.:i80 INSi^CT PttEVEl^TlOK. [t'^^B., 



?ateii, and in all cases the injured part had turned black. In a field 

 of 24 acres which was attacked, every diseased plant that was 

 examined about the 10th of April was found to have at least one 

 maggot, sometimes five or six, at its roots. These maggots are very 

 like other weevil maggots, that is, legless and much wrinkled across, 

 and have a brownish head, with perfectly serviceable jaws. (The 

 maggot often found in a nut gives a good idea of their general 

 appearance.) These maggots turn to chrysalids in the earth at the 

 I'oots of the attacked plants, and from these the pea, bean, or 

 the clover root weevils appear about the latter part of June or 

 July. We know the work of the weevils well on pea or clover 

 leaves by the semicircular scoops which they eat away, thus often 

 destroying the crops by double attack ; the weevils at the leaves 

 and the weevil maggots (from which a new brood of weevils will 

 presently arise) at the roots ; and, as far as we see at present, 

 one .great starting point of attack is from stubble-straws and 

 clover. At harvest time, the dtona weevils are to be found 

 sometimes in vast numbers ; the bottoms of the carts and waggons, 

 the platforms of the reapers, or the barn iloors, may be found 

 tin-onged with them. They have been noticed in large numbers on 

 the wing, and thus those that have been left behind in infested fields 

 have power to transfer themselves where they may wish. This is 

 the time when the autumn attack appears to be set up. It was found 

 by Mr. Christy that in the very large field of clover observed, the 

 roots were infested by the weevil mQ,g'goi?> excepting luhere the thravcs 

 of lolieat had stood in the jrrcccdiiw autmnn ; the weather at harvest- 

 time having been wet, the corn had stood longer on the ground than 

 usual. This points strongly to the weevils which were seen at 

 harvest-time laying their eggs by the clover, save where it was pro- 

 tected by the corn in sheaves ; and the date when the weevil maggots 

 were again observed confirms this view, for it was noticed that the 

 roots were clear of maggots on the 21st of October, but by the last 

 days of November they were again to be found feeding on the clover 

 roots. The matter stands thus at present : the weevils frequent the 

 stubble and clover, some of them hybernate and attack leafage of 

 crops in the spring; others lay eggs and presumably die afterwards > 

 and as we find tlie maggots infesting the clover roots at the beginning 

 of winter, and also find clover plants diseased from maggot attack as 

 early as the 23rd of ]\Iarch in spring, it is probable that these mag- 

 gots are all one set. Our knowledge of the habits of this pest is so 

 recent that at present we have hardly any notes of how to bring 

 treatment to bear on them, excepting in the observations of the Kev. 

 W. Clutterbuck, of Long Wittenham Vicarage, who noticed the pea 

 weevil sheltered itself in the top joint of the stubble of barley, oats, 



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