128 FARM FRIENDS AND FARM FOES 



an adult fly that breaks through the outer shell and emerges 

 to the sunlight. The formation of the puparium takes 

 place in the soil an inch or less below the surface. 



As the common names already mentioned indicate, this 

 little pest is by no means confined to cabbage ; it attacks 

 radishes and turnips, as well as a variety of wild plants be- 

 longing to the mustard family. There are several broods 

 each year. The insects commonly pass the winter as 

 adult flies, although a certain proportion of them hiber- 

 nate also in the puparia. 



The Cabbage Maggot has been one of the most trouble- 

 some insects that the gardener has to fight. It is often 

 very destructive in seed beds where the young cabbages 

 for late planting are being grown. Recent experiments 

 have shown that the best way of preventing this injury is 

 to surround the seed beds with a broad frame twelve inches 

 high, tacking cheesecloth over the frame. If the frame is 

 so tight that no flies can enter, the seedlings will grow 

 rapidly and be free from injury not only by these maggots, 

 but also by the flea beetles which are often very destructive 

 to such seedlings. When the plants are large enough to 

 set out, the cloth should be removed and full exposure to 

 the sun be given for at least a week. This is to harden 

 the seedlings so that they may be transplanted successfully. 



The Onion Maggot is another vexatious insect belong- 

 ing to this family, which is very similar to the Cabbage 

 Maggot in its appearance, habits, and life history. It 

 attacks onions, especially the young plants, and in many 

 regions is the most destructive enemy of this crop. 



Another group of insects belonging to this same family 

 attacks the leaves of cultivated crops instead of the roots. 

 The adult flies deposit their whitish eggs upon the surface 

 of the leaves of beets, spinach, and other succulent plants. 



