*9 



The Straits Plantations Co., Limited, 

 Bagan I) a toh, 



Lower Perak. 



2Qth Oct., /(JO J. 



H. N. Ridley, Esq., 



Singapore. 



Dear Sir, — I am taking the liberty of sending you by the 

 favour of Mr. Penn, the Chief Officer of the s. s Malacca, a bottle 

 containing larvae of beetle which have been found on this estate, 

 and I shall feel very much obliged if you will kindly let me know 

 your opinion of them -whether any, and which of them, are the 

 larva? of the coconut beetle. 



We have suffered a good deal from the coconut beetle lately, 

 and on making strict search we have found main thousands of 

 grubs in the soil similar to the spec imens which \ am sending you. 



The top soil here is a black mould compound 1 imagine of 

 decayed vegetable matter, and it is in this mould that the grubs 

 have been found. As soon as we discovered the grubs we flooded 

 the whole place with water, with the result that we have picked up 

 over 40,000 grubs dead, and we have caught during the last month 

 over 30,000 grubs from places which the water has not reached. 

 Even in the roads running through the estate, made up of stiff 

 clay, we are now finding the grubs. I imagine that they have got 

 up into these higher places in order to get away from the water. 



Apparently it is a very difficult thing to distinguish the grub of 

 the coconut beetle from that of other beetles which do no harm to 

 coconut trees, and having read your article in Air. Ferguson's 

 book and also in the .Agricultural Bulletin 1 should value your 

 opinion on the specimens which I am sending very highly indeed. 



I would like to say that since the estate has been covered with 

 water the number of beetles caught has decreased enormously 

 and very few trees have been newly attacked. 



We are of course particularly careful to burn all rubbish and 

 manure in which beetles are likely to breed, and if you can suggest 

 any method, other than that which we are adopting to prevent 

 them breeding in the soil, I shall be very grateful. 



If there is any other information which you would like to have 

 I shall be very happy to supply it. 



Trusting that I am not giving you too much trouble. 



I beg to remain, 



Yours faithfully, 



WILLIAM DELL. 



