INJURIOUS INSECTS. 95 



foot in cabbage. I have an idea that it may be caused by a 

 fly, which deposits its eggs at the root and gives rise to mag- 

 gots which eat there. It may be that I am not familiar 

 enough with them. I think my colleague, Prof. Maynaed, 

 could give some information on this subject, because he has 

 been so many years right here in Massachusetts and is 

 familiar with the insects of this State, while I came from 

 a more northern region, where the insects are many of 

 them very different from what they are here. I have not 

 happened to see what you call the club-foot. 



Mr. Edson. I will state that I have always been success- 

 ful in raising cabbage plants by applying salt. When I 

 transplant my cabbages I drop a pinch of salt into the holes 

 and have never failed to raise a good crop. 



Mr. Williams. I have tried salt and I would not recom- 

 mend any one to try it. 



Mr. Smith. What amount of salt did you apply per 

 acre ? 



Mr. Edson. I never applied it to an acre, but to a hun- 

 dred or two hundred plants. I have never found any 

 trouble from putting a pinch of salt, as much as can be held 

 between the thumb and finger, into the hole when trans- 

 planting. I have always been successful in growing 

 cabbage in that way. 



Mr. Smith. You can raise successive crops of cabbages 

 by the application of salt as you recommend ? 



Mr. Edsox. I have raised them for twenty-five years in 

 the garden, year after year. 



Prof. Maynard. There are two difiiculties in o-rowinof 

 cabbages. There is a fungus on the root, which is the club- 

 foot, and there is the maggot that destroys early cabbages. 

 The maggot, I believe to be the larva of a fly. The egg is 

 laid near the root and the larva destroys the entire root. 

 The remedy which we have applied has been salt put around 

 the root, close up to it ; but this is not efiectual unless we 

 have rain soon after its application. Lime may be used and 

 will destroy these larvte. Last season a gentleman called to 

 know what he should do with his cabbage. He said that he 

 had a large quantity of beef brine that he could use, and 

 this was poured around the plants, several tablespoonfuls to 



