298 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  8,  1897. 
THE  CELERY  FLY  (TEPHRITIS  ONOPORDINIS). 
Gbeat  injury  is  frequently  caused  to  Celery  and  Parsnips  by  the 
larv£e  of  the  Celery  fly.  In  mild  seasons  they  are  found,  however  late 
the  Celery  is  dug  up.  In  one  bad  attack,  which  occurred  in  1895,  larvae 
were  found  in  the  leaves  as  late  as  the  beginning  of  December.  Parsnips 
are  also  attacked  by  this  fly  in  some  seasons,  and  the  affected  roots  are 
small,  much  forked,  and  generally  of  a  bad  shape. 
The  larvae  make  mines  or  passages  in  the  leaves  in  their  parenchyma, 
and  feed  upon  the  soft,  juicy  substance.  The  leaf  soon  contracts,  whitish 
patches  appear,  in  which  larvae  can  be  found,  and  after  a  short  period 
it  shrivels  up,  and  is  utterly  useless  to  the  plant.  In  the  case  of  Celery 
plants  thus  infested  the  stalks  or  stems,  that  have  been  earthed  up  in 
order  that  they  may  become  blanched,  cannot  grow  and  fill  out 
properly.  Sometimes  the  plant  is  killed,  or  the  Celery  is  small  and 
green. 
The  larvae  not  only  make  mines  in  the  leaves,  but  they  get  down 
into  the  blanched  Celery  stems.  They  have  been  found  there  in  company 
with  the  larvae  of  the  Celery  stem  fly,  Piophila  api,  between  the  folds 
FIG.  65.— 1.  Fly  magnified.  2.  Larva  magnified.  3.  Papa,  natural  size. 
Lines  showing  natural  size  of  Fly  and  Larva. 
close  to  the  somewhat  bulb-like  end,  evidently  feeding  upon  the  sweet 
juice.  Their  passage  down  the  stems  can  be  distinctly  traced  by  rusty 
marks,  which  materially  injure  the  appearance  and  the  flavour  of  the 
Celery,  and  in  some  cases  cause  it  to  rot. 
Life  Histoby. 
The  fly  (fig.  1)  first  appears  in  April;  it  is  very  small,  only  about 
one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  length,  with  a  wing  expanse  of  nearly  half  an 
inch.  It  is  tawny  brown  in  colour,  or,  as  Meigen  terms  it,  “  honey 
yellow,”  with  the  under  part  of  the  body  light  coloured.  The  wings  are 
iridescent,  with  oblique  lines  of  brownish  or  rusty  spots  running  through 
them,  and  the  poisers  are  dark  yellow.  The  six  legs  are  dark  yellow  and 
covered  with  black  hairs.  When  the  fly  is  at  rest  upon  the  plants  its 
wings  are  folded  in  an  upright  direction. 
The  female  fly,  furnished  with  a  long  ovipositor,  is  larger  than  the 
male.  It  places  its  eggs  singly  upon  the  upper  sides  of  the  Celery  and 
Parsnip  plants.  Many  eggs  are  laid  by  one  female.  The  eggs  are  hatched 
in  about  six  days,  and  the  larvre  from  them  at  once  bury  themselves  in 
the  leaf  tissues  and  form  mines  within  them.  They  are  very  light  green, 
without  legs,  and  the  dark  line  of  the  alimentary  canal  is  visible  along 
the  back.  The  body  is  thick,  pointed  at  the  head  and  squared  off  at  the 
tail  end,  upon  which  there  ire  black  tubercles.  In  about  fourteen  days 
the  larva  changes  to  a  pupa,  either  remaining  in  the  leaf  or  falling  to 
the  ground.  From  the  pupa,  which  is  oval,  of  a  light  yellow  colour, 
barrel-shaped,  much  wrinkled,  and  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  the 
fly  comes  in  a  few  days  and  establishes  new  generations.  There  are 
several  broods  or  generations  in  the  course  of  the  summer,  and  the 
pupae  of  the  last  generation  remain  in  the  earth  and  in  pieces  of  leaf  and 
stalk. 
Mode  of  Pbevention  and  Remedies. 
As  many  of  the  pupas  remain  in  the  earth  it  is  mo9t  essential  when 
the  Celery  crop  has  been  taken  from  the  trenches  that  the  earth  should 
be  carefully  levelled  and  well  dug,  and  the  upper  surface  buried  deeply 
to  prevent  the  flies  from  coming  up.  This  should  also  be  done  in  the 
case  of  infested  Parsnips.  A  good  dressing  of  finely  powdered  lime  or 
gas  lime  might  be  applied  with  advantage. 
