7 
Reports to the Board of Agriculture. 
birds or small mammals, scattered over the ground every here and 
there. The dead bodies attract the beetles and the larvae, which can 
be shaken out into pails of hot lime and so destroyed. 
Caterpillars ( Surface larvce ) on Turnips, etc. 
The Turnip or Dart Moth (Agrotis segetis) and the 
Heart and Dart Moth (A exclamationis). 
Some larvae attacking turnips and potatoes, sent by a correspon- 
dent of the Board of Agriculture, were the caterpillars of the Heart 
and Dart Moth ( Agrotis exclamationis), popularly called Surface 
Larvae — Cutworms in Canada and the United States. Two species 
occur in abundance, viz., A. exclamationis and A. segetis; the latter 
is called the Turnip Moth. 
Another correspondent, writing from Dadlington, Nuneaton, states 
“that turnips are eaten off and potatoes burrowed into. In this 
district acres are spoilt by eating the turnips under the ground.” 
These caterpillars were also sent by a correspondent from 
Loughborough, where they were attacking mangolds. 
There has been a serious outbreak of these pests during the 
present year in all parts of England and Wales. 
A leaflet (No. 33) has been issued by the Board on these pests 
under the title of “ Surface Caterpillars.” To this leaflet the follow- 
ing information should be added : — 
(a) No dressings can be applied in sufficient strength to kill 
these caterpillars as recommended, but the dressings do good in 
helping on growth of the plant. 
(h) Land after mangolds had best be lightly broken up, not 
deeply ploughed ; this would bury, not expose, the larvae, and birds 
are the greatest help in keeping them in check. 
(c) In land invaded by Cutworms, a crop of mustard ploughed in 
has done good. 
(d) The long and exhaustive series of experiments, conducted at 
the Agricultural Experimental Station of Cornell University, have 
shown that by far the most successful way of combating these pests 
is the employment of “ poison -baits.” These “poison-baits” have 
been employed in the field by soaking clover, lucern, etc., in a 
solution of Paris green and throwing little heaps of it about in the 
field amongst the roots, etc., or, in the case of garden cultivation, bran 
soaked in Paris green may be used. 
When clover, etc., is employed the solution of Paris green in 
