392 



INJURIOUS INSECTS AND FUNGI. 



[March 1897. 



and those that are infested must be forked up so that no part of 

 them is left in the ground, and destroyed. This will prevent 

 further infestation. 



If the flies are seen near or on the carrots, the plants should be 

 sprinkled with paraffin emulsion, made by mixing paraffin and 

 soft soap together, <in the proportion of one gallon of paraffin 

 and a quarter of a pound of soft soap to 10 gallons of water. 

 The soft soap must be dissolved in a gallon of hot water and 

 paraffin added and thoroughly incorporated by means of a hand 

 pump or syringe, and the proper quantity of water added to 

 dilute it. This emulsion can be put on by means of a 

 knapsack machine, or in large fields of carrots by a horse 

 distributor. 



In places where these flies cause injury, ashes, sawdust, sand, 

 or wood-ashes, or peat-moss well triturated and saturated with 

 paraffin oil at the rate of from three to four quarts per cwt. may be 

 put into the drills with the seed. Curtis recommends a gallon of 

 spirit of tar to a barrowful of sand for this purpose. It is stated 

 that pressing the earth close round the root stems may prevent 

 the flies from egg laying. This may be done immediately after 

 the plants are singled by men or boys treading both sides of 

 the rows, and in fields where carrots are grown on a large scale, 

 and the seed is broadcasted, a light roller may be used for this 

 purpose. 



Sand or ashes saturated with paraffin, or carbolic acid, may be 

 scattered over the plants at singling time to keep the flies from 

 them. The great object must be to prevent the flies from laying 

 eggs on the carrots, and for this purpose offensive substances, 

 such as soot and earth, ashes or sand, sprinkled with carbolic 

 acid, might be applied as soon as the plants are well established. 



After an infested carrot crop has been removed, the land should 

 be trenched in gardens, and very deeply ploughed in fields. Or 

 a good dressing of gas lime should be applied before the land is 

 dug or ploughed in the ordinary way. 