Every  particle  of  foliage  and  stem  must  be  deeply  buried,  though  it 
is  far  better  that  these  should  be  collected  and  burnt  directly  the  Celery 
or  the  Parsnips  have  been  dug.  All  this  should  be  burned,  because  if 
it  is  put  in  lumps  or  upon  compost  heaps  or  mixens  not  in  active  fer¬ 
mentation,  it  is  most  probable  that  pupas  will  be  carried  out  with  manure 
for  Celery  or  Parsnips  or  other  crops  grown  near.  This  pest  will  not  be 
stamped  out  unless  Celery  and  Parsnip  growers  are  most  particular  in 
destroying  the  remains  of  infested  plants. 
Thistles  also  should  be  kept  down.  Curtis  says  that  the  fly  infests 
the  “  Cotton  Thistle,”  Onopordum  acanthium.  Meigen  and  Macquart 
both  say  that  it  infests  Thistles  in  France  and  Germany. 
In  the  early  days  of  this  infestation  it  would  be  possible  to  check  the 
attack  considerably,  at  all  events  in  gardens  and  allotment  ground,  by 
pinching  the  infested  leaves,  which  may  he  detected  at  once  by  the 
peculiar  marks  upon  them,  so  as  to  kill  the  larvaa  within  them.  This 
would  be  difficult  where  Celery  and  Parsnips  are  grown  upon  a  large 
scale.  The  plants  should  be  examined  when  they  are  quite  small,  as 
the  flies  appear  very  early  in  favourable  seasons.  Pinching  must  be 
carefully  done,  so  as  to  damage  the  leaves  as  little  as  possible,  especially 
when  they  are  small. 
It  is  desirable  to  force  rapid  leaf  growth  where  there  is  a  bad  attack, 
titrate  of  soda  mixed  with  a  little  agricultural  salt  will  effect  this. 
Finely  powdered  soot  or  lime  scattered  over  the  plants  while  the  dew 
is  on  them  is  likely  to  prevent  the  flies  from  laying  eggs  upon  the  leaves. 
A  mixture  of  finely  powdered  soot  and  lime  in  the  proportion  of  1  bushel 
of  lime  to  3  bushels  of  soot  has  been  found  efficacious  if  put  on  when  the 
leaves  are  damp  from  dew  or  rain. 
Spraying  the  plants  with  various  washes  has  proved  to  be  beneficial. 
A  mixture  of  paraffin  and  softsoap  and  water,  at  the  rate  of  a  quart  of 
paraffin  and  half  a  pound  of  softsoap  to  10  gallons  of  water,  has  been 
found  very  effective.  The  paraffin  and  softsoap  must  be  thoroughly 
incorporated  in  a  small  quantity  of  hot  water  before  being  mixed  with 
the  cold  water.  A  wash  made  with  a  pint  of  carbolic  acid  and  half  a 
pound  of  softsoap  to  10  gallons  of  water  has  been  tried  also  with  advan¬ 
tage.  These  solutions  should  be  sprayed  lightly  on  the  plants  by  means 
of  a  knapsack  machine,  and  will  prevent  the  flies  from  laying  eggs  upon 
them.  It  will  be  necessary  to  spray  twice  or  more  often  during  the 
season. — ( Board  of  Agriculture  Leaflet ,  No.  35  ) 
PRESCOT  HOUSE. 
The  gardens  at  Prescot  House  are  famous  for  the  fine  representative 
collection  of  hardy  fruits,  as  well  as  high-class  Grapes,  Camellias,  and 
Orchids.  To  use  a  garden  phrase,  other  things  are  done  well,  but  these 
are  specially  noteworthy.  Prescot  House,  the  home  of  W.  Holcroft,  Esq., 
which  is  one  mile  from  Stourbridge,  is  a  well  appointed  country  residence, 
fitted  up  more  for  genuine  domestic  comfort  and  elegance  than  mere 
external  appearances.  The  walls  are  mantled  with  a  wealth  of  foliage, 
including  a  large  specimen  of  Magnolia  grandiflora,  Garrya  elliptica, 
Crataegus  pyracantha,  Roses,  Ampelopsis,  and  Clematis.  On  a  border 
near  at  hand  there  was  a  choice  selection  of  Conifers,  including  Thuia 
occidentalis  ericoides,  T.  occidentalis  Hoveyi,  T.  occidentalis  pendula, 
T.  Vernaeneana,  T.  Wareana,  Thuiopsis  borealis,  T.  dolobrata  variegata, 
and  Eurya  latifolia  variegata  with  its  beautiful  golden  foliage. 
