ONiON FLY ; SHALLOT FLY, lO^ 



circumstances the best course is to raise all the injured Onions with 

 the maggots within, and to destroy them at once. It is little or no 

 use (or perhaps less than no use) onlij drawing the maggoty plants, 

 for in this case a portion of the infested bulb is most likely to remain 

 in the ground, and the maggots finding their food removed will stray 

 through the soil to infest the nearest bulbs. The plants should 

 therefore be carefully raised entire, and also not thrown aside, nor 

 thrown to a rubbish heap, or the maggots will go on feeding as long 

 as they need, or as long as the material lasts, and after turning to little 

 brown chrysalids, they will develop in due course into Onion Flies, which 

 will start new attack. 



Ill looking over reports as to beneficial remedial applications, it 

 appears as if all the usual insecticide washes, or dry dressings, might 

 be of service ; but amongst these, various washes of soap, or of which 

 soft-soap forms a part, appear most likely to be of use. 



Looking also at the different forms (whether in wash, or mixed with 

 sand as a sprinkling amongst the Onions to be washed in afterwards) 

 in which paraffin oil has been found serviceable, it is probable that a 

 watering of soft-soap with a little paraffin niLvt'd in it would be as good 

 a remedial wash as could be found. 



The difficulty in use of this, is from there being much trouble, to 

 those who are not accustomed to the work, in making the ingredients 

 unite permanently, and unless this is done a portion of the soft-soap 

 is applied unscented by paraffin, and a portion of the paraffin oil being 

 undiluted may very likely destroy the plants to which it is applied. 

 Therefore the mixture sold by Messrs. Morris, Little & Sou, of Don- 

 caster, under the trade name of " Anti-pest," would in many cases 

 save both time and expense from failures. It has been reported on 

 trustworthy authority as having been found serviceable against various 

 attacks, and I believe would do well Avith this infestation. Of course 

 experiment would be needed as to strength admissible, both with 

 regard to the age of the infested plants, how deep down they were in 

 the ground, and all other practical considerations. 



One thoroughly excellent method of prevention of attack is earthing 

 up the bulbs so that the fly cannot get at them. In my own garden, 

 I have found that sowing the Onions in trenches answered very well. 

 All who have noticed Onions when growing, will have observed how 

 often the bulbs, as they grow, become exposed on the surface of the 

 soil, and open to fly attack. Where the plan is followed of the Onions 

 being in shallow trenches, the earth can be sent down ow them, instead 

 of loosened away from them, by the successive hoeings, and the bulb is 

 thus thoroughly protected. The effect on the growth of the bulb itself 

 was also very good. The bulbs were both good sized and well formed. 

 Liquid drainings from pigsties have been found very useful appli- 

 cations, and also house-slops. 



