FRIT FLY. 
37 
when the corn is about a foot or eighteen inches high. It will then 
droop and decay, fresh shoots starting at the bottom. I enclose you 
samples of the damaged corn with maggot within. It is a peculiar 
fact that in ‘dredge-corn’ (i.e., Barley and Oat mixed), the maggot 
will attack the Oats and leave the Barley.” 
At the same date I also received information, from Launceston, 
that much of the Oat-crop in that neighbourhood was badly affected, 
like specimen sent, and information was urgently requested, “as in 
the district of Launceston we are likely to get half our crop destroyed.” 
—E. J. 
On June 29tli a communication was forwarded me, on the part of 
Mr. Thos. Olver, of Truro, mentioning that there was a disease 
affecting the Oat-crop in the district, which in many instances 
threatened to destroy the whole crop, the cause of which was clearly 
an insect.” 
In these specimens I found the small white maggot, and also the 
pale brown, recently-formed chrysalis of an Oscinis, which, by rearing 
from various specimens, afterwards showed the attack to be of 0. frit, 
the true Frit Fly. 
At first I had great difficulty in identification of the attack, owing 
to the plants being often much dried in transmission, and also from 
the very small size of the white maggot, even if present in the stems, 
which in many cases it was not, as the maggots were then leaving the 
destroyed shoot to turn to chrysalids in the sheathing-leaves. I had 
therefore to judge of these specimens being damaged by “Frit Fly” 
from the resemblance in all points noticeable to specimens, of which 
only too many unfortunately a little later proved Frit Fly presence 
with certainty. 
On July 2nd, Mr. Geo. Thomas, writing again from Scorrier, 
mentioned that he could not since the date (June 27tli), when he had 
forwarded specimens with maggots in them, been able to find any. 
Rain had fallen, and Mr. Thomas observed :—“ I have twenty acres of 
Oats now recovering ; that means the maggot has stopped, and the 
attacked plants are now recovering, sending forth fresh shoots.” May 
I suggest (say) 5 cwt. wet sea-sand, 3 cwt. salt, J cwt. sulphur, to be 
sown per acre broadcast in rain or on a dew ? If the land is poor, a 
little of Norrington’s “ Nitro ” would be a great advantage. 
Mr. Thomas also forwarded a note from the ‘ Western Morning 
News ’ of Saturday, June 30th, mentioning the fear that prevailed that 
the Oat-crops in N. Devon would prove a failure. The crops were 
reported to have then a yellow seared appearance from the number of 
dead stalks, and the destruction to be owing to a small white maggot 
secreted in the very heart of the stalk. This had been found, after 
