Murray
p. 17 · Read in the full issue
N.G. Agricultural
Experts
Work Praised by Mr. G. H.
Murray
ATTRIBUTE to the splendid work carried out by the officers of the New Guinea Department of Agriculture was rendered by the Director of Agriculture in the Man dated Territory on his arrival in Sydney by the Van Rees on March 19.
One of the officers of the department (Mr. E. C. Green) had spent his accumu lated leave in Trinidad studying cocoa and coffee growing at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, said Mr. Murray, and another, the economic botanist (Mr. H.
E. Dwyer), had studied the problem in Java. These two specialists were now giving advice to planters, while their re searches had been published by the de partment in the form of a bulletin.
Action taken by the agricultural experts early in 1933, he continued, had resulted in a check being supplied to the ravages of a pest which attacked the coconut. Minute parasitic wasps had been introduced from the Moluccas, and by preying on the eggs of the pest had rendered great service.
Colonies were now being established and the wasps were being spread over the af fected areas where they sufficed to con trol, although not to eradicate, the pest.