THE SUGAR-CANE MOTH BORER. 49 
The senior writer was told by a reliable plantation manager of the 
planting of borer-free cane at Pharr, Tex., in 1916. Although there 
were no borers in the seed cane, which had been procured from a sec- 
tion known to have none, the cane was badly infested at the grinding 
season. 
A field of cane planted with borer-free seed somewhat resembles 
a field of corn in its relation to borers. Undoubtedly there are often 
no borers in the cornfield when the seed is planted, yet there may be 
a heavy infestation later. The borer moths evidently fly into the 
cornfield during the early spring, and they can as easily fly into a 
field planted with borer-free seed cane. 
SHAVING CANE STUBBLE. 
Some sugar planters believe that " shaving " the cane stubble in the 
spring reduces the subsequent infestation by the moth borer. This 
operation is done with a " stubble shaver," a wheeled instrument hav- 
ing a straight or disk blade set horizontally, which cuts away the 
upper inch or so of the stubble. Borers are supposed to be in the 
upper portion, and when it is removed they are believed to be killed. 
The authors' observations show, however, that few borers can be 
found in the stubble. Many stubble shavings have been examined, 
and no borers have been found in any of them. 
It is apparent, therefore, that shaving the stubble can not be re- 
garded as an effective measure for the control of the moth borer. 
IMMERSION AND FUMIGATION OF INFESTED SEED CANE. 
Various entomologists who have made a special study of insects 
injurious to sugar cane have experimented with hydrocyanic-acid 
gas and various liquids in attempts to disinfect seed cane before 
planting. In these experiments, the seed cane has been subjected to 
the gas in various strengths, and has been soaked in different solutions 
from one minute or less to at least three hours. The consensus of 
opinion at present seems to be that treatment of infested stalks is 
neither practicable on a large scale nor efficient as a means of con- 
trolling insects on an infested plantation. 
At the Sugar Experiment Station at Audubon Park, New Orleans, 
all cane cuttings sent out are subjected to a rigid inspection and wash- 
ing in fish-oil soap solution (J pound soap to 1 gallon of water). 
Only cane not bored by the moth borer is sent out, and this is thor- 
oughly washed in fish-oil soap solution to kill the mealybugs (Pseu- 
dococcus calceolarias Maskell), and afterwards is inspected to ascer- 
tain whether»any mealybugs have escaped. This procedure results in 
the distribution of absolutely insect-free seed cane, which is highly 
desirable, as otherwise the experiment station would become a 
center of insect distribution. 
83363°— 19— Bull. 746 4 