Of  finer  and  larger  specimens  of  Conifers  in  different  parts  of  the 
grounds  we  noticed  Abies  Remonti,  Cupressus  macrocarpa,  C.  Lawsoni- 
ana  argentea,  C.  Lawsoniana  erecta  viridis,  C.  Lawsoniana  alba  varie¬ 
gata,  Juniperus  chinensis,  J.  chinensis  aurea,  J.  virginiana  glauca, 
Prumnopitys  elegans,  Retinospora  pisifera,  R.  plumosa,  R.  plumosa 
aurea,  Taxus  baccata,  and  T.  baccata  aurea  variegata.  Skirting 
the  pleasure  ground  there  was  a  neat  flower  garden,  the  beds  laid 
out  in  geometric  fashion,  the  edgings  and  divisional  lines  being 
formed  of  Sedums,  Antennaria,  and  Saxifraga,  all  indicating  how 
exquisitely  beautiful  it  would  be  when  arranged  in  its  bright  summer 
attire,  though  one  of  the  wildest  days  we  had  in  March  was  not  the  time 
to  see  it  to  advantage.  In  close  proximity  was  the  hardy  fernery,  where 
many  choice  Ferns  found  a  congenial  home.  In  one  corner  of  the 
fernery  there  was  a  large  Aralia  Siebpldi,  which  had  occupied  the  same 
position  for  twenty  years,  a  sufficient  proof  of  its  hardihood. 
We  now  enter  the  walled-in  fruit  garden,  and  here,  although  as  we 
have  stated  above,  it  was  a  cold  wintry  March  day,  had  time 
permitted  we  could  have  lingered  long  over  the  fruit  trees.  These  are 
to  be  seen  under  every  form  and  feature  of  training.  The  wall  trees 
were  perfect  specimens  of  the  pruner’s  and  trainer’s  art,  as  were  the 
espaliers  around  the  garden  walks.  There  were  also  numerous  bushes 
and  pyramids,  8  or  9  feet  high,  all  smothered  with  myriads  of  blossom 
buds.  Upright  cordons  were  in  good  evidence,  and  filled  up  many  a 
nook  and  corner  that  would  otherwise  have  been  vacant.  The  walls  on 
three  sides  of  the  garden  were  furnished  with  handsomely  trained  trees, 
while  on  the  south  side  were  the  vineries  and  other  glass  houses. 
Amongst  the  Pears  on  the  walla  there  were  Beurrd  Superfin,  Glou 
MoKjeau,  B;urr£  Ranee,  Beuri^  Bachelier,  Jargonelle  (smothered  with 
fruit  buds),  Swan’s  Egg,  Winter  Nelis,  and  Beurr^  Clairgeau  ;  this 
latter  Pear,  though  generally  not  considered  more  than  second  or  third 
rate,  comes  good  at  Prescot,  and  a  small  tree,  covering  42  square  feet  of 
wall,  produced  42  lbs.  of  fruit,  fine  Pears  weighing  5  lbs.  12  ozs. 
As  espaliers  there  were  Mar4chal  de  Cour,  Madame  Treyve, 
Doyennd  d’Etd,  General  Todtleben  (a  good  November  Pear),  Fondante 
d’Automne,  Flemish  Beauty,  Zephirin  Gr4goire,  Beurrd  d’Amanlis, 
Catillac,  Passe  Crassane,  Bon  Chritien,  Autumn  Bergamotte,  Knight’s 
Monarch,  Thompson’s,  Durondeau,  Nouvelle  Fulvie  (a  late  delicious 
Pear,  in  use  during  January  and  February),  and  Olivier  de  Serres, 
which  was  in  fine  condition  up  to  the  time  of  our  visit.  A  good  late 
Pear  is  a  desideratum,  to  come  into  use  when  the  bulk  of  the  autumn 
Pears  are  over.  Passe  Crassane,  Nouvelle  Fulvie,  and  Olivier  de  Serres 
are  amongst  the  best  to  fill  up  this  gap,  and  to  give  a  supply  of  fruit 
during  January,  February,  and  into  March. 
Then  as  pyramids  there  were  good  specimens  of  Beurr6  d’ Anjou, 
Huyshe’s  Prince  of  Wales,  Albert ine,  Marie  Louise,  Louise  Bonne  de 
Jersey,  Swan’s  Egg,  Beurr£  Giffard,  Souvenir  de  Oongres,  Bet>rr6  Diel, 
and  Winter  Nelis.  The  cordons  included  Duchesse  d’Angouleme, 
Pitmaston  Duchess,  Seckle,  and  Easter  BeurrA  Of  Plums  on  the  walls 
there  were  Bryanston  Gage,  Orleans,  Green  Gage,  Coe’s  Golden  Drop, 
White  Magnum  Bonum,  Prince  Engleheart,  Cox’s  Emperor,  Pond’s 
Seedling,  The  Czar,  Victoria,  and  Goliath.  On  the  various  squares  we 
noticed  good  breadths  of  Strawberries,  Raspberries,  and  other  small 
fruits,  all  in  good  condition,  and  promising  an  abundance  of  fruit. 
Turning  into  the  vineries,  the  early  house  was  started  and  beginning 
to  Bhow  its  fruit.  The  Vines  in  the  late  house  were  just  swelling  their 
buds.  In  each  house  there  was  the  usual  run  of  sorts,  and  to  all 
appearance,  when  the  fruiting  time  comes  round,  will  be  able  to  give  a 
good  account  of  themselves.  The  back  wall  of  each  house  was  draped 
with  fine  Camellias,  reaching  to  the  top  of  the  bouse,  and  all  in  most 
