DIAMOND-BACK MOTH. 113 



Edenthorpe, Doncaster, Yorks., July 29th. From the Lord Auckland. 

 — ** I beg to enclose specimens of a caterpillar which has been devas- 

 tating the Turnip fields in this neighbourhood. The soil is light 

 sand and gravel. 



July 31st. " I visited one of my Turnip fields this morning, which 

 is infested by the moth, and found large numbers of specimens, 

 including larva3, pupae, and imagines, the last form being the most 

 numerous. 



Aug. 2nd. " In one field near my house, which is sown half with 

 white Turnips and half with Swedes, the former have suffered very 

 slightly in comparison with the latter, but that may be attributed to 

 their having attained a larger and stronger growth. In some places 

 the Swedes appear to be entirely destroyed." 



Eeplies to inquiries in circular (see p. 110), sent on Aug. 15th by 

 Mr. Robert Cock, for Lord Auckland : — 



(1). "Loss on Swede-turnip crop about one-third. The White 

 Green Top and Lincolnshire Eed Turnips have not been affected by 

 the moth. 



(2). " The best mixture we used was lOcwt. soot, 8 cwt. nitrate of 

 soda, with 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, mixed well and sown broad- 

 cast by hand whilst the deiv was on the leaves ; 1 cwt. per acre. "We 

 also used scufflers with boughs on them through the crops ; also we 

 tried quicklime, gas-lime, soot in equal parts, 1 cwt. per acre, with 

 3 lbs. yellow flowers of sulphur added per acre ; but the first mixture 

 proved best in checking the spread of moth. 



(3). " The heavy rains have been very beneficial, especially where 

 the nitrate of soda mixture was used. 



(4). " Land sandy. Autumn cultivated. We clean the land after 

 Wheat, plough deep three times by crossing, then ridge farmyard 

 manure 12 to 14 cart-loads per acre, with no artificial manure, or 

 6 cart-loads farmyard manure with 3 cwt. dissolved bones per acre, or 

 the same quantity farmyard manure and 4 cwt. concentrated manure 

 per acre. 



(5). "The weather was very dry the previous autumn, and the 

 land in this district was especially well cleaned ; no particular weed 

 was unusually noticeable. 



(6). " No, we cannot find it so ; but the Charlock is not abundant 

 in this district. 



(7). " The Rook and the Plover. 



Lincolnshire. — Holbeach Marsh, July 17th. From Mr. William H. 

 West (with specimens of leaves much injured by the green, somewhat 

 spindle-shaped caterpillars of the Diamond-back Moth. The cater- 

 pillars for the most part very nearly full-grown, Ed.). — " I am sending 



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