852 Annml Report for 1891 of the 
corn ; therefore, as we cannot after such long watch find a summer 
brood, and the flies of the spring brood come out, and presumably also 
die, early in the summer, it appears beyond all reasonable possibility 
that the autumn and winter attack should be started by Jly 
attack. 
In proof of the attack being from maggots in the ground, we 
find, where a portion or portions of a field have been fallowed or 
exposed to sun by failure of crop during the summer (in districts 
liable to infestation), that on these portions the wheat bulb attack 
( which notably follows fallow) is liable to be bad, while in the other 
parts of the field which were protected from exposure the wheat is 
safe. This difference, we find, may be traced even to a plough-line, or 
precise coincidence of area of maggot attack in strips or patches to 
where the ground was exposed to sun, and ?ton-attack where it was 
protected. Thus, it appears strongly to point to the attack being in 
the ground, not coming on the wing, in which case the little flies 
would distribute themselves more or less generally over the wheat 
field, or at least not attack quite markedly with almost mathematical 
precision and there stop. Various other points, which time does 
not allow of insertion here, confirm this and give the key from 
fields fallowed in patches to the great attacks. So far as I can 
judge we have now the clue to getting the mastery of this destructive 
attack which has long had everything its own way. 
If a few experiments could be tried on land considered likely to 
be infested, by ploughing a small portion with a skim-coulter attached 
to the plough, so as to turn down the top slice of the land with the 
contained eggs and maggots, before late wheat was put in, we 
should see whether the infestation could not be got rid of. 
A deal of information has been sent in this year, and I should 
be happy to give my best attention to any inquiry, for it is a very 
serious attack. 
Amongst other infestations we have now traced the Mite or 
AcARUS {TjrogJyphiis longior) sometimes troublesome to hay in the 
north to being present in the field under the " Cocks," or " Tramps," 
and the history will probably be completed next season. The Stkig 
Maggot, which has done a good deal of mischief to hops in some 
places in Kent by destroying the central stem, or " strig," of the hop 
cones, has proved, from specimens sent to me, to be the larva of a- Ceci- 
domijia — that is, a little grub nearly allied to the well-known "red 
maggot" of wheat. These " strig maggots" fall from the hop cones, 
and bury themselves in the surface of the hop hills. A peculiar and 
much deformed growth of the heads of tares has also proved from 
specimens sent me to be caused by a cecidomyideous maggot. 
Amongst fruit insects there has been opportunity for studying 
the life-history of the Apple Sawfly, whicli, when known of, might 
easily be kept in check, but which probably has been doing a quite 
unnecessary amount of mischief, from the caterpillars not having 
been distinguished from those of the codlin moth. Also various 
kinds of insects seriously injurious in great raspberry and currant 
grounds have been serviceably brought forward by the Evesham 
