§ MR. S. HOARE (Norwich)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the serious damage done to the turnip and swede crops in the eastern counties during the last fortnight by the diamond-back moth caterpillar; and whether, as the appearance of this destructive caterpillar is very rare, he will cause immediate inquiries to be made with the view of issuing suggestions to farmers as to the best course to adopt to prevent the total destruction of their turnip and swede crops which in many places threatens them?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. CHAPLIN, Lincolnshire, Sleaford)My attention has been called to the serious damage done by the caterpillar of the diamond-back 916 moth to turnip land other green crops during the last fortnight in the eastern counties and other parts of the United Kingdom. I have already directed inquiries to be made, and they are now in progress in those districts where the caterpillar is understood to be most prevalent—namely, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, the Lothians, Fifeshire, and Forfarshire—and I hope to receive further Reports from those districts early next week. We have already distributed, in the form of a leaflet, all the information we possess upon the subject, but very little appears to be known at present either with regard to the origin of this pest or the most effectual means of coping with its ravages. I have therefore directed immediate experiments to be made in some of the districts which are most affected with the view of acquiring the best information that can be obtained. They will be commenced in Northumberland and in Norfolk, I hope, by to-morrow, in the latter county under the immediate supervision of Mr. Charles Whitehead, and in other districts subsequently if it should be necessary.