J. K. (V)Li.i.\ 83 



Frit-fly. . Ahv loss to tlu' count ry i consider is very niiich greater than eitlier Antlirax, 

 Slieep-Scab or Swine Fever. In 1913, 1914 numbers of farmers in the district have 

 turned stock into their oat fields just before harvest as they found it was not worth 

 cutting." 



Letter from a Wiltshire farmer in 1917: "I have had my crop [of oats] depreciated 

 at least a third on several occasions in recent years, making a loss of £320 on the 

 oat-crop alone by Frit-fly, and the sample is always of an inferior quality wliich is 

 much more noticeable in white oats." 



"All growth practically stopped in a Held of l)arKy in Shropshire sown May 4th." 

 (Roebuck, June 1917.) 



"Three acres of spring wheat in S. Shroj)sliire totally destroyed by Fiit-fly." 

 (Roebuck, July 1917.) 



"Spring wheat sown end of A})ril totally destroyed in Radnorshire." (Roebvick, 

 July 1917.) 



"Winchester, oats put in late, the whole wouki have lieen ploughed uj) but for 

 clover, no oats at all." (Theobald, June 1917.) 



"Frit-fly attacks during the last five or six years have been so general and de- 

 structive in the county that many farmers have stopped growing the crop." (Bland, 

 June 1917.) 



Ill addition to the damage to the young oat plants, subsequent 

 damage to the corn in the panicles is often very great, probably much 

 greater than is generally realised. The following may be taken as a 

 sample of the result of an attack of this nature: 



In Wiltshire in 1917 five acres were sown at the end of April with 

 Scotch seed of "Abundance" oat bought direct from Garton's. The 

 yield of this field was 40 sacks of corn, very light in weight. An examina- 

 tion of an undressed sample of the corn gave the following result : 



No grain or very light 

 Obvious frit grain, probably largely 



Grains examined damage due to '' frit''' Sound corn 



358 74 70 214 



The Returns published by the Board of Agriculture of the average 

 yield of oats in England for the years 1910-1915 are instructive because 

 they include the year 1912 when frit-fly attacks were exceptionally 

 bad {vide Journ. Board Agric. Sept. 1912, p. 482) and a comparison 

 may be made with other years when frit-fly damage was normaP. 



1 To arrive at the normal annual loss due to frit-Hy one must take as a basis the 

 average yield per acre of oats when free from frit-fly attacks, a figure difficult to arrive 

 at as oats have been known to yield anything up to 120 bushels per acre. A yield of 

 GO bushels is considered by agricultural experts a satisfactory crop, and one of 80 bushels 

 a very good crop. Taking 50 bushels per acre as a standard for England one arrives at an 

 average annual loss of about 8 bushels jier acre for the ten years 1901-1010, heinit ecpii- 

 valcnt to 1(3 per cent, or nearly 15,000,000 bushels per annum. 



0—2 



