﻿SMALL 
  MOTH-BORERS 
  OF 
  SUGAR 
  CANE 
  IN 
  BRITISH 
  GUIANA. 
  465 
  

  

  Many 
  estates 
  in 
  the 
  Colony 
  have 
  as 
  much 
  land 
  abandoned 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  in 
  cultivation, 
  

   and 
  by 
  taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  this 
  fact 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  more 
  beneficial 
  results 
  

   could 
  be 
  obtained. 
  If 
  the 
  area 
  to 
  be 
  planted 
  each 
  year 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  these 
  aban- 
  

   doned 
  long-rested 
  or 
  water-fallowed 
  fields, 
  instead 
  of 
  replanting 
  fields 
  that 
  had 
  

   just 
  reached 
  the 
  fourth-ratoon 
  stage, 
  and 
  which 
  had 
  possibly 
  been 
  in 
  continuous 
  

   cultivation 
  for 
  three 
  times 
  as 
  many 
  years, 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  plant-canes 
  would 
  probably 
  

   be 
  increased, 
  while 
  after 
  six 
  years 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  no 
  field 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  

   in 
  continuous 
  cultivation 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  five 
  years, 
  so 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  old 
  canes 
  (4th 
  

   ratoons) 
  should 
  be 
  giving 
  fairly 
  remunerative 
  returns. 
  

  

  Control 
  Measures. 
  

  

  Collection 
  of 
  Egg-clusters 
  and 
  Larvae. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  control 
  usually 
  employed 
  in 
  British 
  Guiana 
  is 
  that 
  known 
  as 
  

   " 
  cutting 
  out." 
  In 
  this 
  method 
  a 
  gang 
  of 
  children 
  are 
  employed 
  to 
  go 
  through 
  the 
  

   field 
  cutting, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  sharp 
  knives, 
  the 
  " 
  dead 
  -hearts 
  " 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  moth- 
  

   borer. 
  Each 
  shoot 
  showing 
  a 
  dead-heart 
  is 
  cut 
  off 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  opened, 
  

   and 
  the 
  larva 
  or 
  pupa 
  it 
  contains 
  removed 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  tin 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  day, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  counted 
  and 
  destroyed. 
  The 
  insects 
  are 
  paid 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  

   hundred, 
  the 
  rate 
  varying 
  slightly 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  prevalence, 
  being 
  usually 
  about 
  

   six 
  cents. 
  (3d.) 
  per 
  hundred. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  employed 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  varies 
  

   considerably, 
  both 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  and 
  the 
  interest 
  taken 
  

   in 
  the 
  work 
  by 
  the 
  management, 
  but 
  a 
  gang 
  of 
  fifty 
  persons 
  is 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  unusual. 
  

   The 
  children 
  employed 
  at 
  this 
  work 
  become 
  very 
  skilful 
  at 
  it, 
  and 
  often 
  earn 
  as 
  

   good 
  wages 
  as 
  do 
  adults 
  engaged 
  in 
  more 
  arduous 
  labour. 
  

  

  Besides 
  cutting 
  out 
  dead-hearts 
  these 
  gangs 
  invariably 
  collect 
  egg-clusters, 
  

   doing 
  much 
  useful 
  work 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  These 
  are 
  also 
  kept 
  in 
  small 
  tins 
  and 
  counted 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  They 
  are, 
  however, 
  not 
  immediately 
  destroyed, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  

   explained 
  later. 
  This 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  very 
  important, 
  and 
  when 
  carried 
  out 
  

   at 
  the 
  correct 
  time 
  cannot 
  be 
  too 
  highly 
  recommended. 
  Egg-clusters 
  are 
  paid 
  for 
  

   at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  for 
  one 
  cent. 
  (id.). 
  

  

  Practically 
  every 
  sugar 
  estate 
  in 
  the 
  Colony 
  carries 
  out 
  these 
  control 
  measures, 
  

   and 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  effective 
  in 
  keeping 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  borers 
  in 
  subjection, 
  

   while 
  the 
  benefits 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  work 
  amply 
  repay 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  carrying 
  it 
  out. 
  

  

  While 
  these 
  methods 
  of 
  repression 
  are 
  sound 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  given 
  good 
  

   results, 
  they 
  are 
  largely 
  dependent 
  upon 
  an 
  adequate 
  supply 
  of 
  cheap 
  labour, 
  and 
  

   therefore 
  cannot 
  always 
  be 
  recommended. 
  The 
  success 
  of 
  such 
  work, 
  however, 
  

   also 
  largely 
  depends 
  on 
  its 
  being 
  carried 
  out 
  continuously 
  and 
  systematically, 
  and 
  

   not 
  waiting 
  until 
  fields 
  show 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  dead-hearts 
  before 
  commencing 
  

   work 
  upon 
  them. 
  With 
  a 
  well 
  arranged 
  system 
  not 
  only 
  are 
  better 
  results 
  obtained, 
  

   but 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  gang 
  can 
  be 
  much 
  reduced. 
  

  

  The 
  mere 
  collection 
  of 
  eggs 
  and 
  their 
  subsequent 
  destruction 
  does 
  not 
  allow 
  of 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  efficiency 
  being 
  obtained 
  from 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  least 
  

   important 
  part 
  is 
  the 
  returning 
  of 
  parasitised 
  clusters 
  to 
  the 
  fields 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  

   were 
  obtained. 
  Under 
  natural 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  .field 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  laid 
  

   are 
  parasitised, 
  and 
  while 
  they 
  give 
  no 
  indication 
  of 
  this 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  

   if 
  the 
  clusters 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  gangs 
  are 
  destroyed 
  immediately 
  it 
  would 
  result 
  in 
  

   the 
  destruction 
  of 
  very 
  many 
  parasites 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  

   field. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  avoided 
  if 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  kept 
  for 
  four 
  days, 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  which 
  time 
  any 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  parasitised 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  will 
  have 
  turned 
  

   black, 
  and 
  such 
  clusters 
  can 
  then 
  be 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  fields 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  

   collected. 
  

  

  This 
  method 
  had 
  been 
  used 
  by 
  Quelch 
  and 
  Moore 
  in 
  their 
  work 
  in 
  this 
  Colony. 
  

   The 
  method 
  may 
  be 
  summarised 
  as 
  follows. 
  Each 
  day's 
  collection 
  of 
  clusters 
  is 
  

   kept 
  in 
  a 
  separate 
  tin 
  labelled 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  week, 
  the 
  cover 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  