Importation of Ladybirds. 



501 



climate. The New Zealand red yielded slightly heavier crops 

 in 1896, but fewer plants survived the succeeding winter. The 

 German was decidedly less suitable for the district. 



The conclusions drawn by Mr. M'Alpine were that the pro- 

 duce depends on the germinating power of the seed used, and 

 on the number of pure and germinating seeds per pound, size 

 and appearance counting for very little if the two foregoing 

 conditions are satisfied. New Zealand red proved most 

 suitable at Carbeth. A satisfactory basis of valuation would 

 take into account percentage of purity and of germination' 

 and the number of seeds per pound weight. High priced 

 seed did not yield the largest crop. 



Importation of Californian Ladybirds. 



The Board have been favoured by Mr. F. Paget Norbury, of 

 Malvern Link, with the following account of an experiment 

 made by him last year in importing ladybirds from the United 

 States with a view to combating the aphides in his hopyard. 

 The consignment, which was sent over in the spring of 1903, 

 consisted of two gallons of the Californian species, Hippodamia 

 convergens, known in the United States as a ravenous devourer 

 of plant-lice, and more especially of the Woolly aphis. 



The ladybirds on arrival at Malvern were released into a 

 small field of lucerne adjoining the hopyard. Owing, however, 

 to delays 011 the journey, a large percentage were dead : Mr. 

 Norbury reckons that not more than 1,500 had survived the 

 journey. In spite of inclement weather the insects successfully 

 found their way to the hopyard ; and on a bright sunny day- 

 some twenty to fifty could be noticed during a casual walk 

 through the yard. 



There was last summer an unusual number of native lady- 

 birds, but the Californian species was easily recognisable ; the 

 colouring being a far more brilliant scarlet, whereas the English 

 were more generally of a yellowish hue. The presence of a 

 large number of indigenous kinds naturally detracts somewhat 

 rom the value of the experiment. The imported beetles 



