The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-05-23

When the announcement was made
in The Advertiser some months ago
that DIR. Felippo Silvestri, the famous
Italian .entoinologist, had cabled from
Africa that he had found what there
wns good reason to suppose is the para
site for the Mediterranean fruit.hy,
not only Hawaii and California, but
the whole world took notice. The
Mediterranean fruit.1y is pest in
four continents and anything that will
eradicate it or materially lessen its
ravages is of immense economic value
in Europe, South America and Mexico,
Australia and North and South Africa.
That the Importance of the find made
by the scientific field agent of the Ha-
waiian Board of Agriculture and For
estry is recognized abroad is shown in
the fact that the governments of Great
Britain, France, Germany and Italy
have officially asked that their agri-
cultural departments lie furnished with
early copies of Doctor Silvestri g re.
port.
These requests, which have reached
Governor Frear through the state de-
partment at Washington, will be com.
piled with within the next three or
Tour months, Just as soon as the bulle-
tin can lie had from the press Doctor
Silvestri, as soon as he is able to turn
over the colonies of parasites he has
brought with him to Hawaii to the 10,
cal entomologists, will return with
some of the specimens to Italy, where
in his laboratory, he will prepare his
data and write his official report. He
promises to have the manuscript ready
for the printer within sixty DAYS after
reaching Italy.
preliminary report, made for the
press, was issued yesterday by the
Italian scientist, translation being
as follows:
One Years Accomplishments.
In May of 1912 | was engaged by
the commissioners of the board OF
agriculture and forestry to undertake,
an expedition to tropical West Africa
in search Ola parasite on the Mediter
rancan fIuittl After securing +;
twelve months leave of absence from
my government and having in tn,
meantime obtained credentials to thu
various Governors of West African
States from the governments of Grea
Britain, Germany, France, Portuga
and Italy, | left Portici, Italy, in July
1912, and proceeded to the West Coas
via Bordeaux and Canary Islands.
During the expedition | visited ant
investigated fruit.hy conditions il
Parts of Senegal, French Guinea, Col,
Coast, Dahomey, Kamerun and Nigeria
and also to a slight extent in AngoL
and the Congo. After meeting witt
more or less obstacles in the yav n
climatic as well as physical conditions
7 succeeded in securing four If mo
five new and undescribed snecies n
fruit-aiss of the genus Ceratitis {,
which tbe so.ca1lcd NToditorr, ro.,
fruit-hy belongs. besides observing
number of species already known q
science With one or two cvcontion
all of these specics including tho Med
iterrancln fruit.ay were NOT fonn5 i
great abundance
.1After careful scientific observa
tions if was soon made onn.rent tha
the rnoson of Aha scarcit1, Of most y
the spccies wac hocnpse Tho fruit. fie
were kcnt in check b, notrrol ;reec
PARASITES During tho nrogress of m
research vorl, bred ont q rnmbar n
parasites from both the larvae an
rupae of practically all snccics n
fruitfics Observed and eventual
found that tbc latter ycra IN oroa
extent attacked in common hy ono n
more of the same specios of parasite
These latter I succncdnd in rnorino (;
numbers and nv time and the scaso
being short I concluded to arrange m
transportation to Cape Town, Sout
Africa, where knew l could secur
an abundance of Mediterranean frui
ny material for breeding and recoloni;
ing such of the parasites as could SUI
cessfully be transported to the latte
locality.
Cape Town and its neighborhoo
IN south Africa is well known TO b
badly infested with the fruit-hy pes
ana 1t was an easy matter to secui
there an abundance of infested fruit