, a halfpenny apiece being paid for the Castnia grubs, 

 and 4d. a hundred for the small Borers; these prices of course 

 fluctuate according to the abundance of the pests. The col- 

 lection of the eggs of the Small Moth Borer has recently been 

 commenced on some plantations, also the artificial breeding 

 and distributing of egg parasites. 



Termite nests are now invariably removed from the fields by 

 the weeding gangs; by this means their numbers are kept within 

 bounds. 



The CHAIRMAN : Gentlemen We will now bring this 

 Section's proceedings to a close by conveying your thanks to 

 Dr. Barber and Mr. Bodkin for the very interesting papers 

 which they have read to us. 



The following papers were taken as read : 



PALMS AS A COMMERCIAL SOURCE OF SUGAR. 



By H. E. ANNETT, B.Sc.Lond., F.I.C., F.C.S., 

 Agricultural Chemist to the Government of Bengal. 



[ABSTRACT.] 



The paper brings to notice work which is being done by the 

 author in India and by Gibbs in the Philippine Islands on the 

 native industry of the production of sugar from palms. About 

 500,000 tons of sugar are annually produced from this source. 



The species of sugar-producing palms are enumerated, 

 together with a short account of the methods of sugar 

 production. Data are given as to the amount of sugar present 

 in the juices and of the yield of sugar per tree and per acre. 



