THE BLACK CATERPILLAR. 85 



coming out in the spring to make fatal attacks on 

 different vegetables, but especially the turnip, by lay ing 

 its eggs on the under-sides of the leaves, from which, 

 in ten days' time, there come out little caterpillars, 

 which destroy the young smooth leaves and the heart 

 of the plant, piercing it full of holes like a sieve. 

 Another is the black caterpillar, which comes from a 

 small orange-coloured fly, called the turnip saw-fly, and 

 which also feeds on the leaves of turnips, but at a later 

 season, and when the plants are in full vigour. This 

 destructive caterpillar completely devours the leaves, 

 and destroys the health of the root, doing great havoc 

 in a short time. It is full grown in three weeks' time, 

 and soon afterwards it buries itself in the earth, and 

 forms a cocoon, in which it changes to the chrysalis 

 state. 



COCOON AND CHRYSALIS OF THE BLACK CATERPILLAR. 



"When the turnip crop is good, it forms a valuable 

 resource for the sheep in autumn. Turnips are either 

 taken to the ground where they feed, or the sheep are 

 penned on certain portions of the turnip field, and 

 allowed to help themselves. Great care is necessary in 

 first putting sheep upon this new food j for they enjoy 

 the freshness and sweetness of the turnips so much as 

 not to know when they have had enough, and so do 

 themselves mischief. It is the shepherd's duty to set 

 up the fold, and this he generally does by enclosing a 

 space that will give them food enough for a week ; but 

 he sometimes makes the fold smaller than this at first, 

 preferring the trouble of changing it every two or three 

 days to the risk of over-feeding his sheep. When the 

 turnips and the ground are in a wet state through rain 

 or dew, he does not turn them in early in the day, 



