IKJUUlUUb TO TUJt TURKIP CHOP. 821 



laniily, lark(er in itize, Itut leM abundant, thuugh ^onorully liiutributod. lu 

 habiU arc Himilar to t1io»o of H. nemorum. In the iieldit il wa« joined by 

 Nedyus contraclm^ a Huiall weevil, which, when numerous, is ofien nearly 

 as peniicioas aH tho Ifultic(e, by puncturing and nibbling the foliage : the 

 e<lge8 of the wounds becoming withered as it scorched, or corroded by an 

 acid, like those intlicted by the turnip beetle. Owing to their combined 

 attacks many fields proved a complete failure, and repeated sowings liad 

 to bo resorted to, to obtain a braird. 



Many plans have been adopted to destroy this pest and have met with 

 more or less Htrenuous advocacy, although no one generally applicable has 

 as yet beau discovered ; nor, indeed, in the nature of the case, is perhaps 

 attainable. Those who have propounded them, being chiefly practical men, 

 could scarcely have deceived themselves, and if the remedies do npt suc- 

 ceed with others, it is perhaps more owing to alteration of the circum- 

 stances, such as the diversities of soil and its condition, andtiie vicissitudes 

 -of climate, and to the pains-takinp of the experimenters, than to inherent 

 defect. Mr Paul of Starston, in Norfolk, invented a bag-net, which, be- 

 ing quickly drawn over the turnips, secured the beetles while leaping off the 

 plants. The smell of elder, or bour-tree, is said to be disrelished by them, 

 and bush-harrows made of fresh cut branches of this tree have been recom- 

 mended to be drawn over the turnips to drive them away ; or branches 

 of it strewn over the field impregnate the surrounding atmosphere with 

 loathsome exhalations. A board, freshly uainted or tarred, placed on a 

 machine, and drawn over four drills, has also been tried. The insects, on 

 being disturbed by a piece of cloth suspended from beneath, leap up and 

 stick to the board. This implement is much used in Cornwall, where it 

 is called the " fly-catcher." Mr M'Gall gave an account of a similar in- 

 strument at the Annual General Meeting of the Club for 1847. The fit- 

 test time for usinj; it is during the heat of the day, as then the insects are 

 least sluggish. Mr Beards, agent to tho Duke of Buckingham, preserves 

 his crop by causing an old sack to be ripped open and nailed to a pole, leav- 

 ing the pole, for the purpose of handles, about eight inches at each end 

 longer than the sacking. One side is then smeared with'tar, and two 

 men, one at each end of the pole, draw the sacking, with the tarred side 

 downwards, regularly over the field, letting it sweep tho ground. It is 

 carried obliquely, an<l is freshly tarred with a brush every "bout," or 

 oftener if required. Gas-tar is preferable as it leaves a strong, disagree- 

 able odour.* These mechanical processes require frequent repetition, 

 as many of the insects will miss the board and fall into the drills, or on 

 their backs, and thus escape. Some, with much reason, adopt the plan of 

 allowing plenty of seed, so that tho insect may satisfy its wants, and still 

 leave sufficient for a crop. By this means also the growth of the young 

 plant is greatly accelerated, and thus the more speedily placed out of the 

 insect's reach ; though, it must be confessed, that its dcnciency in vigour 

 may keep it somewhat longer in jeopardy. Mr Sullivan states, that in East 

 Lothian, from 2 to 2i lbs. of seed, per acre, are sown ;t and Mr Ramsay of 

 Derwenthaugh, near Newcastle, finds 2 lbs. of seed quite enough, if tho 

 land is properly prepared ;{ in Berwickshire practice many adopt 3 lbs.§ In 

 some parts of England, and elsewhere, however, where the attack of the fly, 

 from its greater prevalence, is much dreaded, 4 and 5 lbs. per acre (drilled) is 

 strongly recommended, and even 6 or 7 lbs. have been used.H Mr Poppy of 

 Ipswich recommends an expedient very similar to the one now mentioned. He 

 caused thick rows to be sown alternately with thin rows; the former being 

 more juicy and less fibrous from their rapid growth, were preferred by 



* Proceedings of tbo Royal AKric Soc. of England, 8th May, 1844. 

 t Gardeners' Chronicle, Nov. 16, 1844, p. 771. t ">., 1847, p. 245. 

 § or the last quantity, the Earl of LeicMter used to say, that it gave " plenty for 



tho dy, plenty to hoc, and plenty for a crop." 



II lb., Sept, 2, IS18, p. SOa. lb., June 15, 1844, p. 394. 



