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eggs on the youno^ cane plants More recent investigations have 

 thrown doubt on this and it appears that the black eggs may be safely 

 left on the young plants. It would be well therefore to see that the 

 black eggs are left on the leaves and are not taken from the plants 

 when the other eggs are collected It is necessary to encourage the 

 spread of the parasite that will assist in checking the ravages of the 

 moth borer, and this is best do le b}'' leaving the black eggs on the cane 

 plants ^"n order that the flies may come out of the eggs and destroy 

 further moth borer eggs This question will be kept under observa- 

 tion anl if it is found that it is dangerous to leave the black eggs on the 

 plants, the Department will advise further in the matter. 



The egg is the only stage that is appreciably afEected in Barbados by 

 any natural check, and it is reasonable to suppose that, if egi^ collecting 

 is carried out intelligently and vigorously during^ the time the cane is 

 growing, the ravages of the moth borer will not only be greatly checked 

 during the later growth of the cane, but in time the numbers of the 

 moth borer will be very greatly diminished. 



Destroying the Moths. — A remedy that has been to some extent 

 adopted is that of catching the moths at night by means of lights. If 

 lante. ns ure hung out in fields of cane, the moths are attracted to the 

 light and can be caught in pans of molasses or kerosene hung under- 

 neath. A useful arrangement consists of a wooden tray, 2 feet square 

 6 inches deep, with a light suspended above it The tray may contain, 

 mol sses or kerosene or either of these with water. Any arrangement 

 that will k.^ep burning all night and give a good light is all that is 

 needed. A number of these should be placed on the estate near the 

 patches of mature or growing cane, and they require little attention 

 and n* ed cost but little. This remedy is of especial use when the cane 

 has grown too high for the eggs to be collected : bat it may at all times 

 be usefully applied to trap the moths that would otherwise lay eggs. 



Cutting out affbctbd Canes — Another remedy already generally 

 familiar is that of cutting out ' dead-hearts." This term is appb'ed to 

 young shoots bored by Moth-borer and the object of catt ng them out 

 is to destroy the caterpillar inside, though this is not so generally 

 known as it should be. It is useless to cut out dead hearts after the 

 caterpillar has become the moth and flown away. There are three 

 essential points: (1) Begin cutting out dead-hearts early; ('2) Con- 

 tinue cutting out regularly; (3) See that they are cut out quite low 

 down, where the shoot comes off from the plant cane. It is evident 

 that six weeks after the moth-borer gets in, it comes oat in the form of 

 the moth and lays eggs. It is useless, therefore, to put ofl" cutting out 

 dead-hearts till three months after the canes are up Also, as the cater- 

 pillar is usually to be found quite low down, the dead-heart must be cut 

 low down or th ^ caterpillar will not be killed. 



When dead-hearts are cut out, they should be put in a bag and 

 the caterpillar inside killed without delay. Thii may be done by feed- 

 ing the dead-hearts to stock o i the ^ame day that they are cut out. 

 Dead-hearts should never be left lying about to wither and rot on the 

 land oiherwise the caterpillar inside will turn to the moth and escape, 

 or it will walk out and attack the nearest cane plant. If the dead- 



