VIII 



PEPPERS 275 



Vines were met with in various places in which a bare 

 patch occurred at some distance from the ground. The patch 

 had no leaves and was rusty in colour. The parts above and 

 below were normal. An examination of the branches from this 

 place showed that all the leaves had dropped, and that the 

 surface of the twigs was covered with an immense number of 

 scale insects (Mytilaspis). The scale was found in several 

 places to be subject to attacks from fungi and parasitic insects. 



The weather previously had been dry and trying, 

 and this may have weakened the vine, and assisted the 

 Mytilaspis. Eain seems to check the development 

 of these insects. Mr. Barber recommends the use of 

 kerosene emulsion, sprayed on these insects. Soft soap 

 and tobacco water is also a good remedy for scale. 



Another insect of this group, but a Coccid, appeared 

 on peppercorns in Singapore as minute white lines 

 almost covering the nearly ripe fruit. The insect itself 

 was a minute, soft, dull red animal, which protected 

 itself by an oblong, grooved, white coat of wax, rather 

 longer than itself. It gave the fruit the appearance of 

 being covered with mould. 



Aspidiotus destructor, Sign. This white Coccid, 

 which attacks all kinds of plants much in the same way 

 as the previously mentioned species, is recorded as 

 attacking pepper by Watt, in his Pests and Blights of 

 the Tea-plant. 



Besides these scale insects and mealy bugs recorded 

 as definitely attacking pepper, there are many other 

 insects of the same group which attack almost any kind 

 of plant, and no doubt many of them will be found to 

 occur on the pepper. The treatment is the same for 

 all. Strengthen the plant with manure, and disinfect 

 it with soft soap and tobacco, or kerosene emulsion, or 

 if the animal is too well guarded by its waxy coat, with 

 weak solution of phenyl and water. 



Eel-worms (Heterodera radicicola). The root eel- 

 worm is a very small, transparent nematode worm which 

 attacks the roots of many plants, often without doing 

 any great amount of harm. Though more or less local 



