BEET CARRION BEETLE. 
95 
same as for past years; the seed was even got from separate firms,— 
mine was got in Plymouth, the other Dublin and local. 
“ I was at one time inclined to think the cause lay with the 
manure from fattening houses, as it sometimes contains ill-digested 
Indian corn meal, which might attract the maggot, but on a 
neighbouring farm where they use similar food no attack was found. 
I have taken some pains to find out a cause, but failed, unless we take 
climatic influences ; last summer was the driest on record within 
sixty-one years,—it was followed by a remarkably mild winter and 
spring. Could this have anything to say to their presence ? It might, 
as I remarked the Turnip Fly much earlier than usual this season; 
others have made the same remark. If spared next year I will knock 
about the Mangold a few wild pigeon, rooks, hawks, or similar vermin, 
which we generally shoot in spring, and try what effect feeding will 
have. I hope, however, I shall have no more of them, as my Mangold 
are entirely ruined this year.” 
In reply to my enquiry whether he could give me a precise account 
of the method of the attack, Mr. Sym Scott wrote me, on August 13th, 
as follows :— 
“ I have too good reason to be able to say how they attack the 
plant, as they left me but a sorry show for a crop of roots. The 
maggot attacked the young leaves much in the same way as the Turnip 
Sawfly, eating them completely down to the surface of the soil. They 
fed mostly during the evening and early morning, burying at the roots 
of the plant during the heat of the day. When the leaves were eaten 
off, the maggot attacked the tender root, and on the part of the field 
here first attacked the root was gnawed off about a quarter of an inch 
beneath the surface of the drill. On this portion of the Mangold not 
one escaped. On the upper part of the same field the leaves only 
were eaten, so that most of the plants, though late, are growing. My 
opinion of this is, the lower part of the field being attacked early, the 
maggot completed the destruction of the entire plant, but the season 
of attach was over before the leaves on the upper part of the field were all 
eaten. I could pull up a handful of short stumps of the plant on the 
badly affected portion, clearly showing that the plant was eaten down 
to the ground, and the root under the surface. I used to dig up 
numbers of maggots to show to interested parties, from the holes 
where the plant grew.” 
Summary.— Looking now at the main points of information to be 
gathered from the above reports, it appears, first, that the dates of 
attack ranged from before June 13th (when the grubs had already 
eaten off three acres in one locality) to July 12th, but by June 19tli 
many of the grubs had attained almost their full size ; somewhat 
under three-quarters of an inch in the Tipperary district. Secondly, 
