FLY IN TURNIPS. 



FLY IN WHEAT. 



long : the length of the largest is hardly two 

 lines, and one in breadth. The greatest num- 

 ber are shining green, with a brown or yel- 

 lowish hue. Early in spring they are seen 

 sitting on walls in great numbers ; in winter 

 they live under leaves, stems of plants, and in 

 chinks in walls : during summer they are the 

 most dangerous enemies of various vegetables, 

 particularly the cabbage tribe. They also 

 attack different sorts of the root genus Brassica, 

 such as the turnip, &c., as well as the radish, 

 the common cress, and the water cress. Be- 

 sides these sorts of vegetables, they also prey 

 upon flax, tobacco, hops, seedling clover, and 

 sainfoin, but more especially the summer and 

 winter turnips, which are left for seed, and 

 often entirely spoil the future harvest during 

 the flowering season, when the weather is 

 warm and dry. The turnip beetle belongs to 

 the order COLEOPTERA, from its wings with 

 which it flies being folded beneath two horny 

 cases. It is included in the family CHRYSO- 

 HELIDJB, or golden beetles, for certain scientific 

 reasons, in conformity with its structure, and 

 is one of about 100 species forming the genus 

 ALTICA, sometimes written HALTICA. 



The striped turnip beetle is named in the Eng- 

 lish catalogues Jlltica. nemorum. The former 

 word, derived from the Greek, alludes to the 

 leaping powers of the genus, and the latter 

 signifying that this species inhabits woods and 

 groves, which were more especially its haunts 

 before turnip cultivation became general. See 

 CUCUMBER IXSECTS. 



The remedies recommended are numerous, 

 among which, hoeing and rolling may harass 

 and kill many of the beetles ; and as this pro- 

 cess promotes the more rapid growth of the 

 plants, it must be attended with no slight ad- 

 vantages. From the dislike the fly has to 

 repeated wet, frequent watering the turnips 

 would evidently be very beneficial, particularly 

 with brine (not strong enough to injure the 

 plants) or liquid manure, which would stimu- 

 late the growth most effectually ; and many of 

 the beetles would necessarily be forcibly brush- 

 ed off, and get set fast in the earth, and die. 

 Sulphuric solutions sprinkled by machinery 

 would also have a powerful effect. Nitrate of 

 soda has been tried in a few instances on crops 

 of Swedish turnips with very beneficial results. 

 A net (called after its inventor the Paul net) 

 dragged over the field has been usefully em- 

 ployed ; and a board newly painted with white 

 paint, or tarred, drawn over the turnips, will 

 catch multitudes of the beetles ; for, on being 

 disturbed, they leap against it, and cannot re- 

 lease themselves. 



The rapid growth of the plant appears to be 

 the best security against the ravages of the 

 insect ; and to insure this, plenty of seed should 

 be sown, all of the same year's growth. Deep 

 ploughing will be found advantageous when 

 the chrysalides are in the soil. Drilling is far 

 superior to broadcast sowing, and in Scotland 

 is believed to keep away the beetles. Early 

 sowing is attended with disadvantages ; for 

 the same warmth and sunshine that mate the 

 seed vegetate will also bring the hungry 

 swarms of beetles from their winter quarters, 



In England, where the ravages of the flea- 

 490 



beetle have attracted so much attention, it is 

 thought that the careful and systematic use of 

 lime will obviate, in a great degree, the danger 

 which has been experienced from this insect. 

 As soon as the plants appear above ground 

 they are to be dusted with quicklime, and this 

 is to be repeated as often as rain or wind beats 

 it oft' and the fly reappears. Watering plants 

 with alkaline solutions, it is said, will kill the 

 insects without injuring the plants. To make 

 the solution, 1 Ib. of hard soap may be dissolved 

 in 12 gallons of soap-suds left after washing 

 clothes. This may be sprinkled twice a day 

 by means of a watering pot. The solution of 

 whale oil soap as recommended for the destruc- 

 tion of Aphides or plant-lice, would doubtless 

 answer an excellent purpose in destroying the 

 turnip fly. 



The turnip saw-fly (JLthalia spinarum), is a 

 less common depredator, but in England is oc- 

 casionally found in company with the former. 

 A very minute account of it is given by Mr. 

 Duncan. (Quart. Journ. of Agr. vol. vii. p. 558.) 

 It receives its name from the use and appear- 

 ance of the instrument with which it deposits 

 its eggs. This is placed at the extremity of the 

 abdomen of the female, on the under side, and 

 is so constructed that it combines the proper- 

 ties of a saw and auger. (Kollar on Insects inju- 

 rious to Farmers, Miss London's TransL ; Donccts- 

 ter Report; Mr. Curtis on Insects affecting the 

 Turnip Crop Pract. Husbandry ; Harris on De- 

 structive. Insects.) 



FLY IN WHEAT (Tipula tritici, Kirby; 

 Cecidomyia tritici, Latr.). See PI. 2, i. In Eng- 

 land when the wheat is in blossom, it is some- 

 times attacked by this small beautiful fly, with 

 an orange-coloured body and white wings, 

 which lays its eggs in the middle of the blos- 

 som, by means of a long retractile ovipositor. 

 When the eggs are hatched, the larvae, which 

 are very small, from 10 to 14 being sometimes 

 found in one grain, prevent the fructification 

 of the grains, probably by eating the pollen, 

 and thus frequently destroy some part of the 

 harvest. Mr. Shirreff (Quart. Journ. of Jlgr. 

 vol. iii. p. 501) says the fly generally appears 

 when the wheat plant comes into ear. In 1829 

 and 1830, flies were first seen by him on the 

 21sfcof June, and, in 1831, on the 10th of the 

 same month. The larvae, after a period, fall to 

 the ground, and burrow in the earth, where 

 they remain till the following summer. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Gorrie (Ma%. Nat. Hist., Sept., 

 1829, p. 324), all the larvoe have quitted the 

 ears of wheat and descended to the earth by 

 the 1st of August; going into the ground to 

 about the depth of half an inch, where it is pro- 

 bable that they pass the winter in the pupa state. 



The extraordinary smallness of this insect, 

 both in its larva and perfect state, with the 

 circumstance that the destruction of the wheat 

 takes place when it is in blossom, and that not 

 all the ears on one and the same field are at- 

 tacked, allows of but little that can be effected 

 by human aid against this enemy of grain. The 

 safest and almost only certain means of dimi- 

 nishing such an evil for the succeeding year, 

 consists in not sowing wheat again on the same 

 field, nor in its neighbourhood ; for, in all pro- 

 bability, the pupae lie in the earth, and will 



