110 TURNIP. 



(5). "Clear. 



(6). " Charlock not grown here much. 



(7). " Starlings in flocks noted feeding." — " N. Lincs." 



On the 18th of August, " N. Lincs." further wrote : — "I again 

 report improvement of the Swede-turnips, but a good crop could not 

 be expected from such shattered plants." 



The Sycamores, Alford, Lincolnshire, August 9th. From Mr. J. 

 Eardley Mason. — "Diamond-back Moth larva everywhere, but 

 damage very various in amount, and nothing like what is reported 

 from Northumberland. Some fields have escaped altogether." — 

 J. E. M. 



Limber, Ulcebij, Lincolnshire, July 25th. From Mr. W. Frankish. 

 The following communication refers to ravages of caterpillars, pre- 

 sumably both of the Diamond-back Moth and of the Turnip Sawfly, 

 as specimens of both kinds were sent me, and it would be difficult to 

 say which of the two kinds is the most destructive. 



Mr. Frankish observed: — "The caterpillars are now causing 

 destruction to hundreds of acres of our Turnips ; these may in some 

 cases survive the attack, but I fear, if even so, the crop must be much 

 below what it ought to come to in weight per acre. I left mine 

 looking well last Monday to go to the show at Brigg ; to-day, on my 

 farm of «ne hundred acres, I could not recognize them as the same 

 fields. So far as the Turnip plants go, they seem to have attacked 

 those just nicely recovered from the singling operation (hoeing). The 

 only thing I see likely to benefit is to keep the scufflers going, and the 

 men hoeing again after them, to destroy and bury the grubs and 

 caterpillars as much as possible." 



Keplies to inquiries in circular (see p. 110), August 15th : — 



(1). " I have looked round my three fields of Turnips, which were 

 more or less attacked by the caterpillars of one description or the 

 other, but I have no doubt by both,* and find they have by no means 

 recovered their lost ground. The Swedes, fortunately only about 

 eleven acres, are almost worthless, and never can be at the best more 

 than one-third of an average crop ; and a crop of common Turnips 

 next to them (33 acres) in the same field cannot be more than half a 

 crop, while two other fields of common Turnips (59 acres) will possibly 



* The specimens I sent you from the Brigf? show were brought to me thei-e by a 

 neighbour on an adjoining farm, but I have no doubt we all had the two enemies, 

 as the leaves were eaten in different ways,— one almost entirely, except the central 

 stalk, the other leaving all the fibres, like gossamer almost, or coarse network ; but 

 it would be impossible for us or any one to separate the damage by different cater- 

 pillars. — W. F. (Mr. Frankish well describes the two methods of injury, — the 

 almost total destruction of all the tissues of the leaf by the Sawfly caterpillar, and 

 the damage which, though as bad for all practical purposes, still leaves much of 

 the upper cuticle of the leaf looking, in its transparent perforated state, very much 

 like coarse open muslin or lace. — Ed.) 



