OF ROOT CULTIVATION. 43 



depredations ; as witness the following communication 

 to the Agricultural Gazette for August 23rd, 1862 : — 



My mangel crop was drilled the 17th May, and came up most 

 favourably. On Monday, the 2nd June, I asked my bailiff what was 

 the matter with it ; he said, " Oh, it was a sharp frost last night ;" 

 but on examination I found that instead of frost the leaves had 

 within them a maggot, which had caused the plant to brown and die 

 off. The late rains and growing weather have enabled the plant 

 somewhat to revive, and also fresh plants to come up (for I had 

 drilled 71b. per acre), but found to-day several leaves with maggots 

 in them. My man told me " a quantity had eaten themselves out of 

 the leaf and dropped;" and that he saw " a vast number of sparrows 

 picking up those maggots." I send you herewith some plants I 

 brought up from the farm. My idea is that the seed was damp and 

 bred the maggots, or that the leaves had been "struck with a fly," 

 and then the maggot followed. You will please let me have your 

 ideas upon these points. — S. S. 



The maggot, or larvae, here described is that of a 

 fly called the Antlwmyia (Pegomyia) betes, mangel- 

 wurzel fly. An allied species will sometimes be found 

 on the common dock-leaves, mining their galleries 

 between the dermal cells of the leaves. 



We have for some time observed the increase of 

 this pest, and w r e are prepared to state that now we 

 seldom see a crop that is not greatly injured by its 

 attacks. Mr. Curtis thinks that the best method to 

 destroy them is to employ boys to crush the leaves 

 between the thumb and fingers at the part where the 

 larvae can be seen ; and with this we fear we must 

 for the present be content, unless we could devise 

 some means to take the fly before its eggs are laid 

 in the leaves. 



We need not here dwell at length upon the natural 

 history of those pests of the turnip — the Haltica 

 nemorum (striped flea-beetle), and II. concinna (black 



