120 TURNIP. 



back Moths with Swede leaves much injured by attack). — " The 

 leaves, as you will observe, are partly consumed by a kind of canker- 

 worm or caterpillar. Some hundreds, and possibly thousands, of 

 acres are thus affected in this neighbourhood, and almost every Turnip 

 in a field more or less injured, threatening a serious loss to farmers. 

 My own Turnips are grown in a mixed soil, fi'om farmyard manure 

 and superphosphate." 



Norfolk and Suffolk. — One of the most important of the first 

 notes of attack of the Diamond-back infestation which I received was 

 sent me on July 18th, with specimens accompanying, by Mr. E. Clarke, 

 Secretary of the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England, on the part of 

 Mr. Garrett Taylor, Member of Council of K. A. S.E., of Trowse House, 

 Norwich. Mr. Clarke wrote me that he was informed that the cater- 

 pillars were making fearful havoc among the Swedes — in fact, a field of 

 thirty acres had been completely eaten away — and I was urgently 

 requested to telegraph to Mr. Taylor at the earliest moment, as there 

 was as much harm being done as if there was a swarm of locusts. 



Whitlingham {Norfolk) and Cotton {iioith-east of Suffolk), July 21st. 

 From Mr. Garrett Taylor, Trowse House, Norwich. — " You are quite 

 right in stating that, when the attack does come, it is apt to sweep the 

 whole crop before it, and this is what it has done at Gorton, near 

 Lowestoft. We have given a heavy dressing of paraffin with the 

 Strawsonizer and some of the smaller tenants have scuffled the 

 Swede crops with boughs, and having had some very heavy rains we 

 are hoping that the crop will now outgrow the attack, where it has not 

 been so overwhelming as in some parts of Gorton." 



On the 30th of July, Mr. Garrett Taylor further wrote : — " I am 

 sorry to find that you substantiate the report that the Diamond- back 

 caterpillar attack has broken out on the west coast as well as on the 

 east. ... I think the best remedy that has yet been found is a mix- 

 ture of three-quarters soot and one-quarter lime, and sown on the 

 plants. I am glad, however, to say that the top dressing of nitrate of 

 soda and salt that I have given mine, combined with the heavy rains, 

 has already afforded an impetus to the plants ; so much so, 1 think 

 they are growing away from the little pests and will now do, I hope." 



Two days later, that is, on August 1st, Mr. Taylor reported further, 

 " that the heavy rains appear to have killed all the caterpillars, and 

 very few cocoons are left on the leaves, but the roots are slow in 

 recovering. One of our tenants at Gorton used a scuffler (tilled with 

 boughs) on some Swedes which were not hoed out ; this answered very 

 well, and the plants are now growing well." 



Keplies to inquiries in circular (see p. 110), August 18th : — 



(1). " So far as Gorton and Whitlingham are concerned, taking the 

 Swede crop (which is the only one injured) at jE6 per acre as the 



