Oration delivered before the Agricultural Society. 23 



and perhaps the time of its vifitation may be now nearly paft. 

 Some months ago, I forwarded fpecimens of it to fome Euro- 

 pean naturahfts, with a view to find out whether it had ever 

 been known in that quarter of the world ; fmce which I have 

 been affured by Sir Jofeph Banksy Prefident of the Royal Soci- 

 ety of London, that it docs not exift in England, and that he 

 has no reafon to believe its exiftence in any part of Germany. 

 That gentleman, whofe zeal and fuccefs in enlarging the bounds 

 of human knowledge none of you are ftrangers to, with a ge- 

 nerous defire of affording every affiltance in his pov/er to over- 

 come this deftru6live animal, fent me the learned and fplendid 

 Italian work of Count Ginanni of Ravenna, upon the difeafes 

 to which wheat is fubjeft in its growing ftate. (Delle malattie 

 del grano in Erba in Pefaro 1759. 4to.) In the ninth chap- 

 ter of the fecond part of this work, the infefts deftruftive to the 

 Italian wheat, are particularly defcribed and enumerated to the 

 number of fifty different fpecies and more ; but upon diligently 

 examining the chara6lers and plates, there given of them, I 

 cannot find the American wheat-infe6l noted. It is probable, 

 therefore, this fly is not an inhabitant of the South of Europe, 

 or it would not have efcaped Ginanni'' s accurate fearch. Tho' 

 perhaps the infetl mentioned, but not accurately defcribed by 

 Mr. ChateauvieuXy may be the one now alluded to. Of this, 

 however, his brief account of it, and the want of an engraving, 

 do not permit me to be pofitive. As long as it continues to 

 diflrefs us, we can only counteract its attacks by richly manu- 

 ring our fields, and late-fowing our feed. We are almofl 



