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VIII. — Prevention of Injury from the Turnip Fly. 

 By T. L. Thurlow. 



Sir, — Finding that the statements from different ag^ricultural dis- 

 tricts report much loss to the swede crop from " the fly," I am 

 induced to communicate a plan which has this season been acci- 

 dentally tried here, and, as far as I can judge, found to answer, in 

 the hope that at all events it may attract the notice of practical 

 farmers, and induce them to consider the subject. 



In the beginning of July last I told my father's bailiff to drill 

 a 9-acre field with swedes, and left home the day after ; on my 

 return, on asking him about the field, he stated that the field was 

 drilled, but that, not having swede seed enough, and thinking it 

 very late for swedes, he had drilled half swedes and half turnips, 

 viz. 1 1 lb. of each to the acre. 



On walking over the field some little time after, I found a fair 

 crop of swedes, but hardly a single turnip (there are not twelve in 

 the field). It appears that the fly took the whole of the turnips, 

 but left the swedes. The impression on my mind was that the 

 turnip-seed was bad, but on testing it by growing some in pots 

 it was found to be good. 



About two weeks previously to the time when the 9-acre field 

 was drilled, 2 acres of ground at a little distance from it were 

 drilled with swedes from the same batch ; they were drilled in 

 with 2 cwt. of superphosphate and 15 bushels of wood-ashes to 

 the acre, the field having been previously manured with 17 loads 

 of fatting dung to the acre. These swedes came up and grew away 

 well, but the fly took the whole. 



During the turnip season of 1855 the fly was very troublesome 

 (they had about half destroyed a field of turnips), when, thinking 

 it was necessary " to do something," I set out 3 equal plots in the 

 field, and having had a little hand dusting machine made to take 

 2 drills at a time, while the dew was on the ground, had No. 1 

 plot dusted with soot ; No. 2 with soot and lime in equal quan- 

 tities ; No. 3 with lime. The total quantity in each case used 

 for dusting was about 3i bushels per acre. 



The result of this experiment was that the fly left No. 1 plot 

 undamaged, but injured No. 2, and comparatively speaking still 

 further injured No. 3 — saving only about one-half of the plant 

 then left. 



BaynarcTs Park, Guildford, 

 November, 1856. 



