176 ORDER niPT13tA. 



Is, that In it^apintc '>f harrcdtini; thr erain, tltp otrnw i% rut nhov* thr plar« whrrr the larr* 

 or txe,^ nrr usually louud ; utul it w<nil<l Ih> wi-ll, In nil raxtt when' the tly ia fnuiKl, to 

 cut tlip ulrnw hiKhrr than ru"tt"«iiirtr_v. .\m\v if the ^tul>^)l^• is luractl uiidrr for thr nnt rrop, 

 n Urgr |>n>iM<rti<>ii ol' thr rggs Mtll ninturr, and thr succrrdiUK Hhrat-|>iant!> will lorm m 

 hnbttation for th« furthroniinK Augtist brooil ; but if the stubble is first burned, the cffgi 

 will Im< drttroywi, or but frw will rscapc. The objection to this summary reme<ly is, that 

 It also drslniy.H thofle little insocts that prry u|M)n the he.v^ian-Hy. 1 ilct-m this a ver>- light 

 ubjcction, tor the lire will cle>tn>y hundntl-* uf i-pus when- the enemy <>f the fly would 

 devour one. liurning olT the stalilde, tlun, must Ik- ranked among the be»t palliative means 

 for »avini; the wheat-crop. 



There are iilso two renie«lies having relation to the habitudes of the wheat itself, and to 

 its varieties. It npiK'or* to l>e established by observation that some varietie-s arc lew subject 

 to ii^ury than others, or indeed that some are nearly flyproof : this i.s one of the earliest 

 facts on reconi, and all extK>rienee hitherto has fully sustained it ; the straw of these 

 varieties b<'iug too siliceou.s to allow of a ready lodgment and home for the lanra of the 

 fly. The other remetiy here alliuled to, rests on the practieability to pu>h forward and 

 mature the plant sufliricntly to give it !<>trength to resist efli-etually the injuries the stem 

 receives from the mugi^ot in its flaccid state. High rultivatiuu should l)e called to our aid 

 here, and it undoubtedly will pn»ve a very eflicient soleguord : its efl'ects are twofold, as 

 exhibited in on augmentation of the {>ower of the plant to resist injury, and in the produc- 

 tion of a better crop ; so that the remedy is not entirely lost, even if it does not succeed 

 in the way we wish. 



Objections have been made to the first two remedies above projHiscd : for instance, by 

 late sowing, the grain is liable to be winter-killed ; but would not this risk be greatly 

 diminishe<l. or even obviated entirely, by ilrilling in the grain ! The burning of the stubble 

 is objected to, l>ecause it ilestroys the parasites of the fly ; but this, as I have saitl l>efore, 

 is scarcely an objection ; while for the utility of the remedy, we have the testimony of 

 Harris, Herrick and Hanai's, the latter of whom originally proposed it, and the two 

 former are entitled to the highest consideration as observers and men of science. 



Of the numerous applications to the grain crop, for the purpose of killing the insect 

 directly, I have no faith. Rolling the see<l in plaster ; steei)ing it in various salts ; sowing 

 lime, etc. over the field of young wheat, are l)cneflcial remedies in an indirect way : they 

 give vigor and strength to the plant, and hence are useful as |>alliatives. 



CCCIDOMYIA TRITICl. Whiatfly. 



This species is very distinct from the hesslan-fly : its habits sufficiently show this dif 

 ference ; and the remedies which ore in st>nie degree palliative in the case of the hessian 

 fly, are valueless against the (\cidom\)\a Iritici. Among its iHCuliarities. s«^me of the most 

 remarkable are tliat it deposits its eggs in the w heat- head, and undergoes its metamoq>ho6es 



