305 



Plant Sanitation.' 



Mr. Craik thought they Avere all agreed that . they ought to' combine. 

 If everybody would begin collecting egg-masses, it would be the best thing they 

 could possibly do. • 1 



Mr. Green said they would probably find they would have to collect egg- 

 masses on the hills one month and down in the valley the next. They would 

 have to determine by experience when collecting should be done. 



Mr. Braybrooke said there would be difficulty in collecting egg-masses 

 among irregularly-planted tea. If it were planted in rows the pest could be got at 

 in a much easier manner and at a much smaller expense. 



Mr. Green asked Mr. Braybrooke whether he had noticed Avhether the 

 tea was not worst in August. 



Mr. Braybrooke : Yes, July and August. 



The Chairman said he really did not think the system of collecting the egg- 

 masses by pluckers was any good. He defied any coolie to bring in a decent kanak 

 of leaf if he was to take egg-masses off properly. In the old days they used to think 

 it was on the top ; now it was in the middle of the bushes. They should give a 

 thorough trial to putting on special gangs whose duty it would be to pluck off egg- 

 masses properly. After that he thought they would hud the coolies would do the 

 work better. It was absurd at present to expecb that the pluckers would collect the 

 egg-masses properly. 



Mr. Green said it ought to be possible to keep records of the collections 

 made. If they could do this and the records were properly tabulated by the Secre- 

 tary it would give them a fair idea of the life history of the insect at different 

 elevations in the district, and it would be of great assistance in the work of 

 extermination. 



The Chairman : I think that would be an excellent idea. 



WHAT THE INCREASE IS DUE TO. 



In answer to a member's question, Mr. Green said the increase was no doubt 

 partly due to the abnormally dry season. However, it had now got to such a pitch 

 that it would not be advisable — it would be suicidal— to Avait for the monsoon and 

 expect it to bring relief. 



Several members remarked that there had been a scare Avith regard to 

 brown blight, but that went away Avith the monsoon. 



The Chairman : That was a very Avet monsoon, as a matter of fact. 



Mr. Green observed that naturally an abnormally dry season Avas favourable 

 to the insect pest, and a Avet season was just as naturally unfavourable, as he had 

 explained, but it was just possible that the expected monsoon might not have the 

 desired effect. 



Mr. Eliot said when the old estates were planted in tea there was no 

 grevillea and no pest. They were now covered with grevillea and the pest was 

 among them. 



The CHAIRMAN spoke of an estate which had its Avorst attack but one 17 years 

 ago Avhen there were not seventeen grevilleas on the estate. 



Mr. Green again asserted that he did not think grevilleas affected the pest 

 very much one way or the other. The evidence for and against did not come to 

 much. The only effect grevilleas could possibly have Avould be in this Avay. There 

 was the possibility of grevilleas harbouring the pest. 



Mr. Craib said he was sorry to disagree. He could point out two areas, one 

 thickly-wooded which had got very feAV, and another exactly the opposite. 



