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I1TSECT CONDITIONS I IT PORTO RICO DURING TEE 7ISCAL YEAH SITDED JU1TE 30,1930. 
'- r . D. Leonard 
Insular Experiment Station, Rio Piedras, Porto Rico. 
SUOAECA2TE 
The sugarcane borer (Di?,traea saccharalis Fab.) is always more 
serious on the south coa.st than elsewhere on the Island. According to 
Mr. Pedor Richardson, cane technologist at the Insular Experiment 
Station for the past several years,3tis less injurious than it has "been 
for years. 
The sugarcane root caterpillar ( Perforadix sacchari Sein), according 
to Mr. Sein, is generally distributed throughout the sugarcane-growing 
sections of the Island and doing considerable damage in the aggregate. 
Conscensus of opinion is that white grubs ( Phyllophaga spp. ) have 
"been less of a factor during the past few years on sugarcane than 
formerly. During this past year they were somewhat more abundant and 
injurious on the north coast but about as injurious .as usual on the 
south coast. 
The sugar compear' at Caguas reported considerable damage by the 
changa ( Scapteriscus vicinus Scud.), especially on the more sandy types 
of soil. It also did considerable damage in Bayaraon — Aguas Buenas. 
In both the above cases the damage was to sugarcane. This insect is 
most injurious to sugarcane in the tobacco zone and the Turabo Valley, 
including Eumacao, Las Piedras, and Juncos. It was also reported as 
severely damaging tomatoes in Gaguas on the more sandy soils. The changa 
( Scapteriscus vicinus Scud. ) did considerable damage in February and 
March to peppers being grown for canning purposes at Rio Piedras. 
In May a considerable infestation of the yellow cane aphid ( Sipha 
f lava Forbes) started at Aguirrc but ladybeetles were reported to have 
checked it before any undue amount of damage resulted. Often rather 
injurious during the beginning of the summer, especially during the dry 
spells and in the southwestern part of the Island. Apparently the past 
year was about normal for this pest attacking sugarcane. 
TOBACCO 
Horn worms ( Protopa rce sort a Joh. var. jamaicensis Butl.) were re- 
ported ^y J. A. 3. Holla as doing severe damage to tobacco during part 
of the year at Caguas. 
The potato flea beetle ( Epitrix cucumcris I, ) has been generally 
present in both seed beds and in the fields of tobacco but not especially 
injurious except on newly set plants in the Cayey-Aibonito district. 
Both the large tobacco suckfly ( Picyphus luridus Gibson) and the 
smaller one (p. prasinus Gibson) were observed in many tobacco fields 
