TURNIP OR DART MOTH. §? 



localities, notes were sent of damage to Mangolds from Sm-face 

 Caterpillar attack. 



During July, an enquiry was sent me on the part of Mr. John Pye, 

 of Eanscombe, Cuxton (near Eochester, Kent), regarding caterpillars, 

 apparently of the A. segetum, which were doing great damage in a field 

 of Mangolds. 



Early in September, Mr. F. 0. Solomon (Lecturer on Agriculture in 

 connection with the Durham College of Science) forwarded specimens 

 of Surface Caterpillars from Southfield, near Dartford, as samples of 

 grubs which were doing great damage on farms in the neighbourhood 

 of Cobham (Kent), but which were, so far as observed, not attacking 

 any but the Mangold crop. 



At a locality in Essex (Greenhills, Earl's Colne), damage to various 

 root crops was reported to me on September 22ud, by Mr. J. A. Tawell, 

 as being caused by these " surface " grubs. Mr. Tawell mentioned it 

 as "a recent trouble that has come to the Mangold, Potato, and Turnip 

 roots," of which he enclosed specimens, adding, " the Mangold is 

 seriously attacked; the Potato as you will see." The sample of Potato 

 attack showed the damage to be very great, the caterpillars, of which 

 samples were forwarded, having eaten great holes into the tuber. 



I was also kindly favoured by Mr. Thos. Collins, of Birtley, Witley, 

 Surrey, with some interesting notes of observation as to presence, &c., 

 of Surface Caterpillars on the Earl of Derby's estates in that neigh- 

 bourhood. On the 23rd of September, Mr. Collins wrote, amongst 

 some other observations on field insect pests: — "There is a dark 

 coloured grub which has done a lot of damage in the Mangolds this 

 year. It began when the plants were very small, and may still be 

 found amongst them in large numbers. It seems to abound on almost 

 every farm in this district this year. The men have looked carefully 

 for them when hoeing, and killed great numbers of them." 



A few days after, in a communication regarding some differences in 

 colour of the grubs, and some details of other attack, Mr. Collins men- 

 tioned : " I know of two or three instances in which the Mangold seed was 

 put in very late, and which were comparatively free from grub, whilst 

 those drilled about the second week in May were rather worse than the 

 earlier ones." 



This difference in amount of attack appeared to me to be very 

 likely attributable to the Mangolds not having come up and been ready 

 for attack, before the moths laying the eggs, which produce the surface 

 grubs, had passed away. Commonly weather is variable, and also 

 locally different, and there is very likely to be difference in dates of 

 insect presence, which, if early hatches of the moths had died out, 

 might supply us with plenty for later attacks. But last season the long 

 steady drought gave us a widespread similarity of weather, which, con- 



