1908.] Insect, Fungus and other Pests. 



621 



caterpillars of the goat moth (Cossus ligniperda). As recom- 

 mended in the Board's Leaflet No. 60, trees infested with these 

 caterpillars should be cut down and the brood destroyed. If 

 allowed to stand infested trees are a danger to surrounding unin- 

 fested trees. Where a tree is not badly attacked, however, and 

 where it is especially desirable to save the tree for ornamental 

 or other purposes, an endeavour may be made to destroy the 

 caterpillars. The openings of the larval galleries should be 

 found, and into each should be pushed as far as possible a 

 small piece of cyanide of potassium (a dangerous poison). If 

 the openings are then plugged up with clay the fumes from the 

 cyanide will kill the caterpillars. The protective measure 

 (No. 4) on p. 7 of the leaflet should be adopted in the case of 

 neighbouring unaffected trees. 



Carnation Fly. — Carnations attacked by the maggots of 

 a fly, apparently Hylemyia nigrescens, were reported from 

 Ipswich. This pest is extremely difficult to combat, the 

 only measures practised hitherto with any success being of a 

 preventive character. For example, finely powdered soot 

 or lime may be scattered over the plants when they are wet 

 with dew ; this may prevent egg-laying by the flies. A 

 mixture of soot and lime in the proportion of 1 bushel of lime 

 to 3 bushels of soot may also be used. Egg-laying may also 

 be prevented by spraying the plants with a paraffin and soft- 

 s oap emulsion, or carbolic acid and soft soap, as stated in the 

 Board's Leaflet No. 35 on the celery fly. Growers have found 

 the carnation fly a very troublesome enemy, and some believe 

 that mixing soot with the soil previous to layering acts as a 

 preventive. 



Mites. — Specimens of the bark of plum trees received from 

 St. Ives (Hunts) were found to bear the eggs of the beetle 

 mite Oribata lapidaria, an account of which was given in this 

 Journal for May, 1907, p. 108. 



Black currant bushes attacked by mite were reported from 

 Leighton Buzzard and Reigate. 



Diseased Kohl Rabi. — Specimens of kohl rabi received early in 

 November from near Amesbury, in the valley of the Avon, were 

 affected in a peculiar way, the thickened base of the stem being 

 branched and malformed. The crop was grown on good loamy 

 soil containing a sufficiency of lime, lying at the foot of the 



