32 
CARROT. 
about half their length), out of their burrows, as figured above. The 
attack affects Parsnips as well as Carrots. 
The maggot, when full-grown, is about a quarter of an inch long, 
whitish or yellowish in colour, shiny and parchment-like, cylindrical, 
legless, blunt at the tail, and prolonged at the head extremity, which 
contains the black, hooked tip, forked at the base, with which the 
maggot makes its way into the roots. When full-fed (in summer) the 
maggots leave the roots, and turn to rusty-brown or ochre-coloured 
chrysalids in the ground (see figure), from which the fly comes out in 
about three or four weeks; so that new attack may be constantly 
arising throughout the warm part of the year. 
The fly (figured at p. 31) is two-winged, about a quarter of an inch 
long, shining black with a green tinge, and with roundish and rusty 
ochry head, and yellow legs. The two wings are iridescent, with 
yellowish veins. 
Both chrysalids and maggots may be found in the winter, and the 
beginning of the year’s attack is caused by the flies coming out of the 
hybernated pupae, or chrysalis-cases, and laying their eggs by the 
Carrot-plants a little below the surface of the ground. 
Last season application was made regarding the attack from 
Falconer’s Hill, Daventry, on July 14th, as a small white worm, 
which was then found in multitudes, and ££ destroying Carrots and 
Parsnips with fearful rapidity. The land is of excellent quality, 
well-manured and cleaned, one portion dressed last year with gas- 
lime, the other with farmyard-manure, and both suffering alike.” 
A little later on, I had notes of the same attack from Mr. Cyrus 
Morrall, of Plas Warren, Ellesmere, Salop, who mentioned that ££ a 
good many in the neighbourhood have had their Carrots attacked. 
The ravages seem to have been worst where the Carrots were thinned 
early, or where (in one instance) they have been grown on the same 
ground as last year.” 
Prevention and Remedy. 
The point immediately above is one of great importance in Carrot 
cultivation. Where Carrots have been grown (and at all infested) the 
year before, most of the maggots will have gone into the ground in 
autumn, and there, or possibly in stray bits of infested Carrot, they 
will have turned to chrysalids, from which the flies will come out to 
attack the new crop of Carrots. Where land is thus infested, 
trenching, so as to throw the top spit below and bury it down with the 
pests in it, is the best remedy, if the trenched-down soil can be left 
undisturbed; if it is brought up again before June, the trenching 
would be no use ; but failing this, clearing away all the bits of 
decaying Carrot and forking the surface does some good. By this 
means many of the maggots or chrysalids are thrown on the surface, 
