The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-11-10
Distribution Of Friendly Parasites.

form and list of the new books in the
station library was included.
Distribution Of Friendly Parasites
The report of the Director of the Di-
vision of Entomology was an interest.
ing one, dealing with the work being
done abroad by the travelling entomolo
gists and the distribution in Hawaii of
the parasites sent in for breeding. The
report said of this last work:
"Colonies of one or more species of
Histers, sent from the Malay Islands by
Mr.. Muir, have been liberated on some
of the plantations on all the islands.
These listers are very long lived in
their adult state. and as they have pow
erfnl wings (fiying. no doubt, at mighty
they are liable to readily spread of
their own accord when they become suf
ficiently numerous They breed quite
readily in captivity in cane attacked by
borer, and seem very hardy. Though
tenacious of life under most conditions
they are very easily killed by exposure
to dryness, when they are removed from
the cane sticks.
'Cages containing parasites of leaf
hopper have been sent out from time to
time to plantations, when they have
been asked for. The distribution of the
most important egg-parasites has long
since become universal. The climatic
conditions Of the past season have, in
my opinion, been very favorable for the
increase Of cane-hopper. In few cases,
in which, / have no doubt, large num-
bers of leaf-hoppers have collected from
over wide area and invaded fields of
young cane, they have done some dam
age locally the eggs having been laid
in great numbers and already Matched
out when few natural enemies are in
the field. Such cases, when they occur
in the summer months. are dangerous.
because the affected fields may supply
the fneighboring fields or plantations
with a large crop of mature leaf-hop-
pers just at the time when the female
hopper produces the greatest nypber of
eggs most rapidly.
"As has been mentioned above. few
colonies of an ant-like parasite on leaf
hopper from Mexico have been already
| distributed, and the distribution will be
continued. Three generations have now
been raised from the solitary female
which was bred from cocoon sent over
| by Mr.. Koebele The distribution of
cages of leaf-hopper parasites in new
fields of cane should be kept up by the
managers II the manner pursued in tho
past. As soon as any hoppers, even
though few, appear in new field this
distribution should be made. and on
plantations, where hoppers flourish best,
let the distribution be made whether
hoppers are noticed or not. If many
hoppers have migrated to new field
and laid many eggs the numbeuof cages
| distributed should be more numerous.
1t is only in this way that we can hope
| to make up in some degree for con.
dition of affairs q mean in the cultl-
walton of cane felds) that does not ex-
list in state of nature. Even when
everything possible is done to prevent
loss there will be times when some loss
will occur, for seasons will come, which
will favor an unusual increase of the
leaf-hopper. For instance, year or
two ago, in FIJI, have been informed
that the cane-hopper peculiar to those
islands, usually no particular pest, be-
came numerous to an extent never pre-
viously known, in spite of its natural
enemies. The money that is now being
spent to control the gypsy moth in the
Eastern States is expended with the
hope of producing the conditions that
are found in Europe, whence this pest
was introduced In Europe, periodical
ly, as is well known, the gypsy moth
occurs in such numbers as to be quite a
bad pest, in spite of is numerous enc
mics. Yet these conditions would gladly
be accepted in America. where this in
sect is not periodical, but continue
and ever-spreading pest, for the contro
of which by artificial means vast sums
of money have been spent in the past.
The Kohala Spider.
, In the discussion which followed thu
reading of this report, Manager Rentor
? asked for information incidental to thu
Kohala spider, which he was trying t.
: acclimatize on the Eva plantation, blu
) which so far has refused to stay there
This spider, which is a valuable ally o.
{ the leaf-hopper parasite, is found a
/. Kohala, Puunene and Hamallua.
( ii. p. Baldwin stated that he had that
n to introduce colonies of these spider
q time and again into MAXWELL before h
succeeded in establishing them there.
/. DR.. Perkins advised Mr.. Renton t
!. try and try again. He knew of no othe
n way of introducing the spider into tn
e Eva district. These spiders are lik
/. other Hawaiian insects, peculiar in thei
Il habits and localized The Kohala spide
/. is found at Kanapala, for instance, bu
3 will not live at Lahaina.
q Pathology and Physiology.
f Director L. LewtOn. Brain presented
s highly technical report on the work o
!, the division of pathology and physio
d ogy, dealing with various diseases
: which cane is subject One discover
4 of the year, to which the director al
/ tached special Importance as being o
s practical as well as scientific signif
a. canoe, was that of identifying a roc
8 fungus, heretofore unidentified, as tn
n Marasmius sacchari, which has bee
r studied here as well as extensively els,
r where. This discovery, while not tho
v oughly settled, reduces the number 9
= the soil fungi found on cane and nece
a sary to be dealt with from four to thre
vi Stem and leaf diseases and the wor
: of the division in connection with the
IN are dealt with at length, also the result
a of experiments relating to floral bact
Ne ria, which point out the causes of I'll
" falling off in polarization in store
ID sugars.
w. mho rN,a,c ro.orA.