New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 631 



but the loaves which contained de.id ma£f2:;ots showed on close 

 examination a small punctui'e at the point wliere the dead maggot 

 lay. Besides it is known that this bug feeds on otiier insects. 



E.EMEDIKS. — The only remedies that have been recommended are, 

 first, tlie gathering and destroying of the infested leaves; second, 

 crushing, by hand, the maggots within the leaf, and third, plowing 

 the field after the beets have been gathered. Apparently these 

 remedies were all recommended on the supposition that the beet 

 was the only food plant of the maggot. Since it is known that the 

 maggot feeds on beet, spinach and Ckenopodium, and on the latter 

 more than on either of the others, a fact that was (juite evident here 

 the past season, it is a self-evident fact that very little will be accom- 

 plished by simply destioying the maggots on beets or even on 

 spinach. It is also quite evident, from the habits of the maggot, 

 that no insecticide can be used to destroy them. Thinking there 

 was a possibility of reaching the maggots through the blistered por- 

 tion of the leaves with some wash of an oily,nature, during the fall 

 of 1894, I tried kerosene emulsion of severa different strengths on 

 spinach. In one tiial it was used as strong as one part of the stock 

 emulsion to six of water. This injured the leaves, but in no case 

 could I hnd any injured maggots. In a few instances they had left 

 the injured leaves and found their way to fresh leaves. Fiom the 

 fact that the eggs are deposited on the lower surface of the leaf it 

 will be impossible to get at all of these with washes ; besides, the 

 washes would have to be applied so often that it would become an 

 expensive remedy. 



The only feasible plan of keeping them in check is culture 

 methods, which should be as follows: Throughout the summer all 

 '•Lamb's-quarters," or "Pigweeds," should be cut, hoed or culti- 

 vated out every ten days or two weeks. If it is impossible to keep 

 these weeds cut from neglected corners, hedges, fences, roadsides, 

 driveways and "turnrows," such places should be kept in grass or 

 clover. In the case of turnrows, rye or oats can be used instead of 

 grass or clover. Crimson clover will not answer on Long Island, as 

 usually there is as good a stand of weeds as of clover. Destroying 

 the weeds every ten days will cut off the food supply of many 

 newly -hatched maggots. 



