﻿299 
  

  

  Australian 
  Bug 
  {Iceryapurchasi) 
  caused 
  considerable 
  trouble 
  at 
  Orchard 
  

   Siding, 
  especially 
  on 
  Winter 
  Nelis 
  pear 
  trees. 
  Although 
  several 
  

   colonies 
  of 
  Vedalia 
  cardinalis 
  were 
  distributed 
  there, 
  they 
  seemed 
  of 
  

   little 
  value, 
  and 
  the 
  trees 
  were 
  sprayed 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  July 
  

   with 
  Scalecide. 
  Examination 
  later 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  

   strongest 
  spray 
  (1 
  : 
  16) 
  did 
  not 
  completely 
  penetrate 
  the 
  egg-masses, 
  

   except 
  those 
  that 
  received 
  the 
  full 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  spray. 
  This 
  suggested 
  

   the 
  idea 
  of 
  " 
  progressive 
  penetration," 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  injure 
  

   the 
  buds 
  and 
  twigs. 
  The 
  Buchu 
  beetle, 
  Ablabera 
  hotfentota, 
  w^as 
  the 
  

   subject 
  of 
  serious 
  complaint 
  during 
  August, 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  depredations 
  

   on 
  young 
  buchu 
  seedHngs 
  near 
  Piquetberg. 
  Owing 
  to 
  their 
  continu- 
  

   ally 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  veld 
  and 
  the 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  seedlings, 
  spray- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  considered 
  useless, 
  and 
  therefore 
  every 
  plant 
  was 
  protected 
  

   by 
  a 
  small 
  cap 
  of 
  wire 
  guaze. 
  At 
  Stellenbosch 
  the 
  strawberry 
  ground 
  

   beetle 
  did 
  serious 
  damage 
  by 
  eating 
  into 
  the 
  half-grown 
  to 
  fully 
  ripe 
  

   berries. 
  There 
  were 
  hundreds 
  of 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  it 
  

   was 
  proposed 
  to 
  try 
  and 
  poison 
  the 
  beetles 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  poisoned 
  bait. 
  

   Strawberry 
  plants 
  were 
  also 
  attacked 
  by 
  the 
  strawberry 
  weevil, 
  {Erem- 
  

   nus) 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  w^hich 
  fed 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  leaves. 
  A 
  spray 
  

   of 
  1 
  lb. 
  arsenate 
  of 
  lead 
  in 
  25 
  gallons 
  of 
  water 
  gave 
  good 
  results. 
  This 
  

   insect 
  is 
  also 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  other 
  food-plants 
  besides 
  the 
  strawberry, 
  

   since 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  matted 
  grass 
  and 
  on 
  old 
  weed 
  roots. 
  The 
  

   maize 
  stalk-borer 
  {Sesamia 
  fusca), 
  was 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  an 
  inquiry, 
  but 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  loss 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  beetle 
  (Hetero- 
  

   nychus 
  arator), 
  cutworms 
  and 
  yellow 
  stalk-borer 
  {Sesamia 
  vuteria). 
  

   Heteronychus 
  especially 
  proved 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  ; 
  toads 
  and 
  birds 
  were 
  

   found 
  to 
  devour 
  them, 
  but 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  try 
  poisoning 
  

   the 
  beetles 
  with 
  bait. 
  The 
  lucerne 
  Tylenclius 
  has 
  been 
  at 
  work 
  for 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  years, 
  but 
  the 
  lucerne 
  holds 
  its 
  own, 
  for 
  the 
  worm 
  dis- 
  

   appears 
  as 
  the 
  hot 
  weather 
  approaches. 
  The 
  grain 
  bug 
  (Blissus 
  

   diplopterus, 
  Dist.) 
  was 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  wheat 
  lands 
  in 
  the 
  Piquet- 
  

   berg 
  district 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  August, 
  but 
  disappeared 
  after 
  

   some 
  heavy 
  rains. 
  A 
  weak 
  arsenical 
  sweet 
  was 
  recommended 
  for 
  

   use 
  against 
  the 
  Argentine 
  ant 
  (Iridomyrmex 
  humilis) 
  and 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  this 
  insect 
  being 
  a 
  nuisance, 
  but 
  it 
  increased 
  rapidly 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as 
  the 
  laying 
  of 
  the 
  poisoned 
  sweet 
  was 
  stopped. 
  The 
  grape-bmich 
  

   spider 
  also 
  proved 
  a 
  nuisance 
  to 
  one 
  grower. 
  He 
  had 
  been 
  hand- 
  

   cleaning 
  the 
  bunches 
  and 
  no 
  better 
  measure 
  could 
  be 
  suggested. 
  If 
  

   fumigation 
  for 
  vine 
  mealy 
  bug 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  proves 
  a 
  

   success, 
  it 
  may 
  also 
  destroy 
  the 
  winter 
  stage 
  of 
  this 
  spider. 
  The 
  

   pernicious 
  scale 
  (Aspidiotus 
  perniciosus) 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  

   Province. 
  

  

  A 
  report 
  is 
  also 
  made 
  on 
  nursery 
  inspection, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  

   a 
  large 
  increase 
  in 
  this 
  work 
  has 
  taken 
  place. 
  The 
  Union 
  legislation, 
  

   in 
  respect 
  of 
  trajSic 
  in 
  plants, 
  admits 
  of 
  much 
  more 
  effective 
  control 
  

   over 
  nurseries 
  than 
  was 
  practicable 
  under 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  colonial 
  laws. 
  

   In 
  the 
  period 
  under 
  review 
  388 
  nurseries 
  were 
  registered. 
  No 
  nursery 
  

   is 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  infested 
  with 
  San 
  Jose 
  scale. 
  Of 
  the 
  pests 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  which 
  quarantines 
  would 
  be 
  imposed, 
  the 
  red 
  scale 
  (ChrysmnjjJialus 
  

   aurantii) 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  widespread, 
  and 
  no 
  nursery 
  with 
  citrus 
  

   stock 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  absolutely 
  free 
  from 
  this 
  pest. 
  The 
  purple 
  

   {Lepidosaphes 
  heckii) 
  and 
  mussel 
  scales 
  are 
  bad 
  pests 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  country. 
  The 
  former 
  species 
  most 
  unfortunately 
  has 
  become 
  

  

  