New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 339 
frame 12-inch boards were used, which were held in place by 
lapping the ends and by upright stakes driven in the ground. 
Cheesecloth was used for the covering. Four 3-foot widths were 
required, which were sewn to make one sheet. The cloth was 
fastened firmly to the frame by short nails driven through laths. 
To prevent sagging of the cloth, a heavy wire, supported by up- 
right stakes, and running lengthwise of the bed, was used. All 
openings into the enclosed area, due to the uneven ground, were 
filled by banking the boards with earth. 
For the purpose of comparison as to the growth of the plants 
and injuries by various insects, the uncovered portion of this bed, 
consisting of 68 rows, of 150 feet in length, may be considered as a 
fair check. Under this heading there may also be included some 
earlier and later plantings, which were also unprotected, and which 
may be properly referred to for the purpose of bringing out more 
clearly than do the real check sets, some important features of the 
a‘tacks of injurious insects in the seed-beds. 
RESULTS ON PLANTS IN SCREENED PLAT. 
The plants in the screened area began to appear above ground 
on May 20, which was seven days from the time of seeding. In 
the interval following the sowing of the seed and the appearance 
of the plants, the turnip flea-beetles were present in large numbers 
and destroyed a large percentage of the seedlings in the earlier 
plantings in other parts of the field. At this date they were, how- 
ever, not so ravenous and were gradually becoming less destructive 
in the seed-beds. Only a few of the beetles entered the screened 
frame, and these caused unappreciable injuries. The seeds were a 
little too thickly sown in the row, but as the conditions of soil as 
regards moisture and warmth were very favorable, the plants made 
a good growth. On June 20, one month after covering the frame, 
the screen was removed to harden the plants in preparation for 
transplanting. At this time the sets were quite uniform in size 
and averaged from about six to seven inches in height above ground, 
and in growth were fully one week ahead of the checks. 
Upon removal of the screening, the bed was carefully examined 
from day to day for the eggs of the cabbage flies, the intention 
being to start the transplanting immediately upon the appearance 
of maggots, which would have allowed sufficient time to finish the 
work without important losses by these insects. But as no eggs 
were detected, the plants were allowed to become more seasoned, 
