624 RUBBER 



has a similar result, but must not be allowed to come 

 into direct contact with the tender roots. 



A small Rutelid beetle (Cingala tenella) perforates the 

 foliage of young plants, but does no serious damage. 



A species of Oryctes is accused of attacking the foliage 

 of Hevea in Penang. Of an allied beetle (Xylotrupes sp.) 

 Mr. Pratt, referring to Hevea pests in the Federated 

 Malay States, writes as follows: " This beetle has caused 

 more damage to young plantations than any other insect 

 pest. Its habits are peculiar. As soon as any young- 

 shoots appear on newly planted stumps these are bitten 

 off, and such repeated attacks eventually render the 

 stump quite valueless. A ' supply ' suffers the same fate. 

 So extensive is the damage so caused that I have seen 

 300 acres eighteen months old without a green leaf. On 

 another occasion 1,000 acres suffered in the same way. 

 The original difficulty was to find the cause of the trouble, 

 as the attacks were much like those of Brachytrypes 

 achatinus. It was eventually found through shooting a 

 crow within the crop of which portions of the beetle were 

 found, while attached to these pieces were scraps of 

 coagulated latex. This led to the discovery of the culprit. 

 It is curious that over the affected areas not a single beetle 

 was to be found during the daytime, and long' searches 

 all through the night led to no result. The beetles were 

 afterwards found resting during the day in older rubber 

 surrounding the newly planted area, or in jungle. The 

 attacks are easily prevented by means of a cylinder made of 

 ordinary newspaper the size of a full sheet. These cylinders 

 are about 6 in. in diameter, the height of a newspaper, 

 and are fastened by three pins. The cylinders are placed 

 over the stumps, thus forming a guard, and by means 

 of three thin stakes on the inside they are fixed in 

 position." The symptoms of attack must be very similar 

 to those caused by the "rubber slug" (Mari&lla) in 

 Ceylon, where the author of the injury similarly defied 

 detection for a considerable time. 



A large Elaterid beetle (Alaus speciosus) is frequently 

 found resting upon Hevea stems, and has been regarded 

 with suspicion. It is probably merely a casual visitor. 

 Living specimens imprisoned with sections of rubber 



