OBSERVED IN HERTFORDSHIRE IN 1883 . 
93 
down comfortably into any shelter and there turn to a chrysalis to 
foster the pest for another season. In this, as in all other insect- 
attacks, it is obvious that if the growth be supported, the maggot 
cannot do much harm. ¥e should bear in mind that celery in its 
wild state is a water or ditch plant, and that it suffers much from 
drought; therefore a plentiful supply of water is desirable. This 
makes the manure at the roots available, and pushes on the young 
plant out of harm’s way. And it is important, in the removal of the 
young plant, to avoid, as far as possible, all checks to the tendrils. 
Sprinkling the leaves, when wet, so that the application adheres 
for some time, with a good coat of anything the fly dislikes, is sure 
to assist in preventing the fly from egg-laying. “ Little’s Soluble 
Phenyle,” very largely diluted in water and syringed over the 
plants, was tried with great advantage at Dunster Lodge. It is 
highly valuable in many cases of insect attacks, due care, of course, 
being taken as to diluting, and not allowing it to collect in pools 
on leafage. One table-spoonful in one or two gallons of water is 
often quite sufficient. 
The larvae of Tipula oleracea , commonly known as daddy-long¬ 
legs grubs, committed great damage on many farms to the young 
wheat, till the cold weather checked their ravages. The grub 
gnaws the young plant just below the surface of the ground, and 
often does great harm to it if it does not destroy it. Gas lime, 
applied six weeks after it came from the gasworks, was tried with 
great effect by Miss Ormerod, whose ‘ Manual ’ will be found teem¬ 
ing with information as to remedies for, and prevention against, 
the attacks of this and many other injurious insects. 
Mr. Willis writes of the turnip-fly ( Pbyllotreta undulata ): 
“ Luring the month of June, the fly was exceedingly busy amongst 
the turnip-crops, and large areas in the immediate neighbourhood of 
Harpenden were almost entirely destroyed; but when a second 
sowing of seed was made, as soon as the defalcations were discovered, 
a tolerable plant was eventually secured.” As a rule, the attack 
was not general throughout the county, and in the neighbourhood 
of St. Albans we did not suffer much from it. The same gentleman 
sends the following interesting note :—■“ A species of small fly also 
greatly infested the young plants of clover about the same period of 
the year, and in many cases so far injured the crop as to render it 
necessary to plough up the land.” 
We had a troublesome pest in the turnip and cabbage-root maggot, 
supposed to be the larvae of Anthomyia of the species Brassicce and 
radicum , but which recent observations have shown to be often 
Anthomyia floralis. I have noticed on my farm at Hedges, near St. 
Albans, that the turnips invariably suffer more from this maggot 
after the recent application of farm-yard manure, than when the 
manure has been applied in the autumn and the crop is only 
supplied with superphosphate in the spring. This appears a suit¬ 
able opportunity to mention that the Royal Agricultural Society of 
England has issued a circular inviting notes on “ eggs, grubs, and 
maggots of injurious insects in manure and compost heaps.” As 
