﻿134 
  

  

  Plant 
  mites 
  have 
  caused 
  some 
  loss 
  in 
  rubber 
  nurseries, 
  but 
  against 
  these 
  

   the 
  lime-sulphur 
  spray 
  is 
  usually 
  effective. 
  

  

  Coconuts 
  suffered 
  very 
  little 
  from 
  pests, 
  no 
  serious 
  outbreaks 
  being 
  

   recorded. 
  The 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  Brachartona 
  catoxantha 
  attacked 
  the 
  

   coconut 
  plantations 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Batu 
  Gajah 
  ; 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  

   spread 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  the 
  Inspector 
  of 
  Coconuts 
  had 
  the 
  trees 
  for 
  a 
  

   time 
  almost 
  completely 
  defoliated 
  and 
  the 
  leaves 
  burnt, 
  leaving 
  only 
  

   those 
  standing 
  that 
  were 
  not 
  affected. 
  As 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  owners 
  objected, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Coconut 
  Enactment 
  does 
  not 
  contain 
  provision 
  for 
  dealing 
  

   with 
  this 
  pest, 
  the 
  process 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  arrested, 
  giving 
  the 
  insect 
  the 
  

   chance 
  of 
  spreading 
  to 
  neighbouring 
  holdings, 
  which 
  it 
  soon 
  did. 
  

   At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  the 
  Inspector 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  drastic 
  treat- 
  

   ment 
  adopted 
  at 
  first 
  was 
  entirely 
  successful, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  foliage 
  on 
  

   the 
  treated 
  trees 
  was 
  exceptionally 
  good, 
  while 
  20 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  them 
  

   were 
  again 
  bearing. 
  The 
  untreated 
  trees, 
  he 
  states, 
  were 
  far 
  inferior 
  

   in 
  appearance. 
  The 
  final 
  checking 
  of 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  the 
  pest 
  was 
  

   accomplished 
  by 
  a 
  parasitic 
  Ichneumonid, 
  which 
  was 
  found 
  present 
  

   in 
  large 
  numbers 
  at 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  outbreak. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  trees 
  

   were 
  defoliated 
  by 
  two 
  pests, 
  the 
  coconut 
  skipper 
  {Hidari 
  irava) 
  and 
  

   the 
  coconut 
  bag- 
  worm 
  (a 
  Psychid) 
  ; 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  are 
  subject 
  

   to 
  the 
  attack 
  of 
  Ichneumons. 
  A 
  small 
  Hispid 
  beetle 
  was 
  received 
  

   from 
  Johore 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  of 
  coconuts 
  in 
  the 
  Philippines. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  one 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  200 
  acres 
  of 
  young 
  coconuts 
  

   was 
  defoliated 
  by 
  locusts 
  {Locusta 
  danica, 
  L.) 
  on 
  an 
  estate 
  in 
  Negri 
  

   Sembilan. 
  The 
  trees 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  practically 
  all 
  showed 
  

   signs 
  of 
  recovery. 
  The 
  locust 
  first 
  appeared 
  prominently 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  

   year 
  on 
  grass-land 
  near 
  the 
  West 
  Coast 
  of 
  Negri 
  Sembilan, 
  whence 
  it 
  

   spread 
  in 
  the 
  flying 
  stage 
  to 
  Seremban 
  and 
  there 
  started 
  breeding. 
  

   As 
  a 
  rule 
  the 
  insects 
  were 
  quite 
  contented 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  lalang 
  grass, 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  where 
  this 
  had 
  been 
  cleaned 
  up 
  that 
  they 
  took 
  to 
  other 
  

   plants, 
  such 
  as 
  bamboo, 
  Indian 
  corn, 
  sugar-cane, 
  etc. 
  Experiments 
  

   are 
  being 
  carried 
  out 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  finding 
  out 
  the 
  best 
  methods 
  of 
  

   combating 
  the 
  pest, 
  even 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  doing 
  but 
  little 
  

   damage 
  to 
  any 
  valuable 
  crops. 
  

  

  Parrott 
  (P. 
  J.) 
  and 
  Hodgkiss 
  (H. 
  E.). 
  The 
  False 
  Tarnished 
  Plant- 
  

   Bug 
  as 
  a 
  Pear 
  Pest. 
  — 
  New 
  York 
  Agric. 
  Expt. 
  Sta., 
  Geneva, 
  N.Y., 
  

   Bull 
  no. 
  368, 
  Nov. 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  363-384, 
  11 
  figs., 
  8 
  pis. 
  [Keceived 
  

   14th 
  Feb. 
  1914.] 
  

  

  During 
  some 
  seasons, 
  pears 
  in 
  different 
  orchards 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  are 
  

   much 
  disfigured 
  with 
  rough 
  and 
  hard 
  corky 
  spots 
  and 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  

   considerably 
  deformed. 
  In 
  1908, 
  when 
  the 
  injuries 
  were 
  very 
  severe, 
  

   investigation 
  was 
  commenced 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  identity 
  of 
  the 
  offender 
  

   and 
  to 
  develop 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  method 
  of 
  control. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1909 
  

   careful 
  watch 
  was 
  maintained 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  orchards 
  and 
  it 
  w^as 
  

   found 
  that 
  the 
  flowing 
  of 
  sap 
  from 
  young 
  fruits 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  green 
  hemipterous 
  nymphs. 
  From 
  these 
  nymphs 
  adults 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  and 
  identified 
  as 
  Lygus 
  invitus, 
  Say. 
  The 
  fruit 
  damaged 
  by 
  

   these 
  insects 
  later 
  became 
  covered 
  with 
  hard 
  corky 
  spots. 
  This 
  bug 
  

   has 
  also 
  been 
  reported 
  on 
  wild 
  grape 
  blossoms, 
  occasionally 
  on 
  the 
  

   tender 
  leaves 
  of 
  wild 
  apples 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  intertwined 
  with 
  the 
  

   wild 
  grapes, 
  on 
  the 
  common 
  soft 
  maple 
  {Acer 
  saccharinum, 
  L.), 
  on 
  

  

  