150 



hearts are not fed immediately to cattle or destroyed they should be 

 ripped up end the caterpillar inside killed. It is important to remem- 

 ber that the fcuccess of ihis remedy depends entirely on the destruction 

 of tbe chryfalis or caterpillar inside the " dead-heart." 



After describing the methods now recommended for dealing with 

 the mcth-borer it may be useful to review former recommendations in 

 the same direction. In Schomburgk's History of Barbados, page 645, 

 theie is this statement : ''From long continued experience Mr. Guild- 

 ing discovered that they (the moth-borers) may be almost entirely ex- 

 pelled if the canes are carefully stripped of the diy and useless leaves, 

 under whieh, as they become Icose, the female Borer deposits her 

 eggs." This observation lefers to the 3 ear 1828, ard we must con- 

 clude that the moth-borer may possibly during the lapse of years have 

 changed its habits. In old, as in young canes, the eggs are now in- 

 variably laid on the green leaves, not under them or in the axils: no 

 cane has teen found in Earbados with eggs laid as described above, 

 and the conclusien appears thorougLly established by caieful observa- 

 tien in this island that the stripping off of old leaves has no effect 

 whatever on the ravages of the moth-borer. A number of writers since 

 then have devised plans and recommendations for the destiuction of 

 this pest. Clearly, any lecemmendations for the West Indies must be 

 adapted to the local conditions of climate and cultivation : ^' Countries 

 situated in the Tropics, where there is no winter's rest, require a dif- 

 ferent treatment fiom that found suitable in the Southern United 

 States and others, where canes are only growing during about 7 or 8 

 months of the year."^ The recemmendations must also be exactly 

 adapted to tbe habits of the insect under consideration. In reviewing 

 the remedies that are to be found in the available literature only two 

 have been found suitable for adoption in these colonies; these two are 

 catching the nroths at lights and cutting out dead-hearts. I he first 

 remedy given above (destroying the eggs) is not advocated in any 

 literature available here for rtfererce. Jt appears to be one that is 

 probably net suited to other localities, or has been oveilooked. For 

 tbe puiposes of the West Indian sugar planter, it is likely to give the 

 best results and, oombined with others recommended above should be 

 sufficient to c( mpletely check the ravages of the pest. It will be use- 

 ful to notice two cts(s mentioned in the Kew bulletin" (1894, p. 

 1(3.) In Queenshnd, Both describes how the pest is kept unaer con- 

 trol, by sending boys with sharp pocket kcives along the rows of 

 cane. The boys detect the dead or djing shoots, and cut them off as 

 close as possible to the parent cutting. They then opened the shoot 

 and destroyed the fat grub." This is an instance where the piactice of 

 intelligently outting out dead-hearts proved successful. The following, 

 recorded by Br. Morris, shows vshat has been effected in the Canaries 

 by methods based on a knowledge of the habits of the pest : ^' In the 

 south-western eorner of this island (Teneriff'e) a very large sugar estate 

 has been established and is now under the management of Mr. Ri- 

 chaid Tonge of the Icod and Baute Estate Company. On this estate 

 the eanos were voiy severely attacked by moth-borer, which was be- 

 lieyed also to attack the maize crops of the island. The inju]ies to the 



* " Kew BulletiD," 1894, p. 174.) 



