38 which has now been proved, that the life cycle varies from a few weeks to two and a half years. The eggs are laid by the moth on the young boll, singly or in groups of six or seven, and the worms, after hatching, bore their way into the interior of the bolls and, growing inside th seed, destroy the boll. During the cotton season, from July to October, several successive broods of larvae are produced, but after that time they hibernate inside the cotton seed, either after ginning or in unopened bolls, and it is during this period that endeavours have been made to destroy them.

With this object three laws have been promulgated, which provide respectively that all bolls must be pulled off the stalk and destroyed before the stalks are removed from the ground, that all ginning factories must be fitted with hot-air machines to destroy the worm in the ginned seed, and that all unginned cotton and untreated seed must be kept in moth-proof stores from April to August.

It was hoped thus to destroy the worm in one or other of its hiding places; but the practical application of the nrst law presents great difficulties, as it is impossible to ensure that all bolls are picked, and in those which are not destroyed the larvae live securely until the next season. An experiment has been carried out on the Tel-el-Kebir Estate, w'hich is more or less isolated, and though the work of cleaning and destroying bolls was carried out as completely as practically possible, the effect does not appear to have been as satisfactory as was hoped, though the final result will not be known till next year.

There was some delay, owing to the war, in procuring the hot-air machines prescribed by the second of tlie laws to which I have alludea, and it was not until 1919 that ginneries throughout the whole country were fitted with them. In 1918, however, they were installed in all the ginneries of Upper Egypt, and, whether owing to this or to some other cause, the damage done to the 1919 crop in that part of the country was less than in the previous year. Though it is too soon to express a definite opinion, there is some reason to suppose that the recent increase in the damage done by pink boll-worm in the country in general has at any rate been arrested.

Eealising the probable value of expert advice from outside, the Egyptian Government approached liis Majesty’s Government at the end of 1915, and the Colonial Office agreed to lend the services of Mr. B'allou, Imperial Entomologist for the West Indies. Mr. Ballou went most thoroughly into the subject, and his most interesting report has just been published. He has in almost every particular confirmed the opinion and action of the Ministry’s staff.

The common boll-worm (Erias insulana) has practically disappeared, thanks to the measures taken for destroying the pink boll-worm, and is no longer to be regarded as a major pest. The ordinary cotton worm {Prodinia litura) which damaged the crop for so long has, during the last few years, caused very little detriment; this is chiefly due to the late watering of clover having been restricted, and to the peasantry having learnt to collect and destroy the egg-masses as soon as they appear. Minor pests, such as sore shin, wilting and stainer bug, are all receiving the attention of the scientific staff of the Ministiy.

Citrus trees in Egypt have of late years been seriously attacked by black scale. The Ministry of Agriculture has hitherto been unable to cope with tne increasing demand for fumigation, but will be in a position to extend its operations during the coming season. In the neighbourhood of Cairo the Hybiscus mealy bug has become a very virulent pest, and has done much damage to trees of many varieties. Owing to the prevalence of this blight and of black sce, transport restrictions are enforced on all plants leaving the Cairo area.

In February 1915 Egypt suffered serious invasion by locusts, which appeared in all parts of the country, anU laid eggs in very many places. Successive swarms emerged at short intervals, and it was not until July that they practically disappeared. Fortunately the campaign instituted, which consisted in driving newly-hatched locusts into trenches and burying them, was successful, and the country escaped from the danger with practically no loss. A special report was published on this subject in 1915.

17. Other Crops.

The area and yield of the main food crops have been shown in a preceding table. The falling-off in the yield of wheat in 1919 was due to “ rust” and shortage of chemical manures, the importation of which during the last few years was almost impossible.

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