7 
larva of which devours the leaves, and what was apparently the pupa of a sawfly 
was also sent from Selangor with samples of badly injured leaves. 
The borer-caterpillar was still doing considerable damage, and still more harm 
was being produced by the red smut fungus. Indeed the state of some fields was 
very serious. The constant planting of sugar on the same fields was beginning to 
show effects of degeneration of the cane, which was not to be wondered at, consid- 
ering the long period during which the fields had been cultivated without change or 
rest. Specimens of the borer moth sent to the natural history museum were stated 
to be a species of Chilo distinct from the Chilo saccharalis of the West Indies. 
The seedling canes supplied by Mr. CURTIS were examined. They were grow- 
ing well and steadily but naturally not as rapidly as from cuttings. 
Enquiries as to the use of the mungoose in destroying the rats which formerly 
were so destructive to the canes elicited the fact, that the rats were practically ex- 
terminated by the mungoose, which bred and appeared to thrive very well. 
Cloves. 
During my stay at Balik Pulau I examined the clove plantations and noted that 
the borer which was very bad formerly here had almost disappeared but I observed 
a distinct disease near the same spot which I had never met with before. The 
boughs of the trees, almost always on the side away from the hill slope died and fell 
off, the tree eventually perishing. Investigation showed that the bark at the junction 
of the bough with the trunk was thickened and corky and broken up, especially at the 
spot where during rain the water ran from the branches down the trunk. The dis- 
ease was evidently produced by a fungus between bark and wood and was similar to 
the injury caused by Irpex on Coffee trees. I could find no developed fungus on the 
trees, and though I sought on rotten timber lying around, the few fungi I found were 
too rotten to identify. I expect it will prove to be Irpex which apparently does not 
confine its parasitism to Coffee, for I found in Province Wellesley an Orange tree 
entirely broken up by it. The clove disease was very local, occurring in patches, all 
the trees in one spot being attacked. The cause of the disease was explained to the 
Chinese owners and the remedy, destruction by burning of all decayed wood on the 
ground urged on them. 
Sugar. 
1 8. At the request of the planters in Province Wellesley I visited two of the 
larger estates where the Sugar Rhinoceros beetle Xylotrupes Gideon was found to 
be doing much damage, I had previously found this beetle in the cane fields, but it 
seemed to be inflicting but little injury. Lately however it had taken to feeding 
upon the roots of the cane, being attracted by the decaying part of the cutting after 
planting, instead of confining its attention to decaying vegetable matter, its normal 
food. The, larvae were very abundant in some fields, and were being destroyed by 
digging and searching for them. The large jungle crows were also at work, following 
the diggers and seeking the grubs. It was said that the pest had been exterminated 
in some fields by flooding. In other places however they were found living in the 
wet mud of the canal banks apparently unharmed. It was pointed out that patches 
of wood left in and near the cane fields were of the greatest importance to the 
planters as affording shelter for the crows and other insectivorous birds. A matter 
often overlooked as one wooded hill in the centre of the cane district had been let to 
a Chinaman to grow tapioca, the wood being mostly felled and the birds driven away. 
Camphor oil. 
19. Samples of Camphor oil from the Dryobolanops of Rawang were forwarded 
from Selangor by the overseer of Forests and transmitted to the Royal Gardens Kew 
and a report from Mr. J. C. Umney was received which stated that “the oil consists 
in all probability of the more volatile portions only, almost solely by Terpenes.” So 
far as I know therefore it would have -no medicinal virtue nor any commercial value 
over ordinary turpentine oil. It differs very considerably from Camphor { Laurus 
Camphora ) oil imported into this country containing large quantities of Saffral. 
Specific gravity at 15 0 C.— .856. 
Optical rotation in a tube of 100 mm + 29 0 . 
It completely distils between 156° — 160 0 C. 
