43 



of a rake with a wall about a meter higt, as showa in the illus- 

 tration, the apparatus being painted with tar that sticks to the 

 insects that are aroused by the raking and fly against the appar- 

 atus. This apparatus is naturally made according to the ne- 

 cessities of the case and the skill of the constructor. 



NATTTEiAL MEANS TO CONTROL THE PLAGUE. 



In Trinidad there has been used with considerable success a 

 fungus called the green muscardine, which produces a disease 

 in the insects. It is contagious and destroys a number. The 

 fungus develops best in the atmospheric conditions in which 

 develops best also the Monecphora, so that we believe it would 

 be of considerable utility to spread it in the fields when the pla- 

 gue develops again. Mr. J. R. Johnston, Pathologist of the Ex- 

 periment Station reports that this fungus exists in €uba and 

 believes that it would be of some use in the control of this plague. 



SUMABY. 



The insect that has caused so much damage in the parana in 

 Camagiiey is the hemipterous cercopid Moneophora hicincta Say. 

 (Salivita). 



T-he parana grass Panioum numidianum is most attacked. 



The insect is found well distributed in Cuba, but only when 

 there exists a great abundance of its preferred food and when 

 conditions of humidity are right does it multiply enough to const- 

 itute a .plague. 



The life of the insect is presented in three distinct phases: 

 the egg that is laid in hidden places near the foot of the plant 

 on the soil, the nymph which forms the salivita and lives in the 

 places richest in juice and moisture, like the roots and nodes, 

 and the adult that flies about and lays the eggs. 



The means most recommended for destroying the plague is 

 to collect the adults wihich lay the eggs as this is the stage easiet 

 to trap by means of lights, and by means of rakes painted with 

 tar or tanglefoot. 



To avoid the propagation of this plague, burn those fields 

 where it has appeared and has not been controlled in time to 

 prevent drying out the pasture, for the purpose of destoyng the 

 eggs that remain there and lUcewise the adults and the nymphs. 



Among the natural means that may be applied at present 

 there is only the green muscardine fungus. 



