The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-04-26
How THE LANTANA Is
TO BE DIFFERENTIATED
CONTINUED from page II

chance. 1t is virtually over, now The
victory is. in effect, won. That is, we
know that these bugs destroy the
lalntana. But the hardest part of the
work has been that part of which the
public knows little, and can appreci-
ate little. That has been the battle
against the parasites on the bugs
themselves.
STILL OTHER DESTRoYERS.
There are other insects besides these.
For instance. there is one that bores
into the plant itself, and destroys it
al the root Here is one of these and
Mr.. Perkins showed great dubious
lantana root that seemed to be the home
of some insect that was throwing out
at his door a large quantity of plant
dust held together by a delicate web.
You cannot see him., went on Mr..
Perkins, but he is in there and hard
at work of course no plant can live
against the ravages of an insect that
bores into its roots like that. attacking
it at the very heart. In fact, my idea
is that with these various parasites we
can so keep down and thin. and weaken
the lantana by having it's leaves and
it seeds and its flowers eaten off that
it will become small and weak, instead
of growing heavy and strong and thick
as it does now. When this is done the
suns rays viii dart down through the
plants, the grass will start beneath it. |
and then the pasture lands will be re-
stored to their uses If the lantana |
bushes are small and weak, as they
must be when they are defoliated and
their seeds constantly blighted. the cat
tie will also go among them and break
them down and thus we will surely get |
the better OF the pest.
''As to the seed blighting, that is
already worked out. There is a little
black fly that does that. You come
with me, and I will show you" He led |
the way out of the government nur-
sery TO where a bunch of lantana was |
growing right in the middle of Young
street, and the Advertiser man follow |
ed him, and so did couple of members I
of the Legislature who had come out
to see the bug house, and Mr.. Albert |
Judd. who has taken great interest in |
the war on the lantana, and Mr.. A. B. |
Wood and several others who were at ,
the nursery al the time. 1t was a /
healthy looking lantana bush enough,
but close inspection showed that all the !
clusters of seeds, green and ripe, We're
to look as though they had !
been scared by fire. That is the work
of the fly said Mr.. Perkins. ''Wher
ever that look of the seed appears, that
seed has been stung. And if you I1ol<
closely you viii see the flies about tnis
BUSH A close inspection showed that
the fly was there, all right, although
it was a hard matter to find him. He :.
was SO little, and so busy. You could
see him, if you were watchful, looking
ike tiny honey bee as he crawled over
the yellow fiowers-a small black fly
so minute as to be barely discernible to
the naked eye, and yet fraught with
such tremendous possibilities for good
IN Hawaii. He is of Mexican extrac-
ton, the fly, and warm little number.
but he has taken kindly to his new
environment ard is pretty good
American already in that he knows how
70 work in the most effectuaI way for
he common good.
you see the fy here went on Mr..
sCxKreu 4brae, ,,,onfbs aro
.urned him loose up Pauoa way. having
satisfied myself that he was an insect
lean of parasites. and I have no doubt
hat he is all over the island of Oahu
BY this time. The war upon the Ian
ana has already begun, you see, and
have no doubt there are thousands
# these flies everywhere spelling the
God of the doves and mynah birds.
Then, with the moth that lays its egg
n the flower, and spoils the whole
punch. and with q perceptibly Iessened
lumber OF seeds to be scattered about
" the birds. and the other insects to
,rey upon the vafious parts of the
liant. there would seem to be small
Ioubt of the success Of the plan"
A NEW CRUSADE.
The war upon the lantana by means
f insects is new thing, and thing
hat has never been attempted before
anywhere in the world. BY the efforts
argeIy Of the Hawaiian Stock Breeders
association. Koebeie was sent to Mex
co to observe the habits OF possible
insects. and to col
ect and send some Of these to Honolulu