BEET CARBION BEETLE. 13 



Mangold leafage, has been found to lay eggs " in decaying 

 leaves, or just at the surface of the ground" ; but, looking at 

 the nature of the beetle, it seems much more likely it should 

 be in some specially rank kind of manure, and the eggs thus 

 be brought, or the beetles thus attracted, to the field ; offal 

 and sea- weed, or shore-refuse, are special points to be looked 

 to, and likewise the possibility of the beetles being brought 

 amongst decayed leaves, in which they winter. 



In the course of the special observations of Mr. D. Sym 

 Scott, at Ballinacourte, Tipperary, Ireland, in 1888, it was 

 noticed that the maggots attacked the young leaves much in 

 the same way as the Turnip Sawfly, eating them completely 

 down to the surface of the soil. They fed mostly during the 

 evening and early morning, burying at the roots of the plant 

 during the heat of the day. When the leaves were eaten off, 

 the maggot attacked the tender root, and on the part of the 

 field first attacked the root was gnawed off about a quarter of 

 an inch beneath the surface of the drill. Where this happens 

 of course the plant dies, but where the leaves were only eaten 

 back (it was observed by Mr. Sym Scott) most of the plants, 

 although late, recovered. This point is very important 

 pratically, and attention was drawn to it some years ago by 

 John Curtis, as a reason for not clearing off a damaged crop 

 over hastily, for as soon as the grubs are full-grown they stop 

 eating, and if the plants have life in them they will at once 

 make growth. Also (as noticed by Mr. Sym Scott) attack 

 will suddenly cease on a crop simply from the time of change 

 of the grubs to chrysalis state being come, and all the damage 

 consequently being over. 



From previous records, as well as the more special obser- 

 vations of 1888, the time of attack appears to be chiefly during 

 June, but sometimes noticeable towards the end of May, and 

 in one case extending into July. 



As the grubs go down into the ground to about three or 

 four inches below the surface for the change to the chrysalis 

 state, it would be a good means of preventing recurrence of 

 the attack to disturb the surface, so as to throw these 

 chrysalids out to be killed by exposure or by the birds. If all 

 goes on naturally, and the grubs are left undisturbed, the 

 beetles would come up from the ground in about three weeks 

 after the maggots went down. 



With regard to remedy when attack is present, nothing 

 appears to have been observed, excepting that lime and salt 

 have both failed to be useful ; but it is very likely that dress- 

 ings of a small quantity of parafhn mixed in dry earth or ashes, 

 or the mixture of gas-lime, sulphur, &c., recommended some 

 years ago by Mr. Fisher Ilobbs as a Turnip Fly preventive, 



