Plant Sanitation. 



304 



other places. They must all help to get rid of the pest, and they must have 

 co-operation all round, not on a few estates but in the whole of the Association's 

 district, and in adjoining districts if possible. Of course, they knew well how 

 difficult it was among planters to get such co-operation, but unless the co-oper- 

 ation was got the question resolved itself into one of serious legislation. They 

 were not certain that they could depend upon the monsoon. In the meantime 

 every effort must be made to get rid of the young ; the chief thing was to 

 destroy the eggs. Mr. Pole went on to assert that the pest originally came from the 

 jungle and was blown probably by some gust of wind, and not finding grevillias — he 

 was afraid he had a fad in that direction (laughter)— it dropped on to the tea. 

 It was for them to see whether they could combine and prevent the pest spread- 

 ing. Mr. Pole then went on to describe a certain pest-ridden tea estate in the 

 district. There were, he said, aci*es of tea, not quite as though they had been 

 burnt by fire, but rather scorched. The trees had not dropped their leaves, 

 which were perfectly brown, but he could show tea from which every leaf 

 had fallen — which had happened during the last few weeks. The owners of that 

 tea could not expect to make anything of it for the next few months. The 

 pest, he felt sure, was increasing year by year. They had done 

 something —they had destroyed eggs— but nothing had been done systematically. 

 The speaker mentioned an estate from which 74 million possible insects had 

 been taken, yet, through lack of co operation of surrounding estates, the 

 pest was as bad as ever. 



Mr. GREEN said he would not advise planters to wait for legislation. 

 There was the Pest Ordinance going through, but let them not wait for that, 

 but go ' in for systematic action at once. 



In answer to a member, who asked amidst laughter, whether the Govern- 

 ment would combine with them in clearing the jungles, the Chairman thought 

 that was impossible; and 



Mr. Green said it was a mistake to think that the pest came from 

 the jungle. It was by no means abundant in the jungle. 



Mr. Pole said he had seen a few tortrix, chiefly males, in the forest 

 at night, plainly proving that the females were up above in the trees among 

 the young tender bushes. Within the last few days he killed a number of 

 female tortrix in the forest boundary between two estates. 



Mr. Green : That was at the edge of- the forest close to the tea, of course. 



The Chairman expressed himself of opinion that there were few tortrix 

 in the jungle. They were, of course, constantly coming into the jungle. 



Mr. ;P>raybrooke : Mr. Pole described to us a considerable acreage with- 

 out leaf. Did he mean to say the pest had taken off the large leaves as well 

 as the small? 



Mr. Pole: Not exactly the leaf entirely, but the cuticle, leaving an 

 apparent red blotch on the surface. 



Mr. de Mowbray: I have seen where they have taken off every leaf 

 from the trees, the old as well as the young. 



Mr. Braybrooke said that takiug off the old leaf did a great deal of 

 good. He could not say whether the remedy was a good one, however, or whether 

 it did not do a great deal more harm than the disease. Of course, it was a 

 very drastic remedy. 



A Member said he took off everthiug last year, and this year his tea 

 was worse than it had ever been before. 



