Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-05-23
A Pointed Example.

sometime during the. spring of the
present year, Mr.. II, l.. Blouin had
written to Demerara for a select lot OF
seeding canes. to be cultivated on
these Islands. AS shown in note rsceiv-
ed by Mr.. Eckart, the Diamond planta-
ton shipped the same on July :. 1901.
AS we have been able to trace IL the
consignment came by way OF New Or
leans and had been shipped TO San
Francisco by the S. +. & S. J. R.R. Co
IL arrived at this port on the S. S.
Mariposa, September 2.
On October IL the Experiment Sta.
ton was notified of the arrival of the
same. Being late on Saturday il could
not be brought out until Monday. De-
tober II. AS agreed with Mr.. Clarke
examined the cane the following day.
The consignment consisted of n
single sugar barrel with some eight
holes surrounding the same, about one
by five inches. The cane within having
been tied in bundles. according to the
varieties. were surrounded with dry
leaves. Both of the ends were tarrcd
We could find but very few sticks that
had any moisture left, evidently the
same had been dead for several weeks.
Many of them. and even the tarrcd
ends. showed holes from where some
insects had issued. Every stick was
split open and carefully examined. and
was found to he inhabited by hundreds
OF our common ant. Pheidole mega
cephala; cosmopolitan species. Most
of them showed the work of the cane
borer, similar in all respects to the
/ work of our own beetle, some even
| consisted of but a shell filled with loose
| fiber and many COCoonS, open at the
one end. We also found few fresh
traces Of larvae of various stages, yet
none of these could be detected. owing
to the numerous ants that had devour-
ed the same. Within one of the CO.
COOns pupa OF the beetle was found
| partly devourcd by the ants. At tho
bottom of the barrel beetle was found
which had been destroyed sometime
| previous by fung9id disease. found
two perfect cOCOCns, one containing Q
comparatively fresh insect, yet de,
strOyed by this parasitic fungus some
two or three weeks previous. The sec
Ond contained a living beetle which
was the only one in the whole con
Signment. The barrel and its content!
We're Immediately burned"
From what has been said cOnernin!
the danger of introducing these various
cane pests into the Islands We belicv,
II Is made evident that no preCautiol
should be omitted which will assist IL
laverting such injurious consequences
The endeavOr to substitute harder an,
thriftler canes for certain localitie
where climatic conditions and presen
, varieties seem incompatible is but
natural desire, but such substitution
are apt to do more harm than good
We are at the same time to accommo
date prolific breeding pests OF a seriou
nature on our cane fields.
BY a proper system of cane eXamina
, ton and fumigation together with tn
inspection OF other plans entering thes
g Islands, this danger will be reduced I
a minimum.
/ Scnders of cane should he requisite
10 exclude leaf-wrappings from the
Consignments and to prepare only pc
, fectly sound sections for shipment. TT
, simple scaling Of the ends Of seed cane
/ with paraiiinc, and wrapping the ind
y vidual pieces with paper before hdl
ging will insure the best keeping con
-, ditlons and the least danger Of intr
~ duCing destructive insects.
=, Respectfully submitted,
y c. +. ECKART,
Director, Experiment Static
~