, 1910-01-12

1900 ~ ~ IL - Az d1t
10 pass legal measures fog fighting it in the
cotton. We have since been told that the
acacia mite has been pronounced by the
acknowledgement authorities il Barbados to be
the same as the cotton leaf blisler-mite. and
If this is SO the argument that no legislation
can control it is complete. But that is NOT
the last word from tie Natural History
point Of view. Itmay be possible to 40 s3iIo-
thing, if we know the position and movements
of the enemy. There are acacias ana ~acac...s
Are all the species OF acacia found in
st. Croix affected by b~lister-mite, and il not.
which species are SO affected? Baron Eg-
gers, in his "Flora Of ST. Croix," mentions
seven species Of acacia us found here. : Some
of these are rare, and, as far as Concerns oar
present purpose, may be passed by. The
following three may on such ground be neg
lected 1c0cja Su2AueutoS0, the s'catch
and keep" Of st. Thomas, with its Singing
branches and hook like tnoru5, abundant in
St. Thomas but extremely rare here the
gum tree, 1caciu urudjc0, trees of which we
may see by the road side ut Lawyer Aches
Garden the catechu tree, Actciu cttechu.
with its pretty spikes Gusyead Of balls) OF
white flowers, by the roadside going east
from Sprat Hall. OnlItting these three, we
still have four that may be worth examining.
These are, first the Thibet tree, 1cqcj9
LCOOChJ witch HOW ever ~ nOU SO UDDGUdNt
rs the two species now to be mentioned,
species which are found spread over the
hills of the East End and elsewhere, one or
both of which are perhaps meant rs the
plants affected by blister-mite. Both Of these
have small sweet-scented flowers grouped in
yellow balls they are Icocja t~0rtuosu and
Acacja FarpeSju0tu. These are the bushes
commonly known among the labouror9 as
HCasha"; their branches are much twisted,
and the rough bushes are altogether
much alike The latter Narnesiana) has
thick curved pods, which, if W. remember
rightly, have, when broken across, a very
pleasant scent. There is still another AGA
oia, a fine tall bush which grows abund-
antly along Concordia Gut, at Salt River
and Rust up Twist as well us elsewhere in
the north and northwest Of his island.
AcGcja MdcrUcdAtba, which might be worth
observing. Then, when we have examined
the acacias there remain come near relatives
that should be examined, for instance the
tan-tan, Lemcleaa GI11tc9 does that har-
bour blistar-mite ? Butt it may be asked what
should we gain by finding out what particu-
lar plants harbour these pests Possibly
nothing but it is part Of the task Of q good
general to find out where his enemy is. In
every army the "intelligonce Department. is a
most important branch Of the service much
of its work is no doubt in vain, but it
must be done, and sometimes it is richly
rewarded.
But besides the plants on which the mites
are found there are the mites themselves.
about which many interesting questions
might be asked. How, for example, do they
pass from one plant to another ?
Leaving the mites, however, we may now
turn to that destructive pest the "boll
worm" 1t is said to be trapped in the Unit
ed States by the planting OF "corn, but we
hnd hat by "eorn" is here meant ~n71jze,
while in the discussion at Lower Love and
later in the -49jS it has been guj1ea corn
which has been spoken Of, In Doctor
Al0rtonsou's article in AtIu3lte4, u copy
Of Which has been kindly lent us; we find
some excellent drawings of The boil worm
both in its caterpillar (worm) stage,
and as a fully developed moth in the
former stage several drawings show that
there is considerable variety among the in
diyidual forms two other drawings show
the worm in the cotton bolls, while yet
another shews it ia the heart Of a nsajzo
ear. We do not know whether the worm is
equally at home in the 9ulnea-corn, the ear