Sessional_Paper_1896 — Page 233

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PROTECTIVE SERVICE.

23. Protection has become rather more difficult than formerly owing to the commission of depredations being conducted at early hours in the morning and late in evening when it is supposed the forest guards have not arrived on or have left their beats. This has necessitated the adoption of special precautions to deal with the evil. The punishments inflicted by the Magistrates are, I fear, in most cases, far from sufficiently deterrent. A 25-cents fine, or its equivalents of detention in Gaol- the latter especially-is, probably, hardly regarded as a punishment.

24. About 1,100 trees were cut down by law-breakers in 1895, being an increase of 500 over the number for 1894.

25. The forest guards obtained 72 convictions, against 92 convictions in the previous year. The fines were $89.75 as compared with $145 in 1894. The highest fine was $5 and the lowest 25 cents. In the previous year the highest was $25 and the lowest $1.

FIRES.

26. There were 51 grass fires during the year, and 14,913 trees destroyed by them. The largest fire was at Little Hongkong where upwards of 9,000 trees were burnt.

27. At Repulse Bay six coolies were arrested by a Sikh constable for setting fire to grass, which destroyed 650 trees, while they were conducting ancestral worship at graves Each man was fined $10.

28. Statistics of grass fires are recorded in Appendix D.

CATERPILLARS.

(Eutricha punctata, Walk.)

29. Vigilant observations were maintained for the detection of the re-appearance of caterpillars; early in April they were found in very small numbers in Hongkong in all the districts, except near Chaiwan, where they occurred in such vast numbers in 1894. Hand-picking was commenced on May 25th, and by June 14th all which could be found had been collected and destroyed, the total weight being only 38 catties.

In Kowloon, however, the caterpillars were abundant, and the collection of them and cocoons was continned from June 5th until July 9th when 912 catties of caterpillars and 39 catties of cocoons were destroyed. A second generation appeared, and operations for their destruction were commenced on August 13th and completed on the 31st, when 1,100 catties of catterpillars and 148 catties of cocoons were collected.

30. The cost of this work was $185.92.

31. So far as Hongkong is concerned the pest seems to be completely exterminated, as no trace of it has been seen since July 14th, 1895. Unfortunately the saine cannot be said for Kowloon; there the caterpillars have been in great abundance this year, about 10 tons have been collected, and a new generation has developed which will require to be dealt with shortly. One satisfactory circumstance this

year is that the collectors have seen their way to do the work at a greatly reduced rate.

32. Last year I accumulated interesting information on parasitical enemies to the Eutricha in its different stages. I have now specimens of parasites on the egg, pupa and larva, but no parasite on the moth has yet been discovered. All the parasites are species of wasp, that on the egg being an exceedingly small one, only about a line in length, another on the pupa is 2 lines, and three others on the same are each about 6 lines long. These were obtained by developing them in boxes.

33 My thanks are due to Mr. Albert Koebele, the able entomologist, for kindly identifying the genera of the parasites and for assistance in obtaining some of them. Mr. KOEBELE was staying some time in the Colony on a mission to the Far East to obtain parasitical insects for the Honolulu Government, for the purpose of destroying insect pests affecting various crops, a work in which he has been eminently successful in various parts of the world.

34. It is a curious coincidence that in 1894 the great bubonic plague and the great caterpillar plague occurred in Hongkong, while last year both were nearly absent, and this year they are again greatly in the ascendant.

In 1894 the long drought was supposed to be, to a great extent, accountable for these plagues, but last year was one of the driest on record, yet the scourges were in subjection, while this year when the bubonic plagne, and the caterpillars have so greately increased there was an unusually heavy rainfall during the first three months of the year.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

CHARLES FORD,

Superintendent,

Botanical and Afforestation Department.

3.c..

&..

Honourable J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,

Colonial Secreta"Y,