Live Stock, 



242 



[September, 1911. 



a cost of id. per tree) by repeatedly 

 spraying them with a mixture of i lb. 

 Arsenate of Lead and 3 lbs. sugar in tive 

 gallons of water. The spray is made 

 to fall in fine drops on to the foliage, 

 where it is quickly discovered by the 

 flies. Spray pumps are necessary for 

 the treatment of orchards, but single 

 trees can be effectively sprinkled by 

 means of an ordinary garden syringe. 

 The spray from the syringe should be 

 directed up into the air and allowed 

 to fall — like fine rain — upon the foliage. 



Attempts have been made to combat 

 the pest by means of natural parasites, 

 and Mr. Compere (of West Australia) 

 claims to have discovered various useful 

 insects of this kind. But Froggatt, who 

 has studied the question very closely! 

 throws some doubt upon the reliability 

 of Compere's observations. Lounsbury 

 and Fuller (of South Africa) have also 

 investigated the subject very thorough- 

 ly, and came to the conclusion that the 



supposed natural enemies afford no 

 appreciable check to the pest. 



Various species of the Fruit Fly 

 are troublesome in other countries. 

 Amongst these, the following are the 

 more notorious : — Dacus olece, Rossi, des- 

 tructive to Olives along the Mediter- 

 ranean shores of Europe ; Dacus tryoni, 

 Frogg., attacking peaches, nectarines, 

 etc., in Queensland, Australia ; Dacus 

 persicce, Bigot, bred from peaches in 

 India ; Ceratitis capitata, Wied., a 

 serious pest of oranges in Southern 

 Europe, Australia and New Zealand ; 

 Ceratitis punctata, Wied., breeding in 

 Cacao pods in Uganda : Trypeta ludens, 

 Loew, damaging oranges, mangoes, etc. 

 in Mexico; Trype ta pomoneLla, Walsh, 

 an apple pest in the United States; 

 Trypeta musce, Frogg, in bananas from 

 the New Hebrides. We may congra- 

 tulate ourselves that neither the cacao 

 nor the banana species are known in 

 Ceylon. 



LIVE STOCK. 



ERADICATING RINDERPEST IN 

 DAVAO DISTRICT. 



The last issue of the Philippine Agri- 

 cultural Review to hand contains the 

 report of C. G. Thompson, D. V. M., of 

 the Bureau of Agriculture, on the recent 

 oubreak of rinderpest in Davao District 

 and the means taken to eradicate it. 

 The report, which is a chronicle of work 

 well done, follows : — 



In accordance with travel orders dated 

 December 3, 1910, I sailed from Manila 

 with Mr. R. E. Burris on the United 

 States Army transport Seward on De- 

 cember 4, and arrived at Zamboanga on 

 December 7. I immediately presented 

 my letter of introduction to Brigadier- 

 General John J. Pershing, governor of 

 the Moro Province, and in conference 

 with him and Colonel Richard, the pro- 

 vincial health officer, discussed the Davao 

 situation at some length. Very little 

 was known in Zamboanga at that time 

 as to the nature or extent of the out- 

 break, but both Brigadier-General Per- 

 shing and Colonel Richard realize the 

 menace presented by the existence of 

 rinderpest infection in the MoroProviuce, 

 and assured me that they would support 

 us in any reasonable measures which we 

 might recommend, providing such mea- 

 sures offered some hope oi success. 



With Brigadier-General Pershing we 

 sailed on the U. S. Army cutter Samar 

 on December 10, arriving at Davao 



December 14, After several days spent 

 in studying local conditions as to the 

 extent of the infection, distribution of 

 susceptible animals, avenues of animal 

 travel, and the distribution of Scouts 

 and Constabulary for quarantine work, 

 I submitted a letter to the governor of 

 the Moro Province recommending that 

 the sum of ;$7,500 be made available for 

 transportation and indemnification of 

 owners for slaughtered animals. In 

 response I was informed that no funds 

 could be made available at that time 

 for the purpose of indemnification, but 

 authorization was made for reasonable 

 expenditure for transportation. I secur- 

 ed a small launch and used it almost 

 constantly during my stay in Davao. 



In the letter to the governor of the 

 Moro Province, above mentioned, I sub- 

 mitted copies of ordinances covering cer- 

 tain quarantine provisions necessitated 

 by local conditions and not anticipated 

 in Act No. 1760 or the acts of the Moro 

 Province. Emergency health ordinance 

 No. 1, passed by the provincial board of 

 health on January 1, 1911, covered the 

 desired points. 



After a very careful study of the situ- 

 ation, I became convinced that only by 

 the most drastic measures could the 

 eradication of the infection be accom- 

 plished. The outbreak had already 

 encompassed an area of over 150 square 

 miles, The infection was of the most 

 virulent type, and the rugged nature of 



