lo8 TiMEHRI. 



Up to January we expe6led these fields to spring, and 

 some looked fairly well, but the stools seemed too weak 

 to exist and the few fields which did not abandon them- 

 selves, had to be heavily slumped^ and even now, show 

 the spots ; the land looking stiff and barren, as if a6lually 

 poisoned by the caterpillars. So thick were the resulting 

 moths in the grass of the dams, that any quantity of 

 specimens could be secured by hand. The only remedy 

 seems to be picking them off at their first appearance ; 

 or beating them down and trampling them into the 

 ground. Quick-lime might keep them from crossing if 

 no rain fell. Burning off trash, and applying lime is 

 advocated, but 'hat can only of course be done to destroy 

 eggs after canes are cut. 



Ants of different kinds pay attention at times to 

 the cane. In heavy seasons, the common red ant is 

 driven above ground by wet and often forms its nest 

 round a cane-stool to the discomfiture of the labourer, 

 who is afraid to disturb them with his hoe, or clean out 

 the cane- roots. 



Wood-ants too are sometimes troublesome in light 

 soils where they build their nests on the canes, using no 

 doubt part of the cane for food as well as the fibres for 

 their nest. In Berbice years ago, I have seen them 

 carried out of the fields and burnt in large heaps on the 

 dams. 



The nests make wonderfully good fuel for workers 

 cooking aback. On the West Bank except on our light 

 back soils they are comparatively scarce. 



Weeds, grasses and sedges, are in heavy seasons such 

 as we have had of late years most formidable enemies of 

 the sugar cane. 



