178 FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Deep cultivation in autumn, with a good manuring and sowing in 

 drills on a firm, well-trodden surface in spring, insured a good crop, 

 free from the attack of the maggot. In a bed, one-half of which had 

 been prepared in the above manner, and the remaining half only 

 trenched but not manured, the plants in the former were uninjured, 

 but on the latter feeble and attacked by the maggot. 



A correspondent of Miss Ormerod presents the following experience : 

 "I find the best preventive in our light soil is to manure well with 

 well-made manure, principally cow maniire. We work the ground 

 deeply and trench if need be. After lying exposed to the frost for 

 some time, the ground is pulverized (with a steel fork) on the surface 

 without turning up the manure, then trodden down well previous to 

 sowing, which we do as early as possible in March, providing the 

 ground is in good condition. We sow in lines a foot apart. After 

 covering in the seed, we pass a heavy iron roller a few times over the 

 ground to firm it well. We sow thinly, so that we seldom require to 

 thin the plants. In this way we never fail to have excellent crops of 

 onions, although the garden has been very subject to attacks from 

 onion-fly ; and there are many gardens in the neighborhood where the 

 fly has all its own way with the onion crops." 



Another correspondent makes use of " hen manure which had been 

 well turned during the winter and covered with soil to retain the am- 

 monia." In place of the roller, the soil is well trodden with the feet 

 and raked over. The trampling of the feet makes it quite hard, and 

 it is considered to do good by preventing progress of the larva. An- 

 other person recommends horse manure not over fermented for use on 

 heavy damp soils. 



A writer in the Gardener^ s Chro7iicle and Agricultural Gazette (vol, 

 xiii, 1853, p. 197) states that a simple preventive of attack of the fly, 

 satisfactorily tested by him, is dry soot, dusted over the soil lightly 

 once a fortnight from the time of sowing until all danger is past. 



Remedies for Attack. 

 When an onion-bed has been attacked by the fly, which may readily 

 be known by the leaves wilting and turning yellow at the tip, every 

 onion giving indication of the attack should be taken up at once and 

 destroyed by burning or otherwise. If this be done promptly and 

 thoroughly it will terminate the attack. The onions should not be 

 pulled up, but carefully lifted by means of a broad-bladed knife, so 

 that the entire bulb with the larvae within it, may be removed. If 

 simply drawn by hand, the stem, which often is only held in place by 

 its thin skin, will separate from the decayed base, which, with the con- 

 tained larvse, will be left behind and no good whatever accomplished. 



