VIII 
PEPPERS 
275 
Vines were met with in various places in which a bare 
patch occurred at some distance from the ground. The patch 
had no leaves and was rusty in colour. The parts above and 
below were normal. An examination of the branches from this 
place showed that all the leaves had dropped, and that the 
surface of the twigs was covered with an immense number of 
scale insects {Mytilas'pis). The scale was found in several 
places to be subject to attacks from fungi and parasitic insects. 
The weather previously had been dry and trying, 
and this may have weakened the vine, and assisted the 
Mytilaspis. Eain seems to check the development 
of these insects. Mr. Barber recommends the use of 
kerosene emulsion, sprayed on these insects. Soft soap 
and tobacco water is also a good remedy for scale. 
Another insect of this group, but a Coccid, appeared 
on peppercorns in Singapore as minute v/hite lines 
almost covering the nearly ripe fruit. The insect itself 
was a minute, soft, dull red animal, which protected 
itself by an oblong, grooved, white coat of wax, rather 
longer than itself. It gave the fruit the appearance of 
being covered with mould. 
Aspidiotus destructor^ Sign. — This white Coccid, 
which attacks all kinds of plants much in the same way 
as the previously mentioned species, is recorded as 
attacking pepper by AVatt, in his Pests and Blights of 
the Tea-plant. 
Besides these scale insects and mealy bugs recorded 
as definitely attacking pepper, there are many other 
insects of the same group which attack almost any kind 
of plant, and no doubt many of them will be found to 
occur on the pepper. The treatment is the same for 
all. Strengthen the plant with manure, and disinfect 
it with soft soap and tobacco, or kerosene emulsion, or 
if the animal is too well guarded by its waxy coat, with 
weak solution of phenyl and water. 
Eel-worms [Heterodera radicicola). — The root eel- 
worm is a very small, transparent nematode worm which 
attacks the roots of many plants, often without doing 
any great amount of harm. Though more or less local 
