f 
^ULY 1, i902 ] THE TROPICAL AGRICtTLTURISt. % 
I have received the following particulars of the 
habits of Helopeltis in the Morawak Korale district. 
January to March is usually very dry and hot. 
Helopeltis has been very severe during those 
months. Heavy plumps of rain commence in the 
middle of March, when the flush outgrow the 
attack and shows little or no signs of injury. 
Another bad attack commences in June and lasts 
into Augast, when strong south-west winds appear 
to check the pest. I am informed that on one 
estate Helopeltis was very severe last year, but had 
not re-appeared in 1902. No reason could be sug- 
gested for this disappearance. It is noticeable here, 
as in the Kelani Valley, that the first period of 
activity occurs in the dry hot season ; while the 
recrudescence is coincident with continuous S. W. 
rains. 
In the R. B. G, Circular No. 21 (on Helopeltis) 
I stated that we were without data of the number 
of moults undergone by the insect during its deve- 
lopment, or of the time required for it to reach 
maturity. I have not yet been able to determine 
these points forour Ceylonese Helopeltis {H. antonii) 
on tea. But Dr. L. Zehntner of Java has supplied 
particulars for the insect that feeds on cacao in 
that country. Dr. Zehntner speaks of it as H. 
aMonii, but the Java insect has usually been 
described as a distinct species (if. bradiji). The 
duration of the different stages Is given as six days 
for the egg stage, follov?ed by five moults at inter- 
vals of two days each. The number of moults 
may prove to be the same in the case of our Ceylo- 
nese insect, but the duration of the several stages 
will probably be affected by different climate and 
food. For instance, I have repeatedly found that 
the egg stage of our tea Helopeltis occupies just 
ten days. 
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 
My recent investigations show me that, at this 
spring period of inactivity, the formerly advocated 
system of plucking to the initial leaf will have 
little or no effect in checking the pest. A similar 
condition may possibly obtain during the autumn 
period. It is most important that the egg-layiug 
habit of the insect (i.e., the quantity of eg^s being 
laid, and the position in which they are deposited) 
should be accurately determined for every month in 
the year. It may then be possible to formulate 
some logical scheme of plucking to suit the 
varying habits of the insect. For the present, I 
must recommend the abandonment of close plucking. 
There is no doubt that that system tends to produce 
a brush-like formation of small shoots particularly 
suited to the tastes of the Helopeltis. A free suc- 
culent growth should be encouraged. Just as 
anything that tends to reduce the vitality of the 
" Indigenous "' variety lays it open to attack, so 
any extra vitality in the hybrid or China "jats," 
producing a character approaching that of the 
indigenous plant, will incline to make them distaste- 
ful to the pest. 
At the same time nothing should be allowed to 
nterfere with the campaign against the insects 
themselves. The more carefully and thoroughly this 
work is carried on, the less will be the loss of crop. 
The average loss through Helopeltis has been esti- 
mated at 200 lb. per acre. Putting the profit on 
that tea at 12 cents a lb., this means a loss of Es. 24 
per acre. This figure would cover, several times 
over, the cost of systematically catching the insects. 
The collection of the insects is even more important 
during the period of partial inactivity, for, as I 
have shown above, at such times the fema,le§ C<?at?(iB 
The more I sec of the habits of Helopeltis on our 
tea estates, the more convinced I am that the work 
of checking this and other insect pests would be 
very greatly facilitated by breaking up the area 
into blocks of from 10 to 20 acres, divided from 
each other by narrow but compact belts of other 
trees. The insect does not fly high ; its flight is 
weak, and, when on the wing, it is carried from 
place to place more by the wind than by its own 
wing power. I have frequently noticed the effect 
of an ordinary wind-belt in limiting the spread of 
the pest. It would be possible to tight the pest in 
such isolated blocks one by one, with some assurance 
that they would not be immediately re-infected from 
neighbouring fields. Such a screen would almost 
certainly prevent the incursion of the pest into 
fields of indigenous tea. It would be necessary that 
there should be some thick undergrowth to 
complete the screen. In districts suitable for them, 
economic trees and plants might be employed for the 
belts. For the larger trees. Para rubber. Coconut, 
Nutmeg, or Kola-nut suggest themselves. For the 
undergrowth, Croton Oil, Annatto, Castor Oil, or 
Tapioca might be used. Or the screens might 
consist of trees and plants, the clippings of which 
would be suitable for green manure, such as Albiz- 
zia moluccana, or " Dadap " (Erythrina), with 
Crotalaria as an undergrowth. The tea plant itself, 
allowed to run up, would form a good undergrowth, 
and might be used for seed production. Tea, grown 
in this manner, is little — if at all — affected by 
Helopeltis, which is dependent upon the constant 
supply of flush, occurring only on pruned bushes. 
But some other plant would be preferable. 
To enable me to complete my investigations on 
the breeding seasons of the insect, and the position in 
which the eggs are laid at different times of the year, 
fresh (if possible, living) specimens of the insects, 
and the tops of a certain number of bushes, from 
selected estates, should be sent to me at regular 
intervals — say on the loth of each month — for 
examination. I would suggest that four estates 
should be selected from different localities, and 
that the prunings of two bushes from each of these 
estates should be sent in regularly on the specified 
dates. Bushes that show the most recent signs of 
injury should be chosen. If the pest appears to 
have gone into retirement, bushes from the most 
lately attacked fields should be selected. The 
whole top of the bush should be cut off, as in 
pruning to a level, the prunings from each bush 
collected and tied up separately in sacking or juto 
hessian (slightly damped), and despatched by first 
train to "The Entomologist," B. B. Cxardens, 
Peradeniya. It is important that the specimens 
should arrive in as fresh condition as possible. At 
the same time living specimens of the insects 
(about fifty from each estate), packed in tea sample 
boxes, should be posted to the same address. 
E. ERNEST CiREEN, 
Government Entomologisti 
Peradeniya, ]\Iay 20, 1902. 
DESICCATED COCONUT—AND OIL. 
Seychelles, 9th June, 1902. 
[The Editor, " Tropical Agriculturist,'" Colombo.) 
Sir, —I am writing to ask if you, or any of your 
readers can give mc information as to the process of 
dessicated coconut manufacture '? What machinery 
is necessary and its probable cost ? What would be 
the lowest number of coconuts dealt with per day to 
make it a paying concern at prices now rulipg in 
