The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-25
PESTS ARRIVE
IN QUANTITIES
Board of Agriculture Contends
With Enemies of the
Farmer.

The report of Assistant Entomologist
| Kotinsky, made at the meeting of the
Board of Agriculture and Forestry
held yesterday afternoon, was in part
as follows:
brought a consignment of orchids from
Fiji. In the box were found several
live beetles. 1t was Immediately
placed in the fumigation chamber and
given the usual dose of cyanide. No
live insects were found on the plants
after fumigation, but in the soil a mill
lipede and several earth-worms were
found alive. The soil was therefore
carefully removed and dumped over
board.
The s. s. Virginian arrived from San
Francisco late in the afternoon of May
:, and brought among. other things
twelve cases of plants, an unusually
large number for one steamer. Upon
examination the following morning
they were found invaded by a horde
of cockroaches (Phillodromia ger
manica). In addition, a number of the
cases contained mango and avocado
bearing specimens of species of Pull
vinaria. Fumigation of the entire lot
was Imperative.
The Alameda of May % brought
three large cases containing 5000 roots
of asparagus for planting purposes. To
prevent the introduction of that terri
bic pest of the asparagus grower on
the mainland, asparagus rust (Pucci-
rliD n Cy1saC scirf n ,l1r1
dipped in a standard solution of Bor-
deaux before being passed.
Some of the green peas reaching this
market were found to be heavily in
tested with a rusty spot. probably
'pea-spot" (Ascochyta pise Libert). !
Peas so infested were destroyed.
Mr. George Compere, entomologist of
the West Australian Department of |
from the Orient on the 18th, and much |
of the day was spent with him. He
left here another colony of the ORR
entail red-scale parasite (Comperiella
bifasciata Howl, males and females of
which were bred out the same day
and released on a citrus tree in the
Government Nursery grounds infested
with this scale Material was also
of several of our common
parasites of white-fy and scale bugs,
which Mr. Compere took along for re-
leasing in California.
Aside from the big collection of vari-
Gus fruits sent to California with Mr..
Compere, there We're distributed in the
Territory eighteen colonies of useful
insects during the month, to supply
some of which it took considerable
time to collect.
The fumigation formula for pineap-
Piles in universal application prescribes
the use of SO per cent. guaranteed po-
tassium cyanide. The grade in the
local market was found to be inferior
and ineffective against the pineapple
meaIy- bug in several instances when
used at the usual rate. Tests We're
therefore undertaken to ascertain %
whether the inferiority of the cyanide
was responsible for the inefficiency;
90 whether the 80 per cent. C. P, a
few pounds of which were secured, in
the usual dose would kill the bugs;
and go whether an overdose would in
lure the pine. The Wahiawa Pineap-
pie co. kindly supplied the fruit for
the experiments. One fruit was treat
I'd with a regular dose of the COM
were treated with regu-
ar and double dose, respectively, of
the c. P. grade of cyanide One fruit,
used as a check, was left untreated.
In the first instance the mealy bugs
were found decidedly alive at the end
Of the operation. The pines fumigated
with the C. P. grade, in both the usual
and double dose, had all the bugs dead
frui
jured Moreover, these two fruits, to-
gether with the unfumigated specimen,
remained in a closed box for about
two weeks afterwards with interesting
The two fumigated pines were
in an excellent state of preservation,
barely showing signs of ripening.
the unfumigated fruit was
ripe and almost rotting where most
heavily covered with bugs. The evil
dence, though by no means conclusive
as yet, seems to suggest the probable
ity that fumigated pineapples will
stand a longer journey than those not
so treated. The experiment needs rep
etition before definite conclusions are
drawn, and seems well worth it.
In anticipation of three steamers, in
Guiding the Alameda on the Sth, it be-
came evident that, unaided, Mr.. Smith
and | could not attend to the work.
With the subsequent consent of your
president l enlisted the services of Mr..
d. B. Kuhns, a graduate student of
the Normal School, for two days. At
the lectures gave to this class in the
Normal School, Mr.. Kuhns has each
time impressed me more favorably
than the previous as embodying the
elements for making a fine naturalist.
He has been a member of the Hawai-
ian chronological Society ever since
its existence became known to him,
and eagerly seeks an opportunity to
work along natural history lines. /
commend him favorably to your at
Il, III