SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
The increasing demand of the sugar» made the continuance of any work 
‘which might. increase the yield of sugar beets doubly advisable, and an appro- 
priation was obtained from the State Board of Control sufficient to insure the 
furtherance of the project. During the interval, before the return of the writer 
to Australia much time was spent in rearing large numbers of the beet leaf- 
hopper. The greenhouse at Fort Sutter was placed at the disposal of the 
Insectary by the Superintendent of Capitol Buildings and Grounds, and the 
leafhoppers were soon breeding in numbers sufficient to insure a supply of eggs 
upon which the Australian parasites could be placed upon their arrival. 
‘ The writer left San Francisco 1st January, 1918. The port of Sydney, Australia, 
was reached on 22nd January. Being somewhat acquainted with Australia from 
the previous trip, little time was spent in New South Wales excepting to call 
on the Entomologist of the New South Wales.Department of Agriculture, Mr. 
W. W. Froggatt, and his assistants, who had given me much aid during the 
previous expedition, and to collect a small shipment of beneficial insects to go 
out on the returning steamer. 
This shipment consisted of several boxes of parasitized golden mealybugs, 
Pseudococcus aurilanatus, a pest of Norfolk Island pines in southern California. 
‘and a box of twigs infested with the black scale, Saissetia oleae, on which two 
species of internal parasites were breeding. ; 
After the departure of the steamer, the writer left for Melbourne, where he 
made his headquarters for the remaindér of his stay in Australia. From this 
point shipments of parasitized material were made every three weeks to connect 
with the Oceanic steamers plying between San Francisco and Sydney. 
An examination of the. saltbushes in the State of Victoria, South Australia, 
and in parts of New South Wales, was made for leafhoppers and their parasites. 
Several species of leafhoppers were found on these saltbushes, and, besides, some 
thirty species of Jassids were collected on grasses in Victoria, New South Wales, 
and Queensland, but are still undetermined. 
By far the majority of the saltbushes were uninfested with leafhoppers. In 
all the writer’s collections in Australia the only parasites which gave promise 
of being of value in checking the beet leafhopper were the egg-parasites, 
Ptergogramma acuminata and the Mymarid. Consequently his main attention 
was given to the collection of these parasites in large numbers so that a fair 
trial could be given them in the laboratories of the Insectary at Sacramento. 
As previously stated, shipments of the stems of the Atriplex containing the 
parasitized egos were forwarded regularly to California on board the Oceanic 
steamers. Intervals between steamers not occupied in collecting these egg- 
parasites. were employed in searching for additional saltbushes, and for parasites 
of some of our citrus-feeding insects. 
: The saltbush, Atriplex muelleri, was badly infested with a leafhopper in 
the vicinity of Sunshine, a small town near Melbourne. Nearer Melbourne, 
where the saltbush was growing in more profusion, the leafhoppers and their 
parasites were quite scarce. The parasitism at Sunshine by the two-egg- 
parasites, Ptergogramma acuminata and the Mymarid, was close to 90 per 
cent. A careful examination of hundreds of nymphs and adults of this leaf- 
hopper showed no signs of parasitism. Two hundred miles north of Melbourne, 
on the Murray River, I also found the same saltbush infested by this leaf- 
hopper, but the percentage of parasitism by the same egg-parasites. was much 
. lower. j 
METHOD OF PACKING. : 
Two days prior to the sailing of the steamer the stems of the Atriplex 
were collected and placed in wooden’ boxes, each having a cubie content of about 
two feet. Boxes of this size were ¢hosen because of their lightness, and con- 
sequent ease of handling, and also because of the liability of.the stems to mould 
in the centre if packed in larger boxes. The boxes were wrapped with two or 
three thicknesses of light muslin, ‘and the seams: pasted down to prevent the 
exit of any insects during the voyage. From Melbourne the cases were. sent 
to Sydney by passenger train and placed immediately on-board. in. the cool-room 
of the steamer at a temperature of 45°F.) A letter: to Wells, Fargo and:Com- 
pany, at San Francisco, enclosing, the bill’ of: lading; was despatched «on: the 
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