[ 6 5 ] 
ase and cause necrosis. If they penetrate into the interior of the seed the 
ruit is destroyed. 
The soursop, Anona muriatic a, in some parts of the country particularly 
,n the East coast is attacked by scale insects. These may be so numerous 
,s to almost entirely cover the fruit and soon destroy it. Many other fruits 
.re attacked by dipterous larvae. 
The trunk and larger branches of the soursop are often attacked by a 
>ark caterpillar which in the earlier stages does little harm but before 
mpating burrows into the axil of a small branch and there pupates. In the 
:avity thus formed small black ants speedily resort and the branch usually 
lies. 
Though the number of caterpillars attacking leaves, etc., is large the 
ictual destruction caused is less than might be expected. One of the most 
lestructive of the leaf caterpillars is the Ereonota ihrax which lives on the 
eaves of all varieties of the Banana including the wild or jungle species. 
This caterpillar causes much destruction of the leaves as it separates a 
portion from the midrib and curls up this portion. Protected in the interior 
3f this curled up portion the larva remains and eats at the edge of the leaf. 
Only a small portion is eaten and then the caterpillar proceeds to strip off 
another portion of the leaf which is similarly destroyed and finally it 
□upates in the centre of another curled up strip of the leaf. A single 
caterpillar therefore destroys a portion of the leaf far in excess of what it eats. 
The stem of the banana is attacked by a Coleopterous borer—a weevil. 
The borer penetrates obliquely into the centre of the stem. A secondary 
decay occurs along the course of the track and the stem frequently breaks 
;two or three feet from the ground whilst the plant still appears to be fairly 
healthy. 
In other cases the central growing shoot dies whilst the rest of the plant 
appears still to be healthy. 
; The fruit are sometimes attacked by Lepidopterous larvae. 
Tubers of the sweet potato lpomoea batatus are often destroyed by a 
small beetle larva, a Curculionid. In such a tuber every stage, the small 
larva, the pupa and the imago, will be found and the root will be riddled 
with the tunnels eaten out by these pests. Of the varieties of the sweet 
potatoe grown in the F. M. S. the whiter varieties are much more exten¬ 
sively attacked than the red ones even when they are both grown together. 
The main stem of the sweet-potato is sometimes attacked by a 
Lepidopterous borer. The borer track extends along the stem below the 
ground and the whole plant dies. 
On the whole the various scale insects and homoptera are probably 
responsible for more destruction than any other order. None of the species 
of orange, limes, etc., which in most tropical countries do so well are success¬ 
fully grown in this country except in a few places. The Lccanium ivride and 
a small black scale insect appear to be responsible for the poor growth of 
these plants. 
A similar scale insect to the Lecoinum viride attack the Cinnamon and 
many other trees, whilst scale insects of various species abound on both 
forest and cultivated tree. Some of these form leaf galls, some attack 
young shoots and others leaves, leaf stems, or other parts of the plants. 
It seems to me advisable to publish these few notes as the subject is of 
f vast importance but has attracted so little attention from the general public. 
t 
