﻿107 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  opened 
  cotton 
  bolls, 
  sucking 
  the 
  juices 
  from 
  the 
  seeds. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  laid 
  in 
  clusters 
  of 
  apparently 
  about 
  20 
  ; 
  the 
  wingless 
  young 
  swarm 
  

   in 
  December. 
  Their 
  favourite 
  food-plants 
  are 
  species 
  of 
  Hibiscus. 
  

   The 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  damage 
  they 
  do 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  estimated 
  exactly, 
  

   but 
  their 
  abundance 
  suggests 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  considerable. 
  The 
  remedies 
  

   advocated 
  for 
  the 
  Red 
  Cotton 
  Stainer 
  apply 
  equally 
  to 
  this 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  boll- 
  worms 
  mentioned 
  above 
  are 
  widely 
  distributed 
  ; 
  the 
  

   caterpillars 
  bore 
  into 
  the 
  unopened 
  ripening 
  cotton 
  bolls 
  and 
  devour 
  

   the 
  seeds 
  inside, 
  while 
  Diparopsis 
  castanea 
  and 
  Chloridea 
  ohsoleta 
  eat 
  

   the 
  flower-buds 
  also. 
  The 
  damage 
  is 
  serious, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  no 
  natural 
  

   enemies 
  have 
  been 
  discovered. 
  Spraying 
  with 
  lead 
  chromate 
  is 
  the 
  

   most 
  effective 
  remedy. 
  A 
  careful 
  look-out 
  should 
  be 
  kept 
  for 
  leaf- 
  

   rollers 
  and 
  boll-worms 
  during 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  and 
  immediately 
  

   their 
  presence 
  is 
  detected 
  the 
  leaves, 
  bracts, 
  bolls, 
  and 
  buds 
  should 
  be 
  

   thoroughly 
  sprayed 
  ; 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  sprayings 
  must 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  

   condition 
  of 
  the 
  crop 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  advances 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  

   all 
  the 
  old 
  stalks 
  with 
  diseased 
  bolls 
  should 
  be 
  burnt. 
  The 
  same 
  spray 
  

   will 
  effectively 
  control 
  the 
  various 
  leaf- 
  eating 
  caterpillars. 
  

  

  The 
  cotton 
  aphis 
  [Aphis 
  gossypii) 
  is 
  kept 
  well 
  in 
  check 
  by 
  natural 
  

   enemies, 
  including 
  lady-bird 
  beetles 
  (Chilomenes 
  hinata, 
  F., 
  and 
  C. 
  

   vicina, 
  Muls.), 
  hover 
  flies 
  (Paragus 
  borbonicus, 
  Mcq., 
  Syrphus 
  aegyptius, 
  

   Wied., 
  and 
  S. 
  nasutus, 
  Mcq.), 
  and 
  lacewing 
  flies 
  {He^nerobius 
  sp. 
  and 
  

   Chrysopa 
  sp,). 
  

  

  The 
  insects 
  affecting 
  cacao 
  are 
  leaf-eating 
  caterpillars 
  (Diacrisia 
  

  

  maculosa, 
  Stoll, 
  Diacrisia 
  sp., 
  Prodenia 
  litura, 
  F., 
  and 
  Rhopalocampta 
  

  

  forestan, 
  Cram.) 
  ; 
  leaf-eating 
  beetles 
  (Adoretus 
  hirtellus, 
  Castn.) 
  ; 
  a 
  

  

  pod 
  borer 
  (? 
  Myelois)^ 
  ; 
  scale-insects 
  (Pseudococcus 
  virgatus 
  var. 
  

  

  madagascariensis, 
  Newst. 
  and 
  P. 
  citri, 
  Risso). 
  

  

  The 
  measures 
  for 
  combating 
  leaf-eating 
  caterpillars 
  and 
  beetles 
  

   resolve 
  themselves 
  into 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  clean 
  farming 
  ; 
  (2) 
  the 
  segregation 
  of 
  

   cacao-beds 
  from 
  maize, 
  since 
  many 
  pests 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  migrate 
  to 
  the 
  

   cacao 
  ; 
  (3) 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  hand-collecting 
  and 
  spraying 
  with 
  Paris 
  

   green 
  or 
  lead 
  arsenate. 
  

  

  Red 
  tree 
  ants 
  (Oecophylla) 
  are 
  not 
  harmful 
  to 
  cacao 
  trees, 
  but 
  their 
  

   presence 
  adds 
  a 
  difficulty 
  to 
  the 
  collecting 
  of 
  the 
  ripe 
  pods, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   their 
  vicious 
  bites. 
  The 
  best 
  method 
  of 
  combating 
  them 
  is 
  to 
  cut 
  down 
  

   their 
  leaf 
  -nests 
  and 
  destroy 
  them. 
  An 
  Ichneumonid, 
  Metopius 
  discolor, 
  

   Tosq., 
  w^as 
  bred 
  from 
  Prodenia 
  litura, 
  and 
  a 
  Tachinid 
  fly 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   Sisyropa 
  from 
  Diacrisia 
  maculosa. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  cacoa 
  farms 
  

   is 
  at 
  present 
  bad, 
  the 
  chief 
  defects 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  not 
  thoroughly 
  

   cleared 
  and 
  stumped 
  ; 
  that 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  not 
  planted 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  

   be 
  readily 
  worked; 
  and 
  that 
  decaying 
  branches 
  and 
  pods 
  are 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  

   trees 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  The 
  insects 
  recorded 
  as 
  affecting 
  maize 
  are 
  Cirphis 
  ? 
  phaea, 
  Hmp., 
  

   Calamistes 
  praepallens, 
  Hmp., 
  C. 
  fusca, 
  Hmp. 
  ; 
  leaf-eating 
  beetles 
  

   (Lagriavillosa, 
  F., 
  and 
  L. 
  viridipennis, 
  F.), 
  and 
  the 
  locust, 
  Zonocerus 
  

   variegatus, 
  L. 
  C. 
  phaea 
  should 
  be 
  combated 
  by 
  burning 
  the 
  grass 
  or 
  

  

  * 
  [From 
  specimens 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  H. 
  Patterson, 
  Government 
  

   Entomologist 
  in 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast, 
  this 
  insect 
  proves 
  to 
  be 
  Characoma 
  

   stictigrapta, 
  Hmp., 
  a 
  Noctuid 
  moth 
  of 
  the 
  sub-family 
  Sarrotkripinae. 
  The 
  

   species 
  was 
  also 
  bred 
  from 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  kola 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  L. 
  Armstrong 
  

   in 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast. 
  — 
  Ed.] 
  

  

  (Cll) 
  D 
  2 
  

  

  