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Manawatu Herald, 20 June 1895, Page 2

PERSONS OF DELICATE CONSTITUTION, who are obliged to abstain from ordinary Coffee, should try Crease's Taraxacum or Dandelion Coffee, which iB recommended by the highest Medical Authorities as a very valuaole beverage for those suffering from weak digestion, flatulency, nervousness, etc. Not to know is not to have PROFESSOR LIF.BEG says :— " We shall never know how: men were first directed to the use of Coffee, but we may conaider the article bo remarkable for its action on tha brain and the substance of the organs of the motion as an element of food for organs yet unknown, which are destined to convert the blood into nervous substances and thus recruit tha energy of the moving and thinking faculties. If you wish to benefit yourself you could not do better than drink Crease's A.I. Coffee. Sold everywhere in 1 ana 21b tins. For it is the best. ADVERTISING BLOCKS of all descriptions made at the shortest notice by MoKee & Gamble, New Zealand. Press Agency, Custom House Quay, Wellington. •• MAKING BOTH ENDS MEET " is rather a difficult task in life with many, but the expense of gosd cooking is reduced to a minimum by using the SUN BAKING POWDER, purer and cheaper than most others. Give it a trial.

Fig. 1. Leaf of Cineraria, shewing damage clone by the mining of the lam (from nature). Fig. 2. Grub, magnified. Fig. 3. Chrysalis, 1 natural size. Fig. 4. Fly, magnified. (Figs. 2 and 4 Westwood).

Last season it was noticed that many of the marguerite and cineraria plants in the gardens round Wei* lington Were marked} as though tiny snails had crawled over them, leaving white tracks behind. A further examination, showed that the damage was not on the surface of the leaves, but had been caused by a small grub, or, rathei, numerous small grubs, tunnelling between the two surfaces, and eating out the flesh in all directions. Later on these grub 3 turned to chrysalids, and from them emerged tiny flies, which to the unaided eye look black, but which the microscope shows are somewhat highly coloured. This season the insect has greatly extended its field of operations, until there is scarcely a garden, or indeed a roadside, where it may not be seen. Cineraria- growers suffer most from its depredations. In Europe the fly also attacks turnips and peas, but so far does not appear to have done much- damage to those drops in New Zealand. The eggs are usually laid on the underside of the leaf, but at times the females seem careless, and place them on either upper or lower sur* face, and sometimes on the stem. The period elapsing before the eggs hatch varies with the position of the plant, and apparently is longer or shorter according to the amount of light and warmth received. Some, in one experimental shade, hatched five days after being laid, and others were double that time. Shortly after the young grubs appear, the leaves, if carefully examined, will be found to have small dots where the grubs have eaten through the epidermis, and from these dots the mines will extend in directions, crossing and recrossing till in many places nothing but the cuticle remains. The leaves, of course, soon wither and die. Before this occurs the grubs have reached maturity, eaten close to the surface, and entered the chrysalis state. The mines are of course in places partly filled with the excreta of the grubs, but at various points will be seen larger objects, some greenish, others brown, others black. These ara the chrysalids, and in favourable weather the flies will emerge in about a week after the chrysalids have assumed the lastmentioned colour.

The above cuts will give a good idea of the form of both grub and fly. The latter will well repay the trouble of microscopic examination. The colour of the body varies from rich -black to slate colour ; the head is ochreous, with a greenish-yellow spot on the crown. The poisers and tbighs are yellowish, and the. wonderfully iridescent wings make this insect a most beautiful object under a moderate power.

It is a species of Phytoinyza (evidently closely allied to P.nigricwnia),

a genus the members of which Are. notorious for disfiguring gardenplants. • [Since the above was written, I have received from Mr C. French, Government Entomologist, Victoria, a note in which he says that ipecimens sent by me have been Bjub-. mitted to Mr Bkaie, who pronounce! them undoubtedly P. nigricornUJj The difficulties encountered in fighting this pest would not be ao great were its attacks confined to garden-plants— namely, cinerarias,. peas, chrysanthemums, &c. — but unfortunately it is found on a number of wild plants also. I have reared specimensfi'omgroundsel,meliolotus, and the recently- introduced Noogoora burr, while to common sow-thistle or rauriki is everywhere attacked, and seems to be the favourite food-plant.

I have taken flies reared on oiner. aria and placed some in a breeding* cage with rauriki, and others in ft separate cage, with cineraria. The progeny of the former* th^^Hjaoli better than the otherj.

The insects being miners, ifej Bivary difficult to get at them when Qfloe the plant is attacked; defensive rather than offensive measures must therefore be employed.

.In greenhouses the plants* ?))ssy£>§ be carefully watohed at the cony mencement of an attack, and a;H*"aTV feeted leaves pioked off and burped, r ,? If a plant is set in a tub of water, sot that the leaves are immersed, ,aqd left there for some hours, it will ba found that many of the grab* : have come to the entrance of the mines and been drowned. This, of cours^, will not kill the ohrysalids, with outdoor plams, Jen. S&CkC proved experimentally that the female will not lay her eggs on ft . " plant which haa been^ sprayed with arsenical spray or with tar water >(ilb coal-tar, boHedy4n I gallon of water, and, when jb^led, for some time,' diluted with 10 'jwlons fresh water. This mUtt be stirred till well mixed; it jg thwr ready for use. Tar is J&fioxioul to all insects r find they |ml get= Jiay from it if possible), preferring to deposit them on the glass «&&;#*£ the. breeding-icage. This, then, seems to point to an eaaiiy»»ppli«a preventative. The proposed remedy however, needs more extended trial, and this is being undertaken. The spraying will certainly n&dF ' repeating from time to time, v the* insect is a very free breeder. Indeed, I have some specimens oi the thkd/i generation now in the bre&ding4 ;

cages. - ':" In Europe there is a amftll ich^tttmon fly which helps to k«i4^^ nvjticornis in check. This hafl now. reached the colony, but ii Taot a • sufficiently effective chtok to W" relied on solely. ."".'...;"