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Native-born East Indian children are employed for the control 
of these pests, each estate maintaining a gang of from thirty 
to as many as one hundred individuals. The Giant Moth Borer 
(Castnia licus) is destroyed by searching the stools, etc., of 
recently cut canes and thus securing the grubs. The adult 
insect is also captured by means of hand nets. During 1913 
as many as 1,374,878 grubs and 597,503 moths were thus 
destroyed. 
The Small Moth Borer attacks the cane principally during the 
first four months of its growth, penetrating the interior of the 
young shoot and destroying the growing point. This causes 
the central shoot to die; those plants with a dead shoot are cut 
off close to the ground, split open and the contained grub or 
chrysalis of the Borer secured. During 1913, 25,583,987 cater- 
pillars were thus destroyed. The gangs are invariably paid 
by results, a halfpenny apiece being paid for the Castnia grubs, 
and 4d. a hundred for the small Borers; these prices of course 
fluctuate according to the abundance of the pests. The col- 
lection of the eggs of the Small Moth Borer has recently been 
commenced on some plantations, also the artificial breeding 
and distributing of egg parasites. 
Termite nests are now invariably removed from the fields by 
the weeding gangs; by this means their numbers are kept within 
bounds. 
The CwHarrMAN: Gentlemen—We will now bring this 
Section’s proceedings to a close by conveying your thanks to 
Dr. Barber and Mr. Bodkin for the very interesting papers 
which they have read to us. 
The following papers were taken as read :— 
PALMS AS A COMMERCIAL SOURCE OF SUGAR. 
By H. E. Annert, B.Sc.Lond., F.I.C., F.C.S., 
Agricultural Chemist to the Government of Bengal. 
[ ABSTRACT. ] 
The paper brings to notice work which is being done by the 
author in India and by Gibbs in the Philippine Islands on the 
native industry of the production of sugar from palms. About 
500,000 tons of sugar are annually produced from this source. 
The species of sugar-producing palms are enumerated, 
together with a short account of the methods of sugar 
production. Data are given as to the amount of sugar present 
in the juices and of the yield of sugar per tree and per acre. 
