Sec. 12.] K.NTO.MOLOOIC.VL. 209 



Another Broome County farmer, who thought the yellow-birds destroyed 

 his wheat, wished a neighbor " would get a gun and kill some yellow-birds, 

 which farmers generally suppose destroy the wheat. Mr. II. declined, as he 

 does not like to kill birds of any kind. Out of curiosity, however, he killed 

 one of the birds and opened the crop, when he found that the bird, instead 

 of eating the wheat, ate the weevil — the great destroyer of the wheat, lie 

 found as many as two hundred weevil in the bird's crop, and hut four grains 

 of wheat, and these had tlic weevil in them. This is a very important dis- 

 covery, and should be generally known. The bird resembles the canary, 

 and sings beautifully." 



2-lC. U'lieat lusfCt VSi Weevil, — Tliere is a confusion of tongues in relation 

 to the weevil that we have descrilied (244, 245), and the one that attacks the 

 wheat in the milk. 



Tlie insect that has injured tlie wlicat crop so extensively in New York, 

 Pennsylvania, and Ohio, is not the one generally known as t/ie weevil. This 

 insect, called " red weevil," " wheat-raidge," " the insect," etc., differs very 

 much from the Calandra (jraivirla^ as that only injures the ripened kernel 

 of wlieat or corn after it is stacked or housed, or even after it is in the bin 

 of the granary or grist-mill. The weevil exhibits in swarms around the 

 barn, tlie female laying her eggs on the grain, and the grubs as soon as 

 hatched work into the kernel, consuming all but the bran, without breaking 

 that, so as to show that all is rottenness within. The ravages of this insect, 

 as we iuive already stated, are so destructive at the South, that it is difficult 

 to keep wlieat and corn. The latter is generally ]>ut up with the shucks on, 

 which is damp or else heavily salted. Wheat is kept in close casks or tight 

 bins by covering with flour of lime an inch deep over the surface. 

 "The insect that has destroyed so much grain in past seasons is a 

 yellow fly (with blue wings), about one tenth of an inch in length ; it 

 deposits its eggs, while the wheat is in blossom, within the chatfy scales of 

 the flower, during the evening twilight and dark stormy days, in numbers 

 from two to forty, which hatch in ten days and completely destroy the genn 

 of the berry. The maggot is reddish yellow, about one sixteeuth of an inch 

 long, or perhaps an eighth when full-grown." 



'' It is supposed that it leaves the wheat and winters in tlie ground. That is 

 the time to kill them. Salt is undoubtedly the remedy. The fly is hardly 

 ever seen ; they never fly in the sunshine. The weevil fill the air like mus- 

 kctocs in a swanij). Tliis insect liiiU'S on the stems and leaves, shaded from 

 the licat of the sun. This is a northern insect; the weevil is a soiitliorii one." 



" This insect was first seen in America about the year 1S2S, in the nortlicrn 

 ])ai-t of Vermont and borders of Lower Canaila. It first made its appearance 

 in northern Oiiio in the year 1^43, and its ravages have rapidly increastd 

 from year to year." 



Dr. Harris recommends brimstone fumigation of tlie plants. That would 

 be impossible, almost, on whole counties. Flour of lime sown on wet wheat 

 has appeared to prevent the work of destruction. Deep plowing the stubble, 



11 



