58 PIGTOniAL PRACTICAL VEGETABLE GROWING. 



leaves will lose substance, and become curled and reddish. Canker 

 is rarely, if ever, seen attacking the stems of Cucumbers when rough, 

 lumpy "^soil is used, but it is common enough when finely sifted 

 soil is employed. Here, therefore, as in so many other instances, 

 culture dominates the situation. Should canker show, rub in soot 

 and lime at once. 



Onions. — 2Ia(jgot — The maggot of the Onion fly, Anthomyia 

 ceparum, is a terrible thorn in the side of kitchen gardeners. It 

 does not, as a rule, do much damage in wet seasons, because the eggs 

 laid by the fly on the leaves of young Onion plants are washed otf 

 and destroyed ; but in dry seasons it often decimates the crop, or 

 even ruins it absolutely. Summer sown Onions, and box sown 

 Onions raised in January or February, are never so badly attacked 

 as spring sown plants, and it may be taken as a fact that the stronger 

 the plants the less they are infested. It is a first-rate plan to spray 

 soaparite (see Celery) over young Onions once a fortnight from the 

 middle of April to June, choosing the evening. Little trouble is 

 involved, and if the foliage is well coated with the mixture the fly 

 will not lodge. All sorts of applications have been recommended, 

 prominent among them being soot and salt, but I have found soap- 

 arite to be the best of all. 



J7o't^/c/.— Onions sometimes come to a standstill quite suddenly 

 in summer owing to being aliected by a fungus, which causes greyish 

 patches on the leaves, and makes them look as if they had been 

 scorched. If the plants are seriously attacked they make no more 

 growth, and at tiie first sign of the fungus the plants should be 

 dusted with freshly slacked lime. I may, however, say that I have 

 never known this disease alfect Onions growing in thoroughly 

 cultivated, deep soil. 



Parsnips. — Parsnips are sometimes attacked in the foliage 

 * similarly to Celery, and the same remedies may be applied. But 

 they are more commonly troubled by canker, which causes foul 

 blotches on the roots. I have already said that this is due to over- 

 manuring. The remedy is a dressing of lime at the rate of 2 lb. per 

 square yard. 



Peas. — In wet, growing weather, Peas are tolerably free from 

 insects and fungi, but in dry seasons they are attacked by several. 

 They are always, of course, liable to attack by other enemies. 



Birdi. — Netting or some sort of guard is very useful for keeping 

 birds off the seeds and young plants. If netting is employed it 

 should be removed before the young plants become entangled in it, 

 and twiggy shouts from the upper part of the Pea sticks placed along 

 the rows. These do much to batfie the birds. 



Mice. — Mice will do no harm if the seeds are moistened with 

 quassia water before being sown, or with paraffin, or with red lead 

 after being damped with linseed oil. 



MildeiVs — This fungus is very bad, as a rule, in dry summers, and 

 it may appear in wet seasons if tiie plants are growing in heavy, 

 stagnant ground. The great thing is to keep the plants in healthy 



