The Larder Beetle. 



209 



Slingerland,* who has conducted a long series of experiments 

 with a view to reducing the damage caused by it. 



The fly, which is very like the house fly, appears in succes- 

 sive broods all through the summer; generally there are 

 three broods in Great Britain. Maggots may be found as 

 late as November ; these latter pupate in the soil, but it would 

 appear that some of the mature flies also hibernate, and 

 •emerge to lay eggs in the spring. The greater number, 

 however, undoubtedly pass the winter in the pupal stage, 

 either in the ground or in the heaps of cabbage stumps and 

 roots often to be seen on a farm. 



The results obtained by Professor Slingerland indicate that 

 only two things can be done to mitigate the evil caused by 

 the "root maggot." As a preventive the only effective 

 device is to apply around each plant, when it is set, a tarred 

 disc of card-board. These can be cut out by machinery in 

 large numbers, and as placing them around each plant before 

 it is set takes little time, the plan has been adopted on a 

 large scale by some American growers. 



The only other plan found serviceable is the use of bisul- 

 phide of carbon or carbolic acid ; the former being injected 

 into the ground. This treatment on a large scale would be 

 •costly in Great Britain. 



In all cases reported, great benefit has been derived by 

 dressing the land after a crop of cabbage or kindred plants 

 with gas-lime during the winter, to destroy the puparia in the 

 soil. A dressing of superphosphate of lime has been found 

 beneficial on the Continent. Broad-casting soot and lime 

 around the plants soon after planting out has also been 

 successful in preventing the flies from laying eggs, but it is 

 by no means certain in action. 



All cabbage stumps and other roots after an attack should 

 be burnt. 



* Cornell University Experiment Station, Bulletin 78. Nov. 1894. 



The Larder Beetle. 

 The Larder Beetle (Dermestes lardarius) is common to 

 .North America, Europe, and Asia. It attacks not only bacon 



