724 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



abundantly and thus avoid a serious decrease in yield. A badly 

 drained soil, where conditions favor a moist growth of succulent 

 straw, appears to be quite favorable to the fly and in some 

 such places the injury was much more manifest than on higher 

 well drained laud. Prof. Webster of Ohio, who has studied this 

 insect for over 15 years, believes that four fifths of Hfessian fly 

 injury can be prevented by a better system of agriculture. 



Trap strips. This device has long been recommended by 

 entomologists and was earnestly advocated by Dr Fitch but 

 there has been considerable diflticulty in getting farmers to take 

 up the idea and go to the trouble of preparing a little ground, 

 sowing it early and then turning it under soon after the flies 

 have deposited their eggs. Many wheat growers prefer to wait 

 and take their chances on the crop not being seriously injured 

 by the fly. S. W. Wadhams of Garland N. Y. made a test of 

 this plan with most excellent results. Aug. 25, 1900 he 

 sowed two widths of the drill round a 20 acre field and then 

 sowed the remainder on September 27 and 28 and just before 

 the last sowing came through the ground, his decoy strip was 

 plowed under, put in condition and resown. At the time of 

 plowing he found that practically every leaf and stalk of the 

 wheat was completely covered with the eggs of the fly, so that 

 the strip turned brown and myriads of the flies sw^armed up in 

 front and over the horses as they walked over it. The result 

 was that in 1901 he harvested 21^ bushels of no. 6 wheat an acre. 

 This yield was secured when other fields of no. 6 wheat were 

 so badly injured as to lu-oduce from three fourths of a crop to 

 almost nothing. Mr Wadhams sowed another trap strip Aug. 

 20, 1901 and on September 14 he found that the young wheat 

 plants were being rapidly covered with eggs of the Hessian fly, 

 and he now suggests that the trap or decoy strips be plowed 

 under about nightfall or in the cool of early evening, at a time 

 when the few remaining flies, if any be alive, would naturally 

 be resting on the wheat plants, and the chance of covering them 

 deeply would therefore be imnu'usely increased. Agricultural 

 practice in western New York does not alwavs admit of the 



