The letters in this the first chapter of correspondence (dealing with a number of moths, the caterpillars of which are destructive to vegetation), were written while Miss Ormerod was resident at Isleworth, and after she had issued seven of her Annual Reports. Apart from the Entomology discussed, the letters show how ready she was to recognise and to commend the meritorious scientific work of others.
To Colonel Coussmaker, Westwood, near Guildford.
Dunster Lodge, Spring Grove, Isleworth,
August 1, 1885.
Dear Sir,—Perhaps the best way I can reply to your inquiry about the coloured sheets is to enclose the short description, on the wrapper of one of my reports.[[45]]
I should mention, though, that they are the property of the Royal Agricultural Society; I only drew them. The insects are drawn greatly magnified, with a view to hanging the sheets on walls of schools. The history, and the simplest means of prevention are given in the very plainest words I could find.
Have you my current report? It contains a good deal on that great pest the Ox warble fly (fig. [5])—contributed by practical men—cattle owners, veterinary observers and the like. I would, with the greatest pleasure, ask your acceptance of a copy if you would permit me to do so. If you have studied its habits in India, I should greatly like to be in communication with you on the subject. The Colonial Company procured me a few estimates of damage to hides—which were of much service as showing comparative amount of injury in different parts of the globe, but I much want to find whether in India the larva is found to penetrate below the subcutaneous tissue into the flesh. I am aware from one of my contributors connected with inspecting army supplies in India, that at one time meat for the troops was apt to be so damaged from what he considered to be this attack, that it was to some extent useless. The locality was not far from Kurrachee. If you, as a student of insect life, could give me any information on this point, I should be thankful for the addition to the notes I am still collecting.
August 4, 1885.
Many thanks to you for so kindly taking the trouble to write about the injury to flesh possibly caused by the Warble maggot; it would be of great service to know about it. Doubtless your care of your cattle had a great deal to do with their being free from injury—if we could but get even the moderate amount of care applied which is needed to put on a dressing when attack is seen it would make an enormous difference.
The Dart or Turnip moth caterpillar is doing damage now—and I do not believe there is a better remedy than scraping out the grubs, but this is very troublesome till they are larger. I see in a report on the “Cutworms,” as they call these creatures in the U.S.A., that there is very much less injury from them on ground which has been well salted. It is thought that the salt drawn up into the plant makes it distasteful to the caterpillars. I do not know how this may be, but in a district of the Eastern Counties reported from last year—where previously they had been quite set against anything “artificial”—they were finding the turnips on salted lands answered very much the best. I should much like to try the effect of watering with salt and water, at a safe strength, but from my own garden being so perpetually used for trial ground it is getting free of regular pests. I have found watering with soft soap and a little mineral oil (pp. 66-67, eighth report, 1884), act well on these caterpillars. The application appeared to paralyse the creature so that it could not get away from the poisonous effects of the mixture, which is a very important point.