The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-09-09

coffee blight, (DoctyJopius), a green
ish insect, that also spins a cOttony
cell in which to lay its eggs. This
blight is troublesome pest to the cot
| fee grower, and is readily distinguished
from the PUlUiHdriu which, on being
crushed, gives n dark red chocolate
color, while the D0ctyIOpius gives a
greenish yellow color. The young of
| ais blight are not unlike the young
| OF the PuLUiHdrid, except in color;
like them they are almost too small to
be seen by the unaided eye. They also
| attack the leaves and bark of many
| trees and plants, and the mature in
| sects with their cottOny cells full OF
| eggs, are often seen hanging in great
| clusters from the bark and leaves of
the trees they effect. By spraying
| ana in private gardens where there
| are but comparatively few trees, il is
| not difficult matter TO keep the trees
| clear OF this blight, but on a coffee
| plantation, where there are thousands
| of trees, ii is q difficult matter to keep
the trees clean and make the enter
| prise profitable. If the trees are not
| kept clean, then diminished crop is
| the result, and permanent damage
done to the trees. On the other hand,
| the cost Of spraying is large and will
| planters who have set out plantations
Of young coffee trees on Hawaii, state
| that as yet no blight has made its APP
pearance on their trees. / sincerely
hope it may never get there, but it is
almost certain that it will reach every
district where coffee is grown if
means are not found to entirely
eradicate it. The existence of
this blight on the islands of
Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Hawaii and
Kauai, TO say nothing of the proba-
bility of the PuLUindria (Which con-
slider a much worse blight, spreading
To all the islands will act as a strong
deterrent against enterprise in the
starting of new coffee plantations,
and may possibly render Improbable
those plant tions already established.
The next, though not by any means
least, is tue cane borer-Sphde1O-
2ohorus Obscurus. Probably there is
greater loss in one year by the ravages
OF this insect than by all other pests
In ten years, but fortunately the bOrer
does not take it all. He leaves some
thing foe the poor planter. The de-
struction of this insect would mean Il
great deal for the sugar industry of
these islands. 1t is not ONLY the guam
tity of cane destroyed each year by
the borer, which in itself amounts to
IL large sum, but it is imperative on
the planter, in order to keep the rava-
yes of the borer5 within bounds, to
burn Off the trash Is soon as possible
after the cane is cut, i'm order to de
stroy the great quantity of hOrers
that are left in the tops and dead cane.
This method no doubt destroys great
numbers of the borer, both in the
beetle and Larvae stage, but at the
same time it destroys an enormous
quantity of vegetable matter, that by
right should he plOwed into the land,
and it would be. if it were not for the
borer. Our sugar lands are surely
losing much of their fertility, necessi-
tating the employment each year of
incr, asing quantities of costly fertil-
izers. Much of this could be avoided
IL it were not for the borer. The bene-
fits of blowing in the trash are not |
overrated; it has been tried, and the /
result has been very satisfactory as
regards the growth of cane, but not go
i'm regard to the borer, as the cane on
such fields suffered more than other |
fields that had been burnt off. Tn $ |
insect also attacks the cocoanut and |
many other palms; it also infeStS the |
banana.
There are several other kinds of !
pests affecting the trees on this island. |
A red scale is found on the irOnwOOd |
and other trees. This scale is u long, |
narrow scale that adheres closely 10 |
the young stems of the trees, but as !
vet does not seem to affect them Sc
riously. L have had specimens of this |
scale sent to me from Mapulehu, Mo- |
lokai, where it is found on several |
kinds of trees, and is said to have |
been taken there from Honolulu |
about two years since. A different |
kind of scale-red when young, and |
turning black when mature-has been |
found in several gardens in Honolulu. |
The young insects that form these |
scales are very small, and after emerg- |
ing from under the parent scale, |
where they are Matched, wander over |
the leaf until they find suitable spot |
when they insert their beak and abb |
sorb the sap. In a few days hard, !
protecting scale or armor is formed |
over the back of the insect, under |
which, in the case of the female iu-
sect, the eggs are laid and Matched.
These scales are difficult to kill by |
spraying unless it is repeated every |
day or so for n week or ten days. The |
hard she'll of the scale adheres so |
closely to the bark that it is difficult |
for the wash to get underneath and |
kill the insect. The young, before the |
scale is formed, are easily killed by a |
resin heiOStuc Stiiu
soon after all the young are Matched,
the old scales die and fall off.
These scales are no doubt the same |
as the red and black scales so preva- |
lent in California, and have probably |
been imported from there. Late |
newspapers from California give glow |
ing accounts of the good work Prof. |
KibeIl's steel-colored ladybird is doing |
in eradicatipg these scales.
Another destructive insect Is the !
large black carpenter bee. This insect |
is not content with honeycombing our |
houses, but is attacking and boring |
into our fruit trees. A great many of |
these bees are killed every year, still |
there seems to be as many as ever. |
There surely must be an enemy ex
listing somewhere that would keep |
down this insect. Its destruction |
would be hailed with joy by every |
HORSEPOWER in the country. The !
conclusion forced upon US regarding |
the many blight and insect pests |
on these islands is that, to get rid of !
any one or all of them, it will be ne |
cessary to introduce the natural enc |
mics of each and every pest. No arti- |
fetal treatment, such as spraying or by !
the hydrOcvanic acid gas method, will |