JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
334 
f/Of 
HOME FARM g§ 
*31 
POULTRY AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 
INJURIOUS INSECTS. 
(Continued from page 314.) 
Another enemy to the crop we have been discussing is the 
Turnip sawfly, which lay their eggs on the under side of Turnip 
leaves, when they soon develope into what is commonly called 
the Nigger, or Black Palmer. In the year 1833 we noticed a 
large number of these flies very busy in the Turnip fields, but at 
that time, being totally unacquainted with the nature and habits 
of the insects, we referred the matter to an aged relative, who 
said their appearance was always followed by attacks of the 
black palmer. He said the Turnips not only suffered from the 
palmers eating the leaves, but also by the attempts to remove and 
destroy them, which was done by drawing a corn line over the 
crops so as to brush off the insects. This prepared us for the 
worst, and was valuable information. Many fields were severely 
attacked and the Turnips greatly injured by the niggers, as they 
were called by our workpeople, and in the following year they 
were extremely numerous. We were to some extent better pre¬ 
pared for them in 1834, for it was a plan generally adopted to 
sow Swedes instead of Turnips, as they had not previously been 
attacked by these insects. But the period of sowing had much 
to do with saving the Swedes, because the palmer seldom made 
its appearance until August; and our Swedes being generally 
sown in May had by that time become strong, coarse, and vigor¬ 
ous, were by no means dainty food like the young and growing 
Turnip plants. Still in some instances, especially if late sown 
or in the same field adjoining a piece of common Turnips, the 
palmers would travel from the Turnips on to the Swedes and eat 
them. 
In 1834 we were thu3 situated with growing Swedes adjoin¬ 
ing the other portion of the field which contained common 
Turnips ; we found that although the fly had laid no eggs on the 
Swede leaves, or any palmers had been produced on them, yet 
they travelled from the Turnips on to the Swedes when the 
Turnips were nearly eaten. To protect the Swedes from injury 
we adopted th? only plan open to us — namely, striking out 
a deep furrow with the plough between the two crops, and 
as the furrow was cast towards the Swedes, and the face of 
the furrow trimmed by the spade with fine loose earth, the land 
being extremely dry at the time, we found that the palmers 
could not travel over the loose and dusty earth, and that they fell 
back into the furrow by thousands. This gave us the opportunity 
to employ a man to kill them in the furrow, and by keeping the 
furrow properly trimmed with fine loose earth we were enabled 
to save a valuable piece of Swedes, although the palmers were 
so numerous that they entirely destroyed the common Turnips. 
In that year there was scarcely a field of Turnips saved in the 
southern, eastern, and home counties, because the attack was so 
general and the insects so numerous that every remedy we saw 
tried proved a failure. These were of various kinds. Some drew 
corn lines over the plants, others brushed the insects off the 
leaves of the plants with branches of underwood ; but these 
methods did not save the Turnips, for the palmers constantly 
climbed the plants again after being brushed off, and eventually 
destroyed them throughout whole districts. 
A plan was adopted in 1880 by Mr. Hart, as stated in Miss 
Ormerod’s pamphlet, which consisted in driving a flock of shesp 
[ April 20,1882. 
over the Turnips for an hour three days in succession, which 
proved successful, and quite cleared the plants from the insects; 
but this must have been only a partial attack, otherwise to have 
trodden the insects to death must have seriously, if not fatally, 
injured the Turnip plants. In fact, from our own experience we 
cannot recommend any remedy when the visitation of the fly is 
so general and extensive as it proved in 1833, 1834, and 1835 ; in 
the latter year very great injury was done, but not equal to the 
two former years, and we have never noticed or heard of any 
serious or general attack since that period. 
We have now to refer to the Beet fly. Until within the past few 
years we have been enabled to grow Mangolds with but little injury 
from insects after the plants had become strong with luxuriant 
foliage. It is, however, now the fact that for several years great 
damage has been done to the crops of Mangolds after they appeared 
to be safe with strong and vigorous leaves, but more especially in 
certain parts of Ireland, Scotland, and the northern and midland 
counties of England. The injury is caused by the fly laying their 
eggs on the under side of the leaves, and if this attack is general 
just after the plants are hoed out and singled, that the larvae or 
maggot will most likely destroy the crop, and the land have to 
be resown with some other crop, such as late Turnips. As they 
do not commence depositing their eggs until early in June, the 
only hope of avoiding fatal injury to the plants is to drill early 
in April with abundance of ammoniacal manures, giving nitrate 
of soda as a top-dressing, as soon as the flies are noticed, in order 
to produce the most luxuriant growth of leaves, and thus afford¬ 
ing the larvae more than they can eat. In some cases those varie¬ 
ties which throw the most foliage are recommended for sowing. 
In fact, we may say that the best way to save a crop of Mangolds 
is to sow at the earliest period ; using liberal dressing, and forcing 
the young plants into early maturity ; this indeed is the only way 
which promises success. At the same time it must be considered 
advisable to be prepared with an abundance of strong plants of 
Cabbage of sorts, Thousand-headed Kale, See., in the event of the 
Mangold crops failing. For although common Turnips or Swedes 
mav be sown, they only offer a partial substitute for the lost crop 
of Mangolds, but Cabbages of sorts take an important position 
after the loss of Mangolds. 
Here, again, we are met by insect enemies. These latter crops 
of Brassicas have their especial pests at all stages of their growth. 
The fly on the infant plant; the palmer and the root grub after 
setting out or planting; and near to the full development of the 
crop, in very dry seasons, we have to contend against a host of 
pests, including palmers and various grubs attacking the leaves, 
hearts, or stems of the vegetables, and in many cases the injury 
is such as to cause partial decay, and rendering the crops com¬ 
paratively valueless for consumption by either man or beast. 
These are not only serious evils, but most of them we are power¬ 
less to entirely suppress, and therefore our chief object should be 
centered in their avoidance, and as much as possible by anticipa¬ 
tory action. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses will still be required in the preparation of 
the land for Mangolds, while the steam tackle should be continually 
employed in the preparation for Swedish and other Turnips. As the 
season seems likely to continue dry the safest plan of proceeding is to 
conduct the tillage as though we should get no decided wet weather 
during the period of cultivation, and do as little ploughing as possible, 
but to cultivate with the points, for this plan will lift the earth and 
weeds to the surface, and retain the moisture in the soil also. Pota¬ 
toes are very cheap now, and large quantities are being used for 
feeding dairy cows and pigs. They are in consequence not costly if 
required for setting or planting. We wish, therefore, to call attention 
to the planting of the coarser sorts, such as the red cattle Potatoes 
and other large-cropping varieties, instead of trusting too much to 
Turnips, which are sure to suffer seriously in dry seasons. Where 
cattle food is required we not only are more sure of a full produce, 
but also to obtain good and clean cultivation for the land. At the 
