FIJIAN COCONUT PESTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 22 December 1926, Page 18

FIJIAN COCONUT PESTS.

> The Fijian Agricultural Department's scientists we intking good headway in combating the various pests which trouble. th# grower of coconuts, The Levuan* moth is practically safely under control. Mr, P»ine visited Ova]*u, and after a careful aurvey reports that he had found no pioth. A« thia island has been a sad victim of the moth the report i* surprisingly satisfactory, as the whole coconut crop of the island was threatened not more than two years ago. Mr. Paine reports that he found the fly parasite {which has done such fine v.ork) established on the caterpillars y"hich frequent the rain .trees, so that it seems to have found an alternative host which means quite a Jot, as it will preserve the fly i n case an unexpected recrudescence of tbe pest breaks out. Mr. Taylor, the other assistant entomologist, is lea Ting Sourabaya by the steamer Ganges at the end of this month with a supply of parasites for the coconut scale, which Jg a world-wide seouxee, but so far pot too bad in Fiji. The department is out to thoroughly clean up the eolony-f and the Legislative cil, at its lajt meeting, showed an unbounded faith in it by granting; it quite a good. estr» lupaidy wherewith; to pursue its investigations.