3 COTTON 



Mr. Willcocks also recorded Pediculoides ventricosus 

 Newport from Gelechia larvae. This mite appears to 

 have been a pest in his laboratory, and to have attacked 

 several of the workers. 



In the autumn of 1913 Gelechia had already become so 

 abundant as to <be recognized as the principal cotton pest 

 throughout the Delta, and had extended its known range 

 considerably in Upper Egypt. We have bred specimens 

 from Heluan, Fayum, Beni Suef, Minia and Assiut in 

 Upper Egypt this year, besides having received specimens 

 from all parts of the Delta. 



This brief recapitulation of the known history of the 

 insect in Egypt points to its recent introduction. It is 

 hardly possible to understand how an insect which was a 

 great rarity in 1910 should have become the major pest 

 by 1913 on any other assumption. The first introduction 

 of the insect must have taken place only a few years prior 

 to 1910. 



Until recently the origin of the insect in Egypt was 

 rather a mystery. Since 1904 all importation of cotton 

 seed into Egypt has been totally prohibited, the only 

 exception until 1912 having been in favour of unginned 

 cotton from the Sudan. Gelechia gossypiella does not, 

 however, appear to occur in the Sudan as yet, or has 

 not hitherto been recorded from there. It can conse- 

 quently hardly have been imported from the Sudan. 

 Some light has, however, recently been thrown upon the 

 mystery. A consignment of " ginned " cotton from 

 Indiaj was held up in the autumn of 1913 at Alexandria, 

 as it was found to contain seeds in great quantity. It 

 was allowed to be delivered to the consignee on condition 

 that all the seed should be removed from the lint in the 

 presence of an Inspector of the Ministry of Agriculture. 

 Although the cotton had been steam-pressed several 

 living G. gossypiella larvae were discovered in the Indian 

 cotton seed. The amount of seed in the bales varied very 

 considerably, in one sample taken there were seeds at the 

 rate of 750,000 to the ton of lint. 



Having discovered this possible source for the intro- 

 duction of G. gossypiella into Egypt, the question arose 

 as to the date of the first importation of Indian cotton 



