DISEASES AND PESTS 81 



the fibrous bases, and sometimes causing splits in the 

 trunks, very severe storms make it possible for the red 

 beetles to lay their eggs in many trees, and so to 

 multiply rapidly. This is obvious, and the fact and its 

 consequences may not rarely be observed. 



Mr. E. E. Green reports a remarkable increase in the 

 number of red beetles after a cyclone which visited the 

 Batticaloa district of Ceylon in March 1907. The 

 beetles had been systematically collected since 1903, 

 the number decreasing steadily ; the records for various 

 plantations being complete by months. In one case, 

 where 199 had been caught in May and June of 1906, 

 1906 were captured in the same months of 1907. In 

 another instance the increase in the same months was 

 from 128 in 1906 to 3889 in 1907. This increase was 

 almost entirely in the number extracted from the stand- 

 ing trees, taking no account of those blown down, in 

 which also the beetles can of course multiply. 



The only way in which this kind of damage can be 

 prevented is by having no beetles at hand to take 

 advantage of storms. 



4. Burning away the fibrous leaf-bases must be 

 expected to result in the same way as their removal by 

 any other means. In Cuba one of the methods of 

 combating bud rot is by scorching the crown by burn- 

 ing the light and inflammable stuff. Since Rhyncho- 

 phorus palmarum is the chief insect enemy of the tree 

 in that region, such treatment appears decidedly risky. 

 In the Old World I have never heard of such treatment 

 as intentional. If young plantations are uncultivated, 

 they will go into grass for a time, the grass ultimately 

 being supplanted by brush. As long as they are in 

 grass fire is likely to go through them on any dry day. 

 In the land bought by the Philippine College of Agri- 

 culture was a small grove which was partly run 

 through by fire in March 1909. The work of red 

 beetles was evident within three months, and in eight 

 months every tree reached by the fire was apparently 

 moribund. Outside of the burnt area there was no 



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