42 CORN. " [1900 



H. coarctata), was sent mo on May 19th by Mr. Alex. M. Prain, from 

 Rawes Farm, Longforgan, by Dundee, N.B. : — 



" I enclose a few plants of wheat which were sown in autumn after 

 fallow on fairly heavy clay land. . . . The Wheat came away very 

 strong in the autumn, and looked vigorous up till the early spring. It 

 then showed signs of getting thinner on the ground, and also looked 

 sickly. This I attributed to the very severe spring weather we had. 

 It is now so thin that I am debating whether I may not have to plough 

 it up. On examining some plants the other day, I found, just about 

 the root of the stalk, a small white worm, and it looks to me as if this 

 was the secret of the Wheat giving way. I may mention, a part of 

 the same field was also sown in autumn after Beans, but it is not 

 affected. Another field alongside, also after Beans, is also unaffected. 

 My neighbouring farmer has already ploughed up a field, apparently 

 suffering from the same cause, and other fields in the district are more 

 or less affected. The seed I used was old Wheat, and was not pickled 

 when sowed. The field which was ploughed up was sown with new 

 Wheat, and pickled in the usual way." 



On May 26th Mr. Prain was good enough to add some further 

 details of cultivation as follows : — 



" As regards the cropping of the land in this district, it is almost 

 entirely cropped in the eight rotation. That is as follows : — Wheat, 

 Beans, Wheat, Turnips, Barley, Hay, Oats, Fallow. 



*' The field which has suffered so much on my own farm has been 

 cropped for the last few years as follows, beginning at the Turnips : — 

 Turnips, Barley, Hay, Oats, Fallow (part Turnips), Wheat, Fallow 

 again (with part only Beans), Wheat — the present crop which is so 

 bad. As I explained, the Wheat after Beans is unaffected. 



" I have another field of Wheat after Fallow on slightly stronger 

 clay, which has been cropped in the usual rotation given, and it is 

 looking first-class, although the maggot was also present, but not 

 numerous. It was worked the same as the other, the same seed used, 

 and the sowing was finished on October Gth. The bad field was 

 finished on October 19th. 



" So far as I can see, the Wheat on easy clay has suffered far more 

 than on heavy stiff clay. Speaking generally, we like our Wheat sown 

 when the ground is pretty damp ; that is, when ploughed, we like to 

 see it cutting a little. In this state it leaves a nice clod after harrowing, 

 and is not so liable to be damaged by Snails, or thrown out by frost. 

 This year the autumn was so dry that the Wheat had to be sown with 

 the ground too free ; whether this would have anything to do with the 

 maggot or not, I cannot say." 



The above notes are given to show that the infestation is still 

 present, and liable to cause much loss, and also to show how much we 



