April i, 1898,1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
?2l 
Oil, Cinnamon.— Two parcels o£ “ cinaamou-leaf ” 
oil were bought in at 4d per oz. The exports from 
Ceylon from January I to February 8 were 17,375 oz. 
Oil, Citronella, sold, with good competition, at Is 
Ogd to Is Ofd per lb. It was bright yellow to green oil, 
put up without reserve, 159,291 lb. were shipped fmm 
Ceylon from January 1 to February 8, of which 75,919 
lb. went direct to America aud 77,331 lb. to the United 
Kingdom. 
Vanilla. — In small supply. A few lots sold, fair 
chocolate 5 to 6J inches, 17s to 18s medium brownish 
at 15s. A few lots split Mauritius 5 to 6,- inches sold 
at 15s mouldy Tahiti brought 3s 5d per lb. 
Cinchona. — At the sales in Amsterdam last week 
less than half of the bark offered was disposed of. 
The sales made at the respective units were as follows 
(in quinine-sulphate equivalents) 
5c 5ic 5Jc 5|c 
522 1,426 2,354 2,445 
The following is a statement of the 
descriptions of bark offered : — 
Ledger. Sucoi- Hybrid, 
rubra 
Kilos, Kilos. Kilos. 
Gov, Plant, . , 26,471 3,714 — 
Private Plant.. 481,860 32,743 36.461 
—Ohemist and Drugqist, March 5. 
6c 
1,094 kilos, 
quantities and 
Offici- Calisaya 
nalis 
Kilos. Kilos. 
1,992 368 
A COCONUT PALM CATERPILLAR. 
[The following paper by Mr. E. Ernest Green, 
Honorary Government Entomologist, on the 
disease of Coconut Palms, is ijublislied by 
Government for general information. — Ed. T.A.I 
“ THE BLACK-HEADED COCONUT CATER- 
PILLAR.” 
Description of Injury. — The first indication of the 
pest is the withering of the palm leaves, only the vci’y 
young leaves at the top of the tree remaining green. 
The disease rapidly spreads over a large area. The 
withered leaves droop and eventually fall off. Old 
trees aud young plants suffer equally. Nuts and young 
plants in nurseries do not escape. Upon the undei- 
jurface of the injured leaves will be found an 
accumulation of what looks like saw-dust mingled 
with web. This has been formed by the caterpillars 
for the purpose of concealment, aud they live and feed 
beneath this covering. All the green parts of the 
leaf are eaten away from below, leaving only the 
hard skin of the upper surface and the tough fibres. 
The husks of the young nuts are also sometimes 
attacked and tlie outer green skin eaten off. Gummy 
matter oozes out from the wounded parts of the nut 
and dries into hard reddish lumps. Such extensive 
injury to the leaves weakens the trees, resulting 
sometimes in a loss of more than 50 per cent, of the 
crop, and reducing the bearing capacity of the trees 
for two or three years. 
History op the Pest. — It appears, from reference 
to old estate diaries, that the pest has been known 
in parts of the Batticaloa District for the last thirty 
years, sometimes breaking out with great virulence, 
aud at other times disappearing altogether. The 
late Mr. H. Nevill, C.O.S., reported that the cater- 
pillars were destroying the leaves and seriously in- 
juring the trees over acres of coconut estates at 
Batticaloa in September, 1896. Mr. Nevill remarked, 
at the same time, that the pest was not known on 
the Jaffna estates. The pest appears to be at its 
height ill the months of September and October, 
and to disappear with tho advent of the lieavy 
rains of the north east imusoon. 
Description of the Insect.— The caterpillar is 
small, scarcely more than half an inch long wiiea 
fullgrown. Tho skin is smooth, with only a few 
very fine inconspicuous hairs. The head mid next 
two div'sionsof the body are black and shining, the 
r.st of the body is creani-c 'loured with minute 
brownish specks and lines. The parts immediately 
behind the head are considerably broader than the 
rest of the body. 
The chrysalis (pupa) is shining reddish brown, and 
enclosed in an irregular cocoou amongst the old webs 
formed by the caterpillars. 
The moth (which probably emerges in about fif- 
teen days’ time) is of a pale slaty-gray or yellowish 
gray colour, the front wings specked with black. The 
expanded wings measure | inch from lip to tip. The 
eggs have not at present been observed. They are 
probably deposited in clusters upon the young 
leaves of the palm. 
Remedial Measures. — It is reported that the 
usual remedy now employed is to burn the fallen 
leaves and other rubbish with a sprinkling of sul- 
phur over all. The smoke is supposed to kill the 
insects. Mr. Mnnro, one of the pioneers of coconut 
planting in the district, inform? the Grvernment 
Agent, Batticaloa, that his estate suffered severely 
at one time, but by dint of constant fumigating the 
pest has disappeared altogether, and has shown no 
symptoms of returning. His mode of procedure 
was to collect large heaps of rubbish and burn them 
in dry weather during the prevalence of high wind, 
which drove the smoke through the whole estate, 
The middle of the day was also selected as tha best 
time, when the moths and caterpillars were not 
protected by a covering of dew or moisture of any 
kind. This was kept up for some days till the pest 
disappeared. 
It is improbable that the smoke— or even the 
fumes of sulphur burned in the open air — would 
actually kill the insects. But the constant smoke 
may very possibly make the neighbourhood so un- 
pleasant that the moths are driven away to other 
parts before laying their eggs. And consequently no 
fresh broods would appear oa the protected estates. 
The burning of the fallen leaves is to be recom- 
mended also for the reason that many of the pupae 
of the insects may be destroyed by this means. 
Before the fall of tho old leaves, however, tha 
active caterpillars will have crawled on to fresh 
leaves. It would therefore be strongly advisable to 
cut off the injured leaves viltile the insects are still feeding 
upon them and to hum these with the rubbish. If care- 
fully carried out at the comraencemeut of an attack, 
this treatment would probably of itself be sufficient 
to keep the past in check and to prevent it from 
spreading further. 
"Any attempt to kill the insects upon the growing 
leaves by means of insecticides is quite impracticable, 
except upon very young trees and upon plants in 
nurseries. Even in such cases, when the pest is once 
established, it would be difficult to reach the cater- 
pillars by spraying, owing to their habit of secreting 
themselves and feeding beneath a dense web. But 
young trees aud nursery plants at present unaffected 
by the pest, and even the nuts upon the older trees, 
might be protected by the use of a wash contain- 
ing arsenic mixed with some soapy medium. This 
would make tire leaves distasteful and poisonous to 
the caterpillars. 
The burning of rubbish and weeds, with or with- 
out the addition of sulphur, in unaffected planta- 
tions might also prove of protective value. The smoke, 
if dense, would tend to keep away the moths that 
are migrating from neighbouring affected fields. 
A careful watch should be kept for the first 
appearance of the pe.st, and every effort should be 
made to check it before it has become widespread. 
E. Ernest Green, 
Honorary Government Entomologist 
February 24th, 1898. 
DEAFNESS. 
An essay describing a really 
genuine Cnve for Deafness. 
Ringing in Kars, >!vc., nmiiatler liow .severe or long- 
standing, will be sent [lost free. — Artilleial Ear- 
drnins anil siniil.ar a]ipliances entirely superseded. 
Address THOMAS KEMRE, Victori.v CTiaai- 
BERs, 10, Southampton Bujlding.s, Holborn, 
London. 
