THE CAllNATION MANUAL. 188 



and is mainly observable in layers or seedlings, for 

 after the plant has attained a certain age it appears 

 to enjoy a comparative innnunity from its attacks. 



The maggot works its way down under the outer 

 skin of the leaf until it finds its way into the shoot, 

 and down this it steadily eats until it reaches the 

 main stem of the plant, into which it bores, and, 

 eating out the very centre of the stem, eventually 

 kills the plant. 



There is no simple means of dealing with these 

 pests — no dressings or solutions will touch them, 

 and they must be patiently followed, hunted down 

 and destroyed. The only necessary adjuncts are a 

 sharp narrow pointed knife, and a long pin— say a 

 gunpick from a knife. 



It is not altogether a simple matter for an un- 

 educated eye to detect the presence of this maggot, 

 for it does not hill the shoot down which it is 

 burrowing its way. The surest indication of its 

 presence is a whitish-brown track down the leaf 

 betraying the path it has taken. If the cro^vn 

 leaves of the shoot in which this sign is visible be 

 given a slight pull, they will probably come away 

 in the fingers, though apparently green and flour- 

 ishing. The shoot must then be taken oti' at its 

 first joint, and examined ; if sound, the maggot is 

 in the part pinched off, but if, as is more than 

 likely, a small hole in the shoot is observed, the 

 maggot has passed on, and must be followed. 



