416 THE WHEAT CULTURIST. 



with such materials as glassmakers use for making 

 glass, which are sand and potash, or soda. The pot 

 ash can be obtained most economically by the appli 

 cation of wood ashes. By this means the growing 

 stems will be enveloped in a glass-like covering, which 

 will resist the attacks of rust and mildew. The more 

 ashes, w T ith a dressing of sand, that can be applied to 

 wheat soil, the less liable the growing wheat will be to 

 suffer injury from rust, mildew, or insects. 



INSECT ENEMIES OF WHEAT. 



The principal insect enemies of wheat are the midge, 

 the Hessian fly, the chinch bug, and the weevil. As 

 almost every agricultural paper and book contains de 

 scriptions and illustrations of the insects injurious to 

 wheat, I shall pen but brief remarks about any of them. 

 The main point will be to offer suggestions relative to an 

 effectual preventive of the ravages of the wheat insects. 



Every successful wheat-grower will readily admit 

 that one of the most effectual preventives of the ravages 

 of wheat insects, is a rich soil thoroughly tilled. It in 

 variably happens that the crop is most seriously injured 

 on lands that have been carelessly tilled, and have be 

 come impoverished by an exhausting course of cropping. 

 The thin, puny plants on such soils, that are not entirely 

 destroyed, are left still more enfeebled ; whereas, when 

 the fly-time has passed, on the well-tilled fields, properly 

 enriched, the wheat, in a great measure, recovers from 

 the slight injury. I might pen a score of pages about 

 the habits of wheat insects, and their mode of propa 

 gation and ravages ; but I will cut everything short by 

 simply stating, that the correct way to avoid injury from 



