42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
become so numerous and widely distributed as, in a large measure, 
to prevent the undue multiplication of this insect. Furthermore, 
aany introduced insects appear to multiply more rapidly for a few 
years after they have become established in a new environment, 
and this seems to have been the history of the wheat midge and is 
something which many of us have watched during the past 25 years 
in the case of the once dreaded but now scarcely feared San José 
scale. 
Wheat Midge in Western New York 
A survey in mid-July of conditions in Erie, Genesee, Niagara 
and Orleans counties showed the maggot to be generally present, 
mostly in small numbers, throughout the greater part of the wheat- 
growing area. Many of the fields had 80 to gg per cent of the heads 
infested and the shrunken grain varied from an average of about 
4 per cent to as high as nearly 33 per cent, the latter being unusual. 
Wheat midge did not appear to be nearly so abundant in Ontario 
county and other sections more removed from the four counties 
mentioned above. For example, very moderate infestations were 
found in samples received from both Ontario and Oswego counties 
and Professor Parrott has subsequently informed us that farmers 
in the immediate vicinity of Geneva have been gratified by the 
yields of the past two seasons, they having obtained as high as 
42 to 47 bushels an acre. It is certain that wheat midge has not 
greatly reduced the crop in fields producing such quantities of grain. 
The first object of this survey was to determine the prevalence of 
the insect and the second to ascertain whether any varieties, system 
of cultivation, time of sowing, location of field, or other factor which 
could be readily modified, had an important influence in either 
encouraging or preventing infestation. Many wheat fields were 
examined throughout the area and a number of representative 
samples taken and carefully examined in the laboratory to ascertain 
the total number of grains, the number and percentage shrunken and 
the number of maggots in the head. This latter varies considerably 
and while the presence of many maggots indicates serious infestation, 
their absence by no means proves the contrary since they frequently 
leave the heads during rains or when there is a considerable amount 
of moisture upon the grain. 
A tabulation of these laboratory results is given below, the varieties 
being arranged in approximately the order of their importance in 
the region covered by the survey. 
