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ings. Insects collected by Mr. Burke and imported from California for the pur- 
jose will be released in the cage and their habits and methods of attacking the 
sable as well as the relative resistance of various alloys will be studied, 
| In addition to the cage tests glass cylinders, 6 inches in diameter, 8 
aches in length and open at both ends will be arranged on shelves and living 
beetles placed in them, covering the ends with plates of various lead alloys. 
the Company has had these lead plates rolled and has shipped them to the Forest 
Insect Station at Falls Church, where the experiments are to be started next 
Spring. — 
STORED PRODUCT INSECT !NVESTIGATIONS. 
E. A. Back, Entomologist in Charge. 
At the request of the New York agents of Lloyds, Dr. E, A. Back and Mr. 
A. B. Duckett spent November 7 at Newport News on board the Dutch steamships 
jamarinde, Gorontalo, and Ternate. These ships are enroute to Hollend, having 
sailed from Batavia, Java, or nearby ports during the past summer via Japan, 
Ban Francisco, Panama Canal, and Newport News. The Ternate sailed from Batavia 
On January 18, 1917, for Holland via the Suez Canal, was held by her agents at 
the Canal from February 1 to July 1 because of war conditions and then ordered 
back to Java, Her captain was instructed to proceed on August 11 to Holland via 
the Panama Canal and arrived at Newport News on October 6, being the last of the 
three vessels to reach Newport News. The Gorontalo sailed from Batavia on Janu- 
ary 25 and was the first to arrive at Newport News (Aug. 20). The Samarinda was 
Jaden with 8,000 tons of rice, but the other vessels carried a miscellaneous and 
exceedingly valuable cargo of various grades of tobacco, coffee, rice, corn, tea, 
copra, cinchona bark, fats, etc. Having been enroute for such a long period ina 
tropical and semitropical climate, insects had multiplied to a point where they 
attracted much attention. The ships were so completely ladened that it was impos- 
sible to make an examination of only those portions of the cargo that were upper- 
most in the holds, Examinations were therefore restricted to tobacco, rice and 
Copra. In all instances copra was found badly infested, often nearly destroyed, 
by Sylvanus surinamensis and Necrobia rufipes, Such samples of rice as 
wero presented for inspection were infested with Calandra oryZa, Tribolium 
and lepidopterous larva. The tobacco was generally infested with Lasioderma 
serricorne which had succeeded in ruining the outer one to three inches of the 
bales of superior Sumatra wrapper tobacco. On all ships the above mentioned pests 
were very troublesome about the decks and staterooms during warm days. Adult 
Sylvanus surinamensis were found congregated in iots of 100 or more in irregu- 
larities of the hatch covers and dead specimens were found everywhere, as between 
the phonograph records of the captains office, about the dining rooms, etc. Port- 
ions of one vessel that had recently been painted white on a warm day, were well 
coated with tobacco beetles, that had emerged through the hatches and funnels. 
‘Unfortunately, for observation purposes, the day on which the examinations 
were made was cold and the insects were not active. 
The various items of the cargoos were so arranged that they could not be 
fumigated. Fortunately the available consignments of Sumatra wrapper tobacco 
were in the upper holds where they could be easily ventilated. Inasmuch as the 
