Plant Sanitation, 



240 



[September, 1911. 



destroyed, such compensation not to 

 exceed two-thirds of the value of the 

 matter destroyed and to be granted only 

 by the Governor in Council upon the 

 recommendation of the Minister ; 



(/) For the prohibition of the sale of 

 any vegetable matter infected with any 

 such insect, pest or disease ; 



(g) That the occupier of the premises 

 on which is discovered any such insect, 

 pest or disease shall forthwith notify 

 the Minister, and shall also send speci- 

 mens of such insect, pest or disease ; 



(h) For the confiscation of any veget- 

 able matter and the container thereof, 

 if any, in respect of which a breach of 

 this Act, or any regulation made there- 

 under is committed and generally for 

 any other purpose which may be deemed 

 expedient for carrying out this Act, 

 whether such other regulations are of 

 the kind enumerated in this section 

 or not. 



5. The Minister may appoint inspect- 

 ors and other officers for carrying out 

 this Act and the Regulations made 

 thereunder. Such appointments, if not 

 confirmed by the Governor in Council 

 within thirty days of the date thereof, 

 shall lapse and cease to be valid. 



6. Any inspector or other officer so 

 appointed may enter any place or pre- 

 mises in which he has reason to believe 

 there exists any such insect, pest or 

 disease, and may take specimens thereof, 

 and also of any vegetable matter in- 

 fested or suspected of being infested 

 therewith. 



7. The Minister upon the report of 

 any inspector setting forth a reasonable 

 belief of the existence of any such insect, 

 pest or disease in any area defined in 

 such report, may prohibit the removal 

 from such area or the movement therein 

 of any vegetation, vegetable or other 

 matter which, in his opinion, is likely co 

 result in the spread of* such insect, pest 

 or disease. 



8. Every person who contravenes any 

 provision of this Act, or any regulation 

 made thereunder, shall be liable upon 

 summary conviction to a fine not exceed- 

 ing 100 dollars, or to imprisonment for a 

 term not exceeding six months, or to 

 both fine and imprisonment. Any 

 vegetable or other matter imported or 

 brought into Canada contrary to this 

 Act, or to any regulation made there- 

 under, shall be forfeited to the Crown. 



FRUIT AND PUMPKIN FLIES. 



(Illustrated). 



By E. Ernest Green, f.e.s, etc., 

 Government Entomologist. 



Fruit Flies of the family Trypetidm 

 occur commonly throughout the tropical 

 and subtropical regions of both Hemi- 

 spheres, spreading to southern Europe 

 in the North, and to South Africa and 

 the Australasian continents. 



I have found six species in Ceylon, 

 namely : — 



1. Dacus ferrugtneus, Fabr., breeding 

 in the fruits of oranges, mangoes 

 and 'star apple/ (ChrysophylLum 

 camito). 



2. Dacus garciniw, Bezzi, in the fruits 

 of 4 Cochin Goraka ' (Garcinia xan- 

 thochymus). 



3. Dacus cucurbits, Coq,, in Pump- 

 kins, Cucumbers, Vegetable Mar- 

 rows and Melons. 



4. Dacus caudatus, Fabr.. in Pump- 

 kins. 



5. Dacus zonatus, Saund., food plant 

 unknown. 



6. Ceratitis striata, Frogg., breeding 

 in the young shoots of the ' Giant 

 Bamboo ' (Dendrocalamus gigan- 

 teus). 



Probably other species will be found 

 breeding in Guavas and wild fruits of 

 various kinds. 



Perhaps the most troublesome of our 

 local species is Dacus ferr ugineus, which 

 is responsible for so many ' wormy ' 

 oranges and mangoes. But Dacus cucur- 

 bits runs it very close in destructive- 

 ness. Many a promising crop of cucum- 

 bers and vegetable-marrows has been 

 ruined, and the largest pumpkins 

 reduced to a mass of putrid pulp by the 

 maggots of this fly. 



All the species of Dacus bear a general 

 resemblance to each other, and many of 

 them can be distinguished only by 

 minute microscopical characters. Their 

 bodies are usually of a tawny yellow 

 colour, the front part striped longitudi- 

 nally and the hinder parts banded with 

 dark brown. The wings ate often 

 blotched or banded with smoky gray. 



The adult flies puncture the fruit by 

 means of a horny ovipositor and deposit 

 their eggs just within the rind. The 

 resulting maggots bore their way into 

 the fruit and feed upon the pulp. They 

 spoil more than they actually consume, 

 for decay sets in and spreads through 

 the whole fruit. Even a single maggot 

 will taint a whole orange and make it 



