50 
CORN AND GRASS. 
November, and at the end of December, “ that sown on the 27th of 
December being afterwards entirely destroyed.” 
But at present all the clue we have to their summer habits is the 
fact noticed in the observations of each successive year of the special 
appearance of the attack after fallow, or bare or summer fallow, or 
after Turnips or Swedes, or where a portion of these have failed, or 
after Potatoes have been raised early, or had thin amounts of leafage. 
This inclines me to think that the summer attack may be in young 
plants of Couch or other wild Grasses, such as might be likely to grow 
on half-bare ground, or on fallows, in the condition in which I have 
at times seen them ; but we have no evidence as yet on this point. 
The first communication I had in the past season was from Mr. T. 
Spencer Smithson, of Facit, Rochdale, who wrote me on March 18th : 
—“ The Wheat-bulb Fly, I am sorry to say, has again done serious 
damage in the same district of Lincolnshire as I reported to you last 
year.” [This was on a farm at or near Saxilby, in a district a few 
miles north-west of Lincoln.— Ed.] “But this time the attack is 
more noticeable on Wheat sown after Clover and Rye-grass. This 
seems to me to afford some confirmation to your theory that the 
presence of Grass on the land previous to the sowing of the Wheat has 
some connection with the attack. The pest has apparently begun its 
ravages much earlier this year than last, and I am afraid the time has 
gone by for making satisfactory observations, as, when I was in 
Lincolnshire last week, the maggots themselves had disappeared.” 
On the 24tli of April maggots, nearly or quite full-grown, were sent 
to me from Rocliford, Essex, by Mr. Arthur L. Harrington, with the 
note :—“ I send you herewith two or three maggots, which are found 
in the crowns of some Wheat on marsh lands; they are doing much 
damage. Can you give any account of them ?” 
A few days later, on the 28th of April, Mr. C. C. Harvey, writing 
from Foulness, Essex, forwarded specimens both of the H . coarctata 
maggots and of the Wheat which the maggots were destroying on his 
farm, with the mention that it was doing a deal of hurt on much of 
the marsh land on the Essex coast. 
The following notes show the rapid change in an infested crop 
from the damage not being observable under special inspection, on 
the 4th of April, to severe injury, and half being destroyed by the 
1st of Mav :— 
•/ 
On the 30th of April, Mr. J. Eardley Mason wrote me from Alford, 
Lincolnshire:—“ On the 4th instant I inspected the Wheats upon the 
farm at Cumbermouth, near Alford, where Hijlemyia coarctata did so 
much damage last year. I could then detect no visible signs of 
damage, but yesterday Mr. William Dring, the occupier, told me that 
precisely the same attack as last year has shown itself extensively in a 
