540 Bulletin 78. 



B. DESTRUCTIVE. 

 I. Dkstructiox of the Maggots. 



{a) By the Applicatioti of Direct or Indirect Fertilizers. 



Lime and Liquid Manure. 



The recommendation of this combination rests upon the experiment of 

 Mr. Dunning in 1889. He found on May 20 that some early cauliflowers 

 were badly infested by the maggots ; the stems below ground were entirely 

 encased in maggots. The next day he applied to each plant a pint of a mix- 

 ture formed by slacking 5 pecks of fresh burned lime in 100 gals, of liquid 

 manure ; this was stirred ten minutes and poured around the plants with a 

 sprinkler. From an examination of a dozen plants on May 27, he reports 

 that not a live maggot could be found, and the plants had made a large 

 amount of new roots. When he used gas lime instead of ordinary lime, the 

 effect was not so good. He states that the lime water killed the maggots and 

 the manure stimulated the roots. Where liquid manure can be obtained in 

 such quantities, this combination should be tried. Judging from Mr. Dun- 

 ning's report, this is one of the most promising recommendations yet made to 

 combat the pest. We hope it may soon be further tested. 



{b) By the use of hisecticidal Substances. 



Hellebore. 



In his report for 1890, Mr. Fletcher recorded the first experiments with 

 this substance against the Cabbage Root Maggot. Some 3 years before he 

 had learned that one of his correspondents had used a decoction of it with con- 

 siderable success on the Onion Maggot. Mr. Fletcher applied the substance 

 to about 1 ,200 plants in the following manner : " One person carried a 3-gal- 

 lon pailfull of water in which 2 ounces of white hellebore had been steeped, 

 and an ordinary green-house syringe, the other placing the left hand be- 

 neath the cabbage, palm downwards, with two fingers on each side of the 

 stem, drew away the surface soil from the root of the cabbage, and at the 

 same time, with the right hand, pulled the head a little over, so as to expose 

 the roots. About half a teacupful of the liquid was then syringed forcibly 

 around the roots, and the earth was quickly pushed up again around the 

 stem. The result of this treatment was that only about one per cent, of the 

 cabbages was lost. There is no doubt that the forcible syringing of the 

 liquid removed the maggots to some distance from the roots ; but by actual 

 experiment it was found that the white hellebore killed them also." He 

 records a further test of the decoction later in the season which resulted very 

 satisfactorily, and from which it appeared that the hellebore killed by contact. 

 He further says : "In applying this hellebore remedy care must be taken 

 not to dig down too deep or disturb the root too much. The chief seat of 



