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53 Turnip Fly. The devastation, made in some seasons, by the 
Turnip Fly, is an evil to farmers, of which it is difficult to cal- 
culate the extent. The following important article appeared in 
the Entomological Magazine, from a correspondent who signs 
himself Rusticus. We give it verbatim. I first sowed some 
turnip seed in a flower pot, with earth out of my garden ; it pro- 
duced the animal in abundance. Secondly, I inclosed the pot 
with pasteboard and canvass, with the same success ; but there 
was still a possibility of the enemy getting in, as I had not 
made the cover sufficiently close. Thirdly, I made a light frame, 
about eight indies square, covering it with very fine silk gauze, 
and carefully stopping the crevices of the door with pasted 
paper, and round the pot, where the cover was fastened on to 
it, with putty, so that there was now no possibility of any thing 
coming to it from without ; yet this experiment was attended 
with the same success : however, one point, that is, a negative 
point, was now proved, namely, that the fly did not come to the 
turnip from other plants; this was a point gained. Fourthly, 
I baked the earth in a cast iron pot over the fire, and used no 
water to water the seed, but such as I had boiled myself, apply- 
ing it at the bottom of the pot in a common feeder, then I used 
the same care and took the same precautions as before — I did 
not take off the cover till the plants were of a considerable size, 
and I found them all a-hop with beetles. I had now made 
another step ; that the beetle did not come from other plants, 
I had found before; but now it was clear it was not in the earth 
nor in the water. Fifthly, with a lens I examined the seed, 
and found on it a number of white flattish substances; some 
seeds were without any, but there were generally one, two, three, 
four, and in one instance five, on a single seed ; these I con- 
cluded to be eggs, and thought the only way now left me was 
to attack them ; it w ould have been easy enough to have poked 
them off with a needle, but I could not see how I was to em- 
ploy a needle and a magnifying glass on a sack of turnip seed. 
I recollected, however, that I had found that some salt and 
water, into which I had once unintentionally dropped a paper 
of silkworms’ eggs, had killed them to an egg; it was therefore 
worth while trying in this case : I accordingly made some pretty 
strong brine, and soaked the seed in it for twenty-four hours, 
then dried it thoroughly, and with all the precautions I have 
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