No. 1.] H. H. Mann — On H elope It is theiovora. 13 



most of these had been attacked by insects which had flown in from 

 outside. Both the Chisvvick compound and the kerosene emulsion 

 plots were equally free. The remainder of the garden, not treated^ 

 showed seventy-five per cent, of the bushes attacked. 



At the end of July the manager wrote me that though the majority 

 of the bushes showed signs of the pest, the bushes were still yielding 

 leaf freely, while the other blocks near by were giving little or 

 none, He added, moreover, "The bushes on the experimental block, 

 have quite vigorous growth, by comparison with the other blocks, 

 and I am of opinion that they will be able to throw off the blight 

 shortly." 



The latter opinion was not quite justified, but at the end of the 

 season, he was able to report that the bushes treated had yielded fully 

 six weeks longer than the blocks unsprayed, and that one maund 

 (eighty pounds) of tea had been obtained per acre in excess of what 

 had been produced on similar plots elsewhere in the garden. 



Favourable results like this have led to experiment on a much 

 larger scale in 1903, when I have arranged to treat seventy-two acres 

 in Assam, sixty-four acres in Cachar, and a hundred in the Darjeeling 

 Terai. At present (May 1903) when the blight is only beginning to 

 seriously appear it is impossible to draw any conclusions, but that 

 the prospects of success are at present good is shown by letters 

 received recently from all three places. Mr. J. J. Smith, who is in 

 charge of the Assam experiments at the Behalli Tea Estate, writes 

 on May 2 : "I am very pleased with the look of the old tea 

 sprayed at Bedetti, and should we have good rain soon, we ought to 

 get good leaf returns." 



Mr. H. E. Crawford of the Lalla Mookh Tea Estate, Cachar, 

 writes under date April 28: "There are absolutely no leaves 

 punctured, by mosquito blight on the sprayed area, but a few are 

 found on other. parts of the garden. I think the treatment will at 

 least check the mosquito blight very considerably ; I mean that the 

 pest will not put in an appearance as early as in former years." 



In the Terai experiments Mr. Browne of the Longview Tea 

 Estate, writes on May 7, 1903 : U I have not seen so few signs of 

 mosquito blight for many years, and am certain as soon as we get 

 rain that the difference of the sprayed blocks and the unsprayed will 

 be very quickly apparent." 



Till the end of July it will be. seen that no certain results can be 

 given, but there is reasonable prospect, as stated above, that a 

 method has been found by which the prevalence of this pest can 

 be brought under control, if it cannot be entirely eradicated from tea 

 estates. 



