1884.] INSECT PBEVENTION. 419 



not a midge to be seen. If we turn now to the Canadian and United 

 States observations we find it noted that the wheat midge, in every 

 stage of its life, is very sensitive of dryness and moisture. The 

 midge, as we know, lays its eggs chiefly in the comparatively cool 

 and damp evening hours, but further it is stated that damp and low- 

 lying fields, marshy spots in fields, the neighbourhood of sheltering 

 hedges and trees, all increase the amount of attack, as well as damp 

 weather at laying time. I have not had opportunity for tracing this 

 out myself, but in the observations I was favoured with from this 

 place during this season, the midge was noticed as very prevalent in 

 grass by hedges ; and the great numbers found in clover, on land 

 which was in wheat the preceding year, would have had a good 

 sheltering leafage overhead. There seems no doubt that the maggot 

 passes the winter close to its food plants, but the German observations 

 make an important addition in adding couch grass to the number. 

 This would give an additional reason for finding the midge here in 

 wild grasses by hedges, though it was not present excepting casually 

 in permanent pasture, and also it would account for stray attacks 

 taking place where this noxious weed had not been properly rooted 

 out. Now if we look at these various details I think there is enough 

 to help us in some degree. The home of the red maggot in winter is 

 by its food plant, and there it lies perfectly at the mercy of all 

 measures of agricultural treatment which may throw it out, up or 

 down, from its natural resting place. It has been advised to plough 

 deeply enough to bury the maggot securely down, and this plan 

 answers where the ground can be left undisturbed long enough to run 

 no risk of bringing the maggots to the surface again. But the simple 

 plan of breaking up the surface by some form of cultivator which 

 would skim just deeply enough to allow the stubble and roots to be 

 gathered together afterwards and burnt, would seem likely to clear a 

 deal of the pest away. The maggots will lie for weeks, hard or 

 motionless in drought, therefore if this plan was carried out in the 

 hot dry weather which often occurs just at the time the corn is carried 

 the creature would have much less chance of escape. The various 

 dressings of hot lime, or gas lime, which are so exceedingly service- 

 able in checking insect pests, would have good play on the maggot 

 before it had gone thoroughly down ; and there is another method of 

 treatment that I submit, though there may be agricultural reasons I 

 do not know of against using it. Might not the standing stubble be 

 fired ? By adjusting the apparatus of the reaper so as to cut rather 

 higher, there would be enough straw to let the flame run. Of course 

 there is the loss of good straw, and the loss of the decayed stubble 

 and some risk, but still in cases of bad attack one might hope by 

 running the fire over the field to make such a thorough clearing of all 



