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  NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  MOEE 
  IMPORTANT 
  INSECTS 
  IN 
  SUGAR-CANE 
  

  

  PLANTATIONS 
  IN 
  FIJI. 
  

  

  By 
  Robert 
  Veitch, 
  B.Sc., 
  F.E.S. 
  

  

  Entomologist 
  to 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Sugar 
  Refining 
  Company, 
  Ltd.* 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  has 
  been 
  engaged 
  on 
  entomological 
  investigations 
  

   in 
  Fiji, 
  Australia 
  and 
  Hawaii 
  since 
  1914 
  ; 
  the 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  entirely 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   pests 
  of 
  sugar-cane 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  mainly 
  in 
  the 
  first-mentioned 
  country, 
  

   where 
  insect 
  depredations 
  are 
  very 
  serious 
  and 
  materially 
  reduce 
  the 
  profits 
  on 
  

   a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  plantations. 
  The 
  investigation 
  of 
  these 
  Fijian 
  cane 
  

   pests 
  open 
  up 
  a 
  field 
  that 
  is 
  practically 
  new, 
  and 
  so 
  the 
  work 
  will 
  probably 
  continue 
  

   for 
  some 
  considerable 
  time. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  that 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  elapse 
  before 
  

   the 
  publication 
  of 
  final 
  results 
  is 
  such 
  that 
  it 
  seems 
  desirable 
  to 
  place 
  on 
  record 
  a 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  life-histories 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  insects 
  of 
  the 
  

   sugar-cane 
  plantations 
  of 
  that 
  country, 
  and 
  so 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  compiled 
  these 
  notes 
  

   containing 
  summaries 
  of 
  their 
  life-histories 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  

   to 
  him. 
  

  

  The 
  Sugar-cane 
  Industry 
  in 
  Fiji. 
  

  

  The 
  six 
  sugar-cane 
  mills 
  operating 
  in 
  the 
  Fiji 
  Islands 
  are 
  all 
  modern 
  well- 
  equipped 
  

   factories 
  handling 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  cane. 
  Four 
  of 
  the 
  mills 
  are 
  the 
  property 
  

   of 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Sugar 
  Refining 
  Co. 
  Ltd. 
  (Fiji 
  & 
  New 
  Zealand), 
  the 
  remaining 
  two 
  

   being 
  owned 
  by 
  other 
  interests. 
  The 
  writer 
  is 
  not 
  conversant 
  with 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   at 
  the 
  latter 
  mills, 
  and 
  so 
  his 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  status 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  insects 
  are 
  based 
  

   mainly 
  on 
  observations 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  districts 
  supplying 
  the 
  mills 
  of 
  the 
  Colonial 
  

   Sugar 
  Refining 
  Company, 
  namely, 
  Lautoka, 
  Rarawai, 
  Nausori 
  and 
  Labasa, 
  the 
  

   first 
  three 
  being 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Viti 
  Levu, 
  and 
  the 
  fourth 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  

   of 
  Vanua 
  Levu. 
  Nausori 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  situated 
  on 
  a 
  windward 
  coast, 
  and 
  is 
  

   generally 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  a 
  " 
  wet 
  " 
  mill 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  rainfall 
  there 
  being 
  so 
  much 
  

   heavier 
  than 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  three, 
  which 
  are 
  usually 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  " 
  dry." 
  The 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  term 
  " 
  dry 
  " 
  does 
  not 
  mean 
  that 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  mills 
  so 
  designated 
  suffer 
  from 
  

   an 
  insufficient 
  rainfall 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  contrary 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  ample 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  mills, 
  and 
  

   indeed 
  in 
  some 
  seasons 
  it 
  is 
  excessive. 
  The 
  average 
  rainfalls 
  for 
  the 
  eight 
  seasons 
  

   ended 
  December 
  1916 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  :— 
  Nausori 
  120 
  inches, 
  Labasa 
  87 
  inches, 
  Rarawai 
  

   82 
  inches 
  and 
  Lautoka 
  66 
  inches. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  rain 
  falls 
  during 
  the 
  hot 
  season, 
  

   which 
  lasts 
  from 
  December 
  to 
  April. 
  

  

  In 
  Fiji 
  sugar-cane 
  is 
  grown 
  on 
  comparatively 
  small 
  isolated 
  blocks 
  of 
  land, 
  which 
  

   generally 
  form 
  a 
  narrow 
  interrupted 
  strip 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  or 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  

   the 
  more 
  important 
  rivers, 
  large 
  compact 
  areas 
  such 
  as 
  exist 
  in 
  Hawaii 
  and 
  other 
  

   sugar-cane 
  countries 
  being 
  quite 
  unknown. 
  The 
  smallness 
  and 
  isolation 
  of 
  the 
  

   various 
  cane 
  areas 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  quite 
  unsuitable 
  for 
  

  

  * 
  Published 
  by 
  permission 
  of 
  the 
  General 
  Manager. 
  

  

  