1 5 



or 1.7 per cent. Madras furnished the principal part of these ship- 

 ments. About 30,000,000 pounds, valued at 83,259,000, or 1.6 per 

 cent, came from Brazil. Peru, Chile and China stood foremost 

 among the countries from which additional imports were received." 



Agricultural Imports of the United Kingdom, 1S96-1900. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



PRESERVATION OF BAMBOOS PROM THE 

 ATTACKS OF THE BAMBOOBEETLE OR 

 " SHOT-BORER. 5 



Condensed account. 



The work of the bamboo berth;- or " Shot-borer " is well known 

 in India. All who have anything to do with bamboos have to count 

 upon and allow for the ravages of this pest and in many parts a 

 year to a year and a half may be given as the estimated and prob- 

 able life of a bamboo after cutting. 



But although the results of its work are well known, the rea[ 

 author of the depredations is far from being a well recognised 

 enemy owing both to its small size and to its secretive habits. The 

 damage is committed by a tiny beetle and its grubs which are just 

 of slightly smaller diameter than the holes with which the bamboos 

 are seen to be riddled. The beetle, which has a black head and 

 thorax and reddish-covered shining wing coverts, bores its way into 

 the bamboo and lays its eggs in the interior, each beetle laying 

 about twenty. From these eggs small white roundish dots of grubs 

 issue within a few days of their being deposited. These tiny larva? 

 burrow up and down in the interior of the bamboo and reduce its 

 structure to powder. About four weeks are spent in this stage and 

 the grubs then enlarge the ends of their burrows and change to 

 pupa? which after some eight days or so turn into the beetles.- On 

 becoming mature the beetles bore their way out of the bamboos 

 and so add further to the tunnels already made in them. On em- 

 ergence the insects fly off to attack fresh bamboos or they may bore 

 into the one in which they have matured themselves. There are 

 thus three separate forms of attack. The matured beetles appear 

 to issue either all from the same exit hole or from one or two only, 

 these being often the former entrance holes of the mother beetles 

 which are considerablv enlarged. Beetles of the new oreneration 

 appear to also make use of these old holes to enter the bamboo to 

 egg-lay, boring away from the old gallery when they have got in- 

 side. When bamboos are in lengths it will be found that the beetles 

 tunnel in them parallel to the long axis and from galleries which 

 open at one of the ends. The bamboo is thus often completely 

 hollow in parts without there being much outward evidence of its 

 having been badly attacked. A feature which greatly adds to the 

 insects power of doing serious damage is to be found in the fact 

 that it passes through at least five, and perhaps more, generations 



