100 TURNIP. 



These beetles are also one of tlie regular pests of Mustard when it 

 is " knotting " up for flower. In 1886, when circulars were issued by 

 the Royal Agricultural Society requesting information as to the habits 

 of the " Mustard Beetle " (Phaidon betulai), and means of prevention of 

 its ravages,* specimens of the Meligethes ceneus were sent me taken from 

 Mustard at various localities, at dates from June 10th to July 27th ; 

 and I had the opportunity of myself examining the attack in the fields 

 at Coldham Hall, and Stagsholt, near Wisbech, during July. It 

 appeared then to be nearly or wholly impossible to do anything by 

 way of remedy to the attack on the growing Mustard. Whether now, 

 by means of the Strawsonizer, anything could be done to clear the 

 attack remains to be seen; but the following detailed observations, 

 with which I was favoured by Mr. John Moss, of Feering, Kelvedon, 

 Essex, and by Mr. Geo. Maiden, of Cardington, Beds, show that in the 

 case of the "Flower," and also of the " Seed" beetle attack to Turnips 

 being grown for seed, great benefit maybe derived by cutting back the 

 flowering shoots so as to prevent the great swarms of the beetles, which 

 first appear, making good their position, and thus give rise to the 

 legions of maggots which, in their various ways, ruin the hopes of the 

 seed crop. These notes also give some very useful observations on 

 the habits of the insects, and notably, first of all, the vast numbers in 

 which they appeared a little before the 18th of May. 



The first communication on the above subject was sent me on the 

 13th of May from Feering, Kelvedon, Essex, by Mr. John Moss, 

 accompanied by specimens of the small dark greenish Flower Beetle, 

 the Melif/ethes miens, and the Ceutorhynchus assimilis, sometimes known 

 as the Turnip-seed Weevil, which is easily distinguishable from the 

 other kind by its ashy grey colour, and its long proboscis. Mr. Moss 

 wrote as follows : — 



"You will find enclosed a quantity of small beetles, clouds of 

 which have arrived during the last week with the dry east wind we 

 have had; the Turnip and Swede seed especially are simply swarming 

 with them. The beetles crowd into the blossoms, and I believe lay 

 eggs, which develop into tiny maggots in the seed pod in June, and 

 cause what are generally called " bladdered " pods; these pods fly open 

 about a fortnight before the good seed is ready to cut, and of course 

 the seed from these pods (which is generally thin and blighted seed) 

 is lost. I estimate that frequently the loss from these tiny maggots is 

 £5 per acre. 



" We are seed growers, and you will readily understand that in 



* See 'Journal of Royal Agricultural Society,' vol. xxiii., p. 273; also my own 

 ' 10th Annual Eeport on Injui'ious Insects,' 



