38 



I shall take great pleasure in writing you more fully, if you so desire 

 .and in answering any questsons you may wish to put me, in regard to 

 rubber cultivation, as it is a subject in which I am especially interested 



Believe me, Sir, 



Very respectfully yours, 



Pierre Jay. 



GRUBS AT ROOTS OF COCOA TREES. 



(Theobroma Cacao). 



Two kinds of grubs attacking the roots of Cocoa plants have been re- 

 ceived. One kind appears to be the larva of a beetle (probably Scari- 

 baeidae), the other maybe one of the "Cut- worms," the larvae of lepidop- 

 terous insects (probably Noctuidae). 



The grubs do an immense deal of damage in the United States, but 

 the Agricultural Department there is of the opinion that there is no 

 practical remedy in the case of field crops. 



Persons who notice their cocoa, and especially their young cocoa 

 plants, attacked, would find it advantageous to employ a boy to go 

 through the cocoa systematically using a light hand fork or some tool 

 of the kind, digging about the roots, and removing grubs and weeds. 

 The loosening of the soil, and the weeding would have an excellent 

 effect and probably pay for itself without any reference to the presence 

 of a grub. With sickly trees the boy could at the same time mix in a 

 little manure with the soil as he turns it back. The plantation should 

 be kept clear of weeds which always encourage grubs ; and the refuse 

 of weeds, &c, should not be piled up round the stem. 



It is a common practice to scrape together the litter of leaves, weeds, 

 and surface soil close round the base of the stem. This custom is al- 

 together wrong. The intention is evidently to supply plant food to 

 the roots from the decay of vegetable matter, but the feeding roots are 

 at some distance from the stem, as a rule, in trees, below the tips of the 

 branches. A heap of litter forms a good nursery for insect pests, and 

 moreover if placed close round the stem, induces decay in the bark. 

 Therefore, if litter cannot be turned in, or used to make a compost in a 

 manure pit, it should be burnt, and the ashes will supply a small amount 

 of plant food. 



ORANGES. 



From the information given below, kindly supplied by Messrs. 

 Gillespie of New York, it will be seen that there is a considerable 

 import of oranges and lemons from Italy into the United States. 



The reasons given for importing from Europe rather than from 

 Jamaica are, first, the quality of the fruit, — carefully selected, no 

 dropped nor thorned fruit ; secondly, — well packed according to size in 

 proper boxes; thirdly, —carriage in specially adapted steamers. 

 Another important matter is the curing of the fruit. 



The fruit in the island is of excellent quality, but a trade can never be 

 profitable, unless the essential elements of success, as mentioned above, 

 are strictly observed. Information on curing and packing is given in 

 Bulletins for January, 1891, and October. 1893. 



