14. Insects Injurious to Vegetation. [Jan., 



Remedies. 



"An effectual remedy^' against the Hessian fly, whicli has been". 

 so much enquired after and talked about, and by which term we 

 suppose is meant some specific w^hich will infallibly destroy or 

 drive away the insect, or protect the crop from its ravages, never 

 has been and probably never will be discovered. In truth, we 

 regard the idea that a remedy of this character exists, as being, 

 equally absurd with a belief in the philosopher's stone. There 

 is proijably no such thing as sure and infallible specifics against 

 any of the insects which invade our crops, any more than there is 

 against those diseases which attack our persons. Still, believing 

 this, we also believe that there is no noxious insect but what, when 

 we closely study into its habits we can invariably discover some 

 one or more ways of opposing it, by which we can with certainty 

 to a great extent, if not entirely shield ourselves against its dep- 

 redations. Thus is it with the insect under consideration. There 

 is no remedy with which we can " doctor" it away — no charm 

 with which we can say to it, "vanish, presto:" yet there are 

 measures, which employed, will guaranty fair crops, when if not 

 resorted to, no wheat will be gathered. Of this fact we are well 

 convinced, both from personal observations, and the concurrent 

 testimony of a cloud of witnesses. 



A consideiation of the various remedial measures which have 

 been proposed, is therefore a subject of surpassing interest to every 

 cultivator of the soil. We shall hence proceed to review them in 

 detail, treating first of those, which, after a careful consideration 

 of this topic, we regard as the most important. 



1. Ji rich soil. — This is a safeguard which has been strongly 

 urged by almost every one who has written upon this insect. In- 

 deed an inspection of different fields of wheat in a district where 

 this enemy is present, cannot fail to impress upon the observer the 

 utility and importance of this requisite. Other things being equal, 

 the crops on impoverished lands invariably suffer the most. Hence 

 those on sandy soils, which retain the strength of fertilizing agents 

 less than other soils, have in numerous instances been remarked as 

 most severely devastated. A striking contrast, even, may very 

 often be perceived in different parts of the same field. The sum- 

 mits of the knolls and ridges, situations where the soil is the most 

 meagre, almost invariably show the greatest amount of damage; 

 whilst the intervening hollows, to which the fertilizing matters 

 are washed from the surrounding acclivities, sustain a compara- 

 tively slight if at all sensible injury. Yet the latter situations are 

 the very ones which insects of this family are known to be most 



