March, 1910.] 



223 



Timbers. 



surface fill, after which the work is gone 

 over with a series of circular move- 

 ments, applying a moderate pressure, 

 increasing a little as the rubber dries. 

 In order that the rubber may pass 

 smoothly over the work, a drop of raw 

 linseed oil is occasionally added to 

 the face of the rubber. As the rubber 

 dries, more polish is added as in the 

 first instance. A little polish will go 

 a long way, and at no time should 

 there be anything like a flow from the 

 rubber. The first bodying in should be 

 continued until the wood will absorb no 

 more, after which the rubber mark will 

 still show but gradually disappear in 

 the finish. The final operation in French 

 polishing by which the gloss is put on 

 to the body previously applied is known 

 as spiriting off and it removes all 

 kinds of marks. This process partakes 



very much of the nature of bodying in. 

 It consists in washing the bodied sur- 

 face with alcohol. The surface is gra- 

 dually reduced to a fine gloss with all 

 blemishes removed. 



To make a good polish, take about 

 six ouuces of shellac and add one pint 

 of wood alcohol ; great exactness in pro- 

 portions is not necessary. Shellac dis- 

 solves gradually and the process is 

 hastened by shaking, but heat is not 

 necessary. White polish is made with 

 bleached shellac, common polish with 

 orange shellac. Manufacturers of polish 

 assert that in addition to shellac, 

 certain gums improve the quantity of 

 the polish when properly used, but 

 shellac is the principal ingredient in 

 nearly all polishes. Gum benzoin and 

 alcohol make a very good polish, but 

 it is not generally used. 



PLANT SANITATION. 



NOTES ON CURRENT LITERATURE: 

 Economic Entomology. 



By E. Ernest Green, 

 Government Entomologist. 



Ballou, H. A— "The flower-Bud Mag- 

 got of Cotton, Contarinia gossypii, 

 Felt.)." Reprinted from the 'West Indian 

 Bulletin,' Vol, X., No. 1, pp. 1-28, 1909. 



Describes the larva of a Cecidomyiid 

 Fly (one of the 'Gall-Gnats') that has 

 caused serious loss to the Cotton groweis 

 of Antigua. The insect breeds in the 

 flower-buds of the cotton plant, causing 

 them to fall off or so injuring them that 

 they fail to develop. No suitable re- 

 medies have so far been discovered. 

 Damp weather appears to be favourable 

 to the maggot, while dry weather and 

 hot sunshine reduce the severity of the 

 attack. 



Ballou, H. A.—" The Scaiabee of the 

 Sweet Potato." Repriuted from the 

 ' West Indian Bulletin,' Vol. X., No. 2, 

 pp. 180-96, 1909. 



The so-called ' Scarabee ' is a weevil 

 (Cryptorhynchus batatas). The insect 

 breeds in the tubers of the sweet potato. 

 "For several years past this pest has 

 been very troublesome in potato fields 

 in Barbados, and the loss to the 

 planters and small cultivators has been 

 very large." Both laboratory and field 

 experiments failed to give any success- 

 ful method of treatment. The insects 

 appear to be "very resistant to the 

 effects of Vaporite." Rotation of crops 

 is recommended. 



Swezey, Otto H. — "The Hawaiian 

 Cane Bud Moth (Ereunetis flavistriata)" 

 Div. of Eutom, Bulletin No, 6, 1909. 



The insect belongs to the family 

 Tineidce. It is said to be invariably 

 present in the cane fields of the Ha- 

 waiian Islands. It is normally not 

 particularly injurious, but, when very 

 numerous and when attacking soft 

 varieties of cane, it may cause some 

 trouble. Remedial treatment is not 

 considered necessary. 



Gowdey, C. C— "Cacao Fruit Fly, 

 {Ceratitis punctata, Wied.)." The mag- 

 gots of the fly feed upon the pulp sur- 

 rounding the seeds cf the cacao fruit, 

 preventing the normal development of 

 the seeds. The use of poisoned baits is 

 recommended. 



Newell, Wilmou.— "Measures Sug- 

 gested against the Argentine Ant as a 

 Household Pest." Repriuted from the 

 'Journal of Economic Entomology,' Vol. 

 II., No. 5, 1909. 



This ant (Iridomyy mex humilis,' Meyr.) 

 has become a great nuisance as a house- 

 hold pest in the United States. A useful 

 repellant is noticed, viz., tape that has 

 been soaked in a saturated aqueous 

 solution of Corrosive Sublimate, and 

 subsequently dried. If such poisoned 

 tape is tacked or tied round the legs of 

 tables, the ants will not cross the 

 barrier. Syrup mixed with arsenic is 

 a useful bait. When a certain number 

 of the _ insects have fallen victims to 

 the poison, the colony appears to con- 

 sider the neighbourhood unhealthy 

 and to vacate the premises. In winter, 



