March i. 1894.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 607- 
TEA AND ITS ENEMIES: 
SHOULD WE HAVE AN ENTOMOLOGIST 
AND BOARD OF REFERENCE 
IN CEYLON ■? 
Travelling a few weeks ago with two residents 
having a keen interest in the prcsperiiy of the 
Colony (albeit neither planters nor estate pro- 
prietors), the question was started of how best to 
deal with the acknowledged enemies of the tea 
plant and more especially the one that is most 
prevalent and troublesome, known under the 
different naraei of tea-bug, mosquito blight or 
helopeltis antonii. Both our interlocutors had 
thought a good deal on the subject and one of 
them shadowed forth a sobeme which, after thioking 
it over and consulting several leaders of the plant- 
ing community, we deem it well to lay before 
our readers and especially those interested in 
plantation property and the permanence of the Tea 
Industry of the Colony. 
In doing so at present we are ohooeing a time 
when we believe there is not much trouble with 
any enemy. Plantations are reported lobe com 
paratively free of helopeltis ; but that is no_ reason 
why steps should not be taken for ensuring the 
systematic destruction of the insect when it ap- 
pears again and perhaps in great numbers. There 
is, let us premise, not the least reason for anxiety 
as to this particular oest. It has nothing in common 
with the fungus which wrought destruction 
in our coffee, and moreover it has been known on tea 
in India for the p'ist thirty to forty 3 ears probably. 
There is no plant living which has not it? 
enemy, and we are quite aware that Ceylon 
planters ore apt (after the trouble they have passed 
through with coffee) to be rather too sensitive 
about little " pooohies " or other intruders on their 
tea, cacao, rubber, timber or fruit trees. The 
Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Pera- 
deniya, tells us that, very naturally, he is getting 
a little tired of having reference mado to him as 
to what caterpillar this is, or what moth or fly 
the other may be. Why, caterpillars and insects 
of all degrees must have some food to live on I 
And it is too bad to pursue, phial or match-box 
in hand, individual caterpillars or moths, to latel 
them enemies and to despatch them forthwith to 
either Editor or Director 1 If the caterpillar so 
dealt with were able to advance a motto to the 
planter, it would be " Live and Let Live." 
But while this hint may be necessary in the 
case of a few who are too keenly alive to the 
presence of insect enemies on their products, there 
are, on the other hand, some planters with a 
tendency to neglect an undoubted pest, Helopeltis 
for instance, when it gives evidence of its pre- 
sence in such numbers as to demand immediate 
attention, and when an early start on the part of the 
coolies under master's instructions, would probably 
save a worse outburst later on, on the manager[s 
own and perhaps his neighbour's tea. There is 
no use denying the fact that in certain districts 
at certain periods of the year, this helopeltis mos- 
quito can be exceedingly troublesome ; but it is 
just as certain that if taken in hsnd at once 
and systematically, it can be very readily caught 
and destroyed. There is a beliof abroad thati's 
attacks are confined as a rule to loAvcountry 
districts. But this is a mistake. The cise 
indeed, that started one of our fellow-travelleis 
in his consideration of the subject, occurred j 
in reference to a high district. He had bc~n 
reeiding with a planter who was busy i 
catching and do'troying the insect, and yet j 
ho had encountered other planters belonging 
to the Eamo diktriot who utterly denied that 1 
helopeltis had been eeen within its bounds ! Now 
with such a fact and its denial coming under 
his own colioe, our friend argued that much 
might be goiug elsewhere unreported, itnotdenitd 
and that there was at least a danger of some men 
neglecting their plain duty to the detriment 
of their neighbours and of the industry at largr. 
He saw, in feet, a state of things, which called 
for a remedy, and he pointed out to ua the direction 
in which he thought that remedy might be 
applied. 
Before wa go further, we may, however, afford 
some additional evidence of lowoountry dis- 
triots such as the Kelani Valley not being the 
only sufferers from the attacks of mofquilo or 
he'opeltis. Here for instance is an answer to our 
inquiry from an experienced manager of a plant- 
ation at a medium elevation: — 
^'Helopeltis did a great deal of damage here last 
year from July to October, when it disappeared ; 
it began again to attack the bushes in one fisld 
in the beginning of this month, but at present 
there is very little of it. 
" Most of the Sinhalese ooolies refuse to catch 
the insects, but I am glad to say the Tamils have 
no such scruples, and soon get very expert at 
catching them. I think Mr. Clark of the Pera- 
deniya Girdsns was mistaken about the plant 
(dog's tail) on which the helopeltis is said to breed; 
for I have examined hundreds of the plants and 
have never seen a sign of the insect on them. 
There is a good deal more information wanted 
about it than is available. It is difficult to realise 
the amount of mischief a few of the insects can do 
to a flush, until one goes with the pluokers through 
a fijld infested by them," 
It is clear then that while helopeltis may bi most 
troublesome on lovscountry gardens, it is found 
to be present at 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 and even close 
to 5,030 feet if not on our very highest gardens. 
We are aware that it has been seen on some of 
the last-named ; but we have never heard of any 
special attack. 
And here we may stop to say that, as one 
contemporary urges, Iheie is good reason for saying 
that Ceylon planters are in danger of losing their 
prestige for being in the forefront of intelligence 
as practical wcrkers in reference to our latest 
staple, tea. There has been a squeamishness abroad 
about the very name of science and scientist in 
connection with the tea industry. Writings in 
our own and in other columns during the past 
year, and especially letters of so competent an 
authority as Mr. John Hughes and other contribu- 
tors to the Tropical Agriculturist, about the need 
of bringing science to the aid of the tea planter, 
have been ignored and neglected. No one haa 
even taken up Mr. Hughes' suggestion that, at least, 
£50 might be voted by the Planters' Asso- 
ciation for chemical analyses. We do not mean 
to say that scientific cultivation has been neglected. 
We are aware of planters who are quietly doing 
very good and most profitable work in the appli- 
ca'iin of manures, and who are keenly alive to 
everything directly bearing on their work, so far 
as their individual influence may extend. But 
little or nothing has been done by the represen- 
tative body within this era of tea, in reference 
to thn chemical analysis of tea soils, or towards 
invoking the aid of the Analytical Chemis-t in 
respect of the several operations for tea prepara- 
tion in the factory. Here Indian planters have 
gone nhea<l, aid we expect shortly, to lay printed 
results before our readers that will show how 
much has to be learned in regard to the processes 
that nre now dealt with, more or lees haphazard, 
by native tea-makers. Thia iB, however, by the 
