REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 227 



ill this township, and this fall much of the very early sowing (in August) is noticeably 

 yellow in places. I have, however, examined a few fields, but did not find sufficient 

 pupae of the Hessian fly as would, I think, account for the M'hole of it. As to the 

 extent of the damage to the wheat crop, six weeks ago as much as one-third apparently 

 was injured, but this is not so noticeable now, owing to the killed plants having withered 

 and the healthy ones covering the ground." — Wm. Welsh. 



The life history of the Hessian fly is well known, but fortunately this insect has 

 not for some years ri'quired particular attention except in restricted localities. Its 

 work is generally recognized in the spring of the year by dead plants in wheat fields. 

 Upon examining these, the characteristic pupa3, resembling small flax seeds, may be 

 found in the crowns of the young plants ; sometimes three or four specimens will occur 

 Ijeneath the leaf sheaths of a single plant. In summer time the same flax-seed-like 

 puparia (Fig. 1) may be found above the first or second joint of the stems of barley, rye 

 and wheat, where they lie beneath the sheath of the leaf, but outside the stem ; the 

 larvae suck the sap of the stems and so weaken them that they frequently fall down. 

 The perfect insect is a tiny blackish midge with smoky wings, expanding only a quarter 

 of an inch from tip to tip, which appears in April and May and again in August, lasting 

 until about the middle of September. The females lay their minute scarlet eggs upon 

 the inside crease of the leaves, and the young maggots, upon hatching, work their way 

 down to the axils of the leaves where the injury to the plant is done. 



Remedies. — The remedies for the Hessian fly are as follows : 1. Late sowing. 

 The postponement of seeding until after the third week in September has the effect of 

 delaying the appearance of the young wheat plants above the ground until all the 

 Hessian flies of the second brood are dead. 



2. Burning refuse. As a large proportion of the " flax seeds " are carried with the 

 grain and at threshing are thrown down beneath the machine among the rubbish and 

 broken straw, it is of great importance to destroy all rubbish, tailings or fine screenings 

 wherever grain is known to be infested. 



3. Treatment of stubbles. As soon as the crop is cut, it is an excellent plan to run 

 a harrow over the fields so as to start a volunteer crop from the grains which have 

 dropped in harvesting. By the time the fields are ploughed, many flies of the August brood 

 will have emerged and laid their eggs on these plants; these will thus be destroyed at the 

 same time as many seedlings of noxious weeds. If fields are conveniently situated away 

 from barns, houses and stacks, much good may be done by burning over the stubbles 

 before ploughing, as the pupae occur, as a rule, at the first or second joint of the stem. 

 To facilitate the operation of burning, a little dry straw may be scattered lightly over 

 the stubble. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to say that neither wheat, barley nor rye 

 should be sown again in fields where a crop has been infested the year previous. 



The Joint-worm {Isosoma hordei, Harris). — In my last report J made mention of 

 the occurrence in injurious numbers of a joint-worm in wheat fields at Meaford, Grey 

 Co., Ont. My correspondent, Mr. Thomas Harris, who retorted his observations last 

 year, writes that there has been no recurrence of this attack during the past summer on 

 his own fields, nor has he heard of any upon the crops of his neighbours. 



The Grain Plant-louse {Siphonophora avence, Fab.) — As usual, this plant-louse has 

 occurred to some extent in all parts of the Dominion, but only two reports state that 

 actual injury has been done to grain. That the insects were exceptionally abundant is 

 shown by the following : 



" Princeton, Brant Co., Ont., July 24. — In this part of the province we have begun 

 to cut our oats, and these insects abound to an enormous extent. They literally cover 

 the table of the binder. One farmer told me to-day that they piled up four or five 

 inches deep under the knotter of his machine. I am sure I do not exaggerate when I 

 say it would not be hard to sweep a good shovelful off a binder after cutting a field of 

 oats." — J. E. Richardson. 



"Shakespeare, Oxford Co., Ont., July 27. — I send you some small insects. 

 There are million^ of them on my oats. I do not recollect having seen anything like it 

 before." — J. W. Donaldson. 



8c-15^ 



