The Straits Plantations Go., Limited, 
Bagan Datoh , 
Lower Perak. 
zgth Oct., /goj. 
1 1 . N. Ridley, Esq., 
SINGAPORE. 
Dear Sir, -J am taking Live liberty ot sending yuu by tile - 
favour of Mr. Penn, the Chief Officer of the s. s Malacca , a bottle 
containing larva,' of beetle which have been found on this estate, 
and I shall feel very much obliged if you will kindly let me know 
your opinion of them -whether any, and which of them, are the 
larvae of the coconut beetle. 
We have suffered a good deal from the coconut beetle latelv, 
and on making strict search we have found many thousands of 
grubs in the soil similar to the specimens which I am sending you. 
The top soil here is a black mould compound I imagine of 
decayed vegetable matter, and it is in this mould that the grubs 
have been found. As soon as we discovered the grubs we flooded 
the whole place with water, with the result that we have picked up 
over 40,000 grubs dead, and we have caught during the last month 
over 30,000 grubs from places which the water has not reached. 
Even in the roads running through the estate, made up of stiff 
clay, we a re mow finding the grubs. I imagine that they have got 
up into these higher places in order to get away from the water. - 
Apparently it is a very difficult thing to distinguish the grub of 
the coconut beetle from that of other beetles which do no harm to 
coconut trees, and having read your article in Mr. Ferguson’s 
book and also in the Agricultural Bulletin 1 should value your 
opinion on the specimens which I am sending very highly indeed. 
I would like to say that since the estate has been covered with 
water the number of beetles caught lias decreased enormously 
and very few trees have been newly attacked. 
We are of course particularly careful to burn all rubbish and 
manure in which beetles are likely to breed, and if you can suggest 
any method, other than that which we are adopting to prevent 
them breeding in the soil, I shall he very grateful. 
If there is any other information which you would like to have 
I shall be very happy to supply it. 
Trusting that I am not giving you too much trouble. 
I beg to remain, 
Yours faithfully, 
WILLIAM DELL. 
