THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST [May i, 1888, 
hoe, the roots being carefully avoided. A little 
manure may now be placed round each plant by 
hand, and water is let on till the field is submerged 
or waterlogged, thus sealing up the roots from air 
in plastic clay or loam compressed by the downward 
course of the water, and hardening as it dries. As 
the hoe avoids the roots, the compression of the 
soil around them increases just where it should be 
most friable. The hoeing is repeited ab. ut three 
times, followed by a melwanee watering, that is, till 
the ground is water-logged each time. When the 
plants reach a certain height, and the leaves begin 
to shade the field, hoeing is stopped, and as they 
grow, being close together with no regularity, a thick 
jungle is the result, excluding sun and free circulation 
of air. Considering the nature of the plant and the 
work its root has to do, this treatment of it is most 
irrational. In Queensland (Australia) and other places 
•where cane cultivation is under European supervision, 
the cuttings or seedlings are laid at least nine inches 
under the surface of the ground, either in carefully- 
made rectangular oblong holes in rows three-and-a- 
half or four feet apart, or in continuous channels or 
furrows made by hoe ; or double mould-board plough, 
the bottom being flat, and eight or nine inches wide, 
that is, wide enough to receive three cuttings placed 
some distance from each other. A field planted in 
this way will take as many cuttings as are usually 
put in by the native method. The space between 
the rows need not be ploughed, only cleaned of weeds 
by hoe, these are left on the ground, and are covered 
by the earth from the channels or holes. 
Previous to planting the cutting's, manure in proper 
quantity is spread over the bottom of the channel 
and mixed with a little earth. On, or in this, the cut- 
tings are laid end to end either in single, double, or 
triple rows as the width of the bottom may allow, and 
covered by hand with about three inches of earth. 
The " hole " system is used in Queensland, the ground 
is hilly and undulating, rain is frequent, and each 
hole retains what may fall into it. In India, where 
irrigation is necessary, the channel or deep furrow 
method is best. After some days the surface of the 
soil in the bottom of the channels is loosened by hand. 
This may be done by women or children, whereas the 
hoeing of the ryot's field has to be done by men. If 
water is now necessary, a little is allowed to flow from 
one end of the channel to the other, and then shut 
off. As the plants rise, more earth is filled in around 
them with a little manure where it may be needed ; 
the loosening of the surface, watering and filling in is 
repeated till the channel is filled ; after which as the 
plants grow, the earth is drawn from the spaces 
between the rows and heaped round the roots till a 
ridge is formed at least nine inches high over the ori- 
ginal surface. Subsequent irrigation is given in the 
hollows between the ridges, the water not being allowed 
to reach the top of the ridges by four or five inches 
which are thus left friable, and open for the action of 
the air and expansion of the roots. 
Our ryots have for years seen and acknowledged the 
considerable economy of labour, water, and manure in 
this method as compared with their own, They have 
also seen the common mongoo cane of the district so 
improved that they had to be assured it was nothing 
else, yet none of them have had the enterprise to adopt 
it, though several among them have been at work on 
the cane fields on the West Indies and Mauritius, and 
known the method and its results. 
Cane culture should be more of the nature of garden 
than field cultivation, and if done with a reasonable 
consideration of the nature and necessity of the plant, 
a third of tho land now yoarly devoted to cane could 
bo put under other crops with no falling off in the 
weight of sugar produced. 
Tin; industry, as a whole, and in its details, from 
the preparation of the land till the crude produce is 
re:idy for the market, is in a very backward and waste- 
ful condition; there is no reason except the inertia 
of the ryot why this should be so. This might be over- 
come, and a better rut opened out by some sustained 
afrort on the part of tho Government, probably a gradu- 
ated ict of prizes for the best cano fields cultivated 
with reference to the nature and requirements of the 
plant. We know by experience the ryots understand 
what this means when explained to them in terms 
with which they are familiar — South of India Observer. 
♦ 
THE INSECT PESTS OF INDIA. 
Circular. 
In Pan Museum, Calcutta, Febiuary 1st, 1888. 
The trustees of the Indian Museu n have had. 
under their consideration the means whereby a 
useful scientific examination of the insect pests of 
Iudia can be best effectel. Bearing in view the 
great economical importance of the investigation, 
they have directed the first assistant, Mr. E. C. 
Cotes, to consider it an essential portion of his 
duties, and have instructed him to communicate 
with those interested in the subject, and those 
likely to aid its object, in order to ascertain the 
facts and collect the materials which must form 
the basis of all really scientific work of permanent 
value. Mr. Ootes will gradually reoord the entire 
life histories and practical methods of dealing with 
the principal insect pests, publishing from time to 
time, as materials accumulate, the information 
collected, and distributing it to those interested. 
It is only by the active co-operation of those who 
live in the districts where the insects occur, and 
who have actual experience of the pests, that really 
useful results are to be expected in this under- 
taking ; but if all will contribute what is brought 
to their own knowledge of the subject, there will be 
no considerable difficulty in collecting complete and 
reliable accounts of the various pests, and hence of 
arriving at the most suitable methods of dealing 
with them. With regard to the value of such in- 
quiries, it is only necessary to point to the success 
that has attended similar work carried on by Miss 
Ormerod in England, aud by the Entomological 
Commission under Dr. Riley in America, where 
considerable advance has been made within the last 
few years in methods of combating insect pests 
and in diffusing reliable information about them. 
The following are the principal points upon which 
information is wanted :— 
1. The occurrence of a pest 
2. Details of the crop attacked. 
3. The extent and nature of the damage done. 
4. Estimate, where easily procurable, of the pe- 
cuinary loss occasioned by the pest. 
5. General particulars of the pest and its method 
of attack. 
6. The egg of the pest : — 
a. Description of the egg. 
i. Where deposited. 
c. Time taken to hatch. 
d. Period of the year during which eggs are 
found. 
e. Measures taken to destroy the egg. 
/. Ichneumonidoe and other natural enemies to 
the egg. 
7. The larva of the pest (grub or caterpillar): — 
a. Description of the larva. 
b. Habits and localities selected. 
c. Food plants other than the crop attacked. 
d. Number of moults. 
e. Period of the year during which larvaa are 
found. 
f. Time taken to complete larval growth. 
g. Measures taken to destroy the larvie. 
h. Natural enemies, especially birds, ichneumonid 
and tachinid parasites, predacious insects, and fungoid 
diseases. 
8. The pupa of the pest (chrysalis or cocoon) : — 
a. Description of the. pupa. 
b. Exact locality selected for pupating (whether 
on the food plant, underground, or elsewhere). 
c. Period of the year during which pupas are 
found. 
d. Time passed in the pupal state. 
e. Measures taken to destroy pupae. 
/. Natural enemies and parasites. 
