36 
of insects become more evident. The pasturage in this part of the 
colony consists almost exclusively of low bushes, the most valuable of 
which is the Karroo bush, a species of Pentzia, and it is to this bush 
that the insect is most injurious. 
From the horticultural standpoint, the peach maggot (Ceratitis capi- 
tata) ranks first in importance among injurious insects of the past sea- 
son. This pest is always one which attracts much attention, and its 
ravages this year have been greater than usual. It survives the winter 
as the mature insect and becomes more and more numerous as the sea- 
son advances, there being a succession of broods. December apricots 
were much infested this year, and in most parts of the Western Proy- 
ince late peaches and nectarines were almost all maggotty. Other 
deciduous fruits suffered to a lesser extent. At the date of writing, 
infested guavas are not uncommon, and numerous flies may be found in 
most orange groves; only a small percertage of the fruit of the orange, 
however, is attacked in this vicinity. In the eastern parts of the colony 
the ravages of the pest are more severe. Oranges are there more sub- 
ject to it, and in some groves most of the fruit is said to be spoiled. 
Late peaches are said to be almost unobtainable, and I have myself 
seen nearly half the loquats on a large tree in full bearing infested by 
this pernicious pest at Graham’s Town. Loquats, however, do not 
seem to be generally attacked, and I have heard of no occurrence of 
this kind in the western fruit-growing sections of the colony. The 
destruction of infested fallen fruit is practised by some of the most 
enterprising fruit growers. The utility of this course is questioned by 
some who have adopted it, but from personal observation I am inclined 
to believe that the trouble lies in lack of thoroughness; too often a tree 
in some odd corner is not visited or some worthless fruit is allowed to 
remain on the trees after the crop has been gathered. 
Growers of citrus fruits would unhesitatingly pronounce the red 
scale (Aspidiotus auranti) by far the worst of their insect foes for the 
year now brought to a close. Though for many years a pest of the first 
rank, the injury wrought by this scale during the past year has been 
phenomenal. Complaints of its ravages are of almost daily occurrence 
and come from nearly all parts of the colony where citrus fruits are 
grown, even from the only favorable spot in dry and barren Namaqua- 
land. Itis reported that the infestation spreads through large orchards 
in the course of a few weeks and that the trees become almost worthless 
at once. While such statements are not at all credited, they serve to 
show the severity of the attack. The virulence of the insect during 
the past season has probably been due to a number of causes. A dimin- 
ished rainfall in most sections coupled with locust ravages in the east 
and south undoubtedly decreased the vitality of the trees and left them 
less able to withstand the drain by the scale insects, and it would seem 
as if the weather conditions throughout the season have favored the 
multiplication of the species. No important insect foes of the scale are 
——— es a a 
