8 
The present arrangement puts Mr. Willard in general charge of this service under Dr. Back. 
Mr. Willard is a graduate of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, who came to the islands as _ | 
instructor in agriculture and farm superimtendent at the Mills Institute, Honolulu, and is 
reported by Dr. Back as being a very useful and serviceable assistant. 
Dr. Back, with Mr. Pemberton, will be engaged during the next three months in an inyesti- 
gation of the fruit fly as affecting coffee, and other coffee insects of the Cona district, Island of 
Hawaii. This is the great coffee district of Hawaii. The pulp of the coffee berry is a favorite 
food of the Mediterranean fruit fly and frequently as many as a dozen maggots of this fly can 
be taken from a single coffee berry which is no larger than a medium-sized cherry. Of vast 
interest to the coffee industry and to the fruit-fly control on the island is the fact reported by 
Dr. Back that one of the parasites recently introduced on the island through the agency of the 
Territorial board of agriculture is already parasitizing the maggots in coffee berries to an 
average of upward of 50 per cent, in some instances reaching as high a percentage as 96. The 
parasite in question is Opius humilis. ‘This seems to be another instance of the many successful 
parasite introductions which have been carried out on these islands. 
WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICH : 1915 
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