﻿206 
  

  

  La 
  Langosta. 
  [Locusts.] 
  — 
  Bol. 
  Fotnento, 
  San 
  Jose, 
  Costa 
  Rica, 
  iii, 
  

   no. 
  11, 
  Nov. 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  830-831. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  experiment 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  Nicaragua 
  upon 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  

   locusts 
  which 
  covered 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  500 
  yards 
  by 
  200 
  yards. 
  This 
  swarm 
  

   had 
  proceeded 
  in 
  a 
  solid 
  column 
  eating 
  up 
  everything 
  which 
  it 
  

   encountered 
  in 
  its 
  path. 
  A 
  poison 
  was 
  prepared 
  with 
  1 
  lb. 
  of 
  arsenate 
  

   of 
  soda 
  mixed 
  with 
  4 
  lb. 
  of 
  brown 
  sugar 
  and 
  dissolved 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  vessel 
  

   of 
  boiling 
  water 
  ; 
  cold 
  water 
  was 
  then 
  added 
  in 
  a 
  quantity 
  sufficient 
  

   to 
  make 
  10 
  gallons 
  of 
  the 
  solution. 
  Six 
  good 
  handfuls 
  of 
  green 
  

   barley 
  (any 
  other 
  sort 
  of 
  green 
  fodder 
  may 
  be 
  used), 
  weighing 
  alto- 
  

   gether 
  36 
  lb., 
  were 
  dipped 
  in 
  the 
  arsenical 
  solution 
  for 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  minutes 
  

   until 
  completely 
  saturated. 
  The 
  poisoned 
  barley 
  was 
  then 
  distributed 
  

   over 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  swarm. 
  The 
  first 
  effect 
  was 
  to 
  stop 
  the 
  

   advance. 
  The 
  locusts 
  attacked 
  the 
  bait 
  with 
  great 
  voracity, 
  con- 
  

   suming 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  next 
  morning 
  the 
  few 
  that 
  were 
  not 
  dead 
  

   were 
  intoxicated 
  and 
  died 
  quickly 
  when 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  

   solution. 
  The 
  living, 
  as 
  usual, 
  ate 
  the 
  dead 
  and 
  large 
  numbers 
  were 
  

   killed 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  In 
  about 
  four 
  days 
  the 
  whole 
  swarm 
  was 
  destroyed. 
  

   The 
  author 
  notes 
  that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  ate 
  the 
  poisoned 
  locusts 
  

   did 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  affected. 
  

  

  GoRKUM 
  (Dr. 
  N. 
  van). 
  Dactylopius 
  sacchari 
  brasiliensis. 
  — 
  Boletim 
  da 
  

   Estaaco 
  Expemnental 
  de 
  Canna 
  de 
  Assucar 
  de 
  Escada, 
  Estado 
  de 
  

   Pernamhuco, 
  Recife, 
  i, 
  no. 
  1, 
  April-June 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  29-31, 
  1 
  pi. 
  

  

  This 
  scale-insect 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  various 
  stages 
  of 
  development 
  chiefly 
  

   on 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  sugar-cane 
  which 
  is 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  roots. 
  The 
  bugs 
  also 
  

   crawl 
  up 
  the 
  stem 
  and 
  attach 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  leaves, 
  

   preferring 
  the 
  young 
  shoots. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  indicated 
  

   by 
  the 
  intense 
  red 
  colour 
  which 
  the 
  leaves 
  acquire 
  at 
  their 
  base. 
  This 
  

   scale 
  will 
  live 
  on 
  any 
  species 
  of 
  cane, 
  even 
  on 
  Saccharum 
  spontaneum, 
  

   a 
  wild 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  is 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  interfere 
  greatly 
  

   with 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  Any 
  direct 
  and 
  radical 
  remedy 
  is 
  very 
  

   difiicult 
  of 
  appUcation, 
  because 
  the 
  bugs 
  tend 
  to 
  collect 
  between 
  the 
  

   stem 
  and 
  the 
  leaves, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  cannot 
  be 
  removed 
  without 
  damage 
  

   to 
  the 
  plant. 
  The 
  best 
  remedy 
  is 
  to 
  disinfect 
  the 
  cane 
  thoroughly 
  

   before 
  planting 
  with 
  Bordeaux 
  mixture, 
  which 
  kills 
  both 
  the 
  bugs 
  and 
  

   the 
  eggs. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  thinks 
  it 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  recorded 
  from 
  

   sugar-cane 
  in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  are 
  possibly 
  only 
  varieties 
  

   of 
  one 
  species, 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  insect 
  which 
  he 
  

   himself 
  has 
  dealt 
  with 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  found 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  Sergipe, 
  he 
  proposes 
  to 
  call 
  it 
  Dactylopius 
  sacchari 
  brasiliensis, 
  

   sub. 
  sp. 
  nov., 
  a 
  brief 
  description 
  being 
  given. 
  

  

  Plagas 
  de 
  la 
  Agricultura. 
  [Pests 
  of 
  Agriculture.] 
  — 
  BoL 
  MinisU 
  Agric. 
  

   Buenos 
  Aires, 
  xv, 
  no. 
  5, 
  May 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  520-521. 
  

  

  A 
  table 
  is 
  given 
  showing 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  

   provinces 
  of 
  the 
  Argentine, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  2,381 
  tons 
  of 
  

   insects 
  were 
  destroyed 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  April 
  1913. 
  

  

  