MUSTAKD BEETLE. 95 



egg deposit is on the food-plant, where the grnbs soon hatch and find 

 their food ready, and it has been observed that even where the eggs 

 are laid on the leafage in due course, that if the infested crop is 

 ploughed up, the eggs perish on the withered plants. Consequently it 

 would not be at all likely that, in case of unhatched eggs remaining 

 in the seed and being sown, these would produce grubs which could 

 make their way to the leafage of the Mustard plants presently coming 

 up from the seed. 



All measures of cultivation, such as treatment of the soil before- 

 hand, date of sowing, and plentiful and rich manuring, suited to push 

 on a growth which would not go down on moderate attack, were, as 

 matter of course, found serviceable. Details of these in different dis- 

 tricts were given. 



Application of dressivf/s to destroy the beetle were reported as, for 

 the most part, very useless. These included trials of quick-lime, dry 

 lime, soot, salt, and sulphur, and amongst fluid applications trials of 

 " rock oil" (petroleum), " Jey's fluid," and " Condy's fluid." Carbolic 

 acid at a strength that killed the Mustard plants, only killed about 10 

 per cent, of the beetles ! 



In a case where gas-lime was mixed with fine dry ashes to make it 

 powdery, and scattered over the leafage early in the morning (so that 

 it might adhere), it appeared that some amount of good was done, and 

 passing on to notes or suggestions recently received, there appears to 

 be hope that there might be benefit from dry dustings with lime as a 

 main ingredient. 



On Dec. 14th, Messrs. Gilbert & Son, writing from Billinghay, 

 Lincoln, in reply to some of my inquiries, mentioned that various 

 kinds of applications had not proved of service, but added, "The only 

 thing we think likely to be useful was a mixture of quick-lime and 

 other ingredients, and this we intend carefully experimenting with 

 next season." 



On Dec. 21st, Mr. H. L. Leonard, writing from Preston, Hull, 

 remarked : — " In a letter received this morning in reference to the 

 Mustard Beetle, the writer states, ' So far as experiments have gone, 

 there has been no marked success with the preventitives. The very 

 strong liquid acids, or poisons, seemed to retard the growth of the 

 plant, even if it did not end it. The most efficacious result was from 

 several dressings of a mixture of quick-lime and sulphur, in the pro- 

 portion of 2 bushels of quicklime, and 10 lbs. of sulphur per acre, well 

 mixed together, and put on while the dew is on the plant.' The same 

 correspondent also advises the farmers to place Mustard straw all 

 round the field when cutting for the beetles to run into, which must 

 then be burnt." 



The above remarks as to damage done by strong acids, &c., confirm 



