1847 .J Insects Injurious to Vegetation, 17 



acquire sufficient strength of root to withstand the winter's frosts. 

 The same expedient, also, by insuring a rapid growth and an 

 early maturity of the crop is the best safeguard against the rust, 

 a disaster to which late crops only are ordinarily liable. Upon 

 rich land, therefore, scarcely any scruples need be entertained with 

 regard to late sowing. If a neighboring field has been already 

 sowed, and the season is favorable for its vegetation, it will be 

 safe to commit the seed to the ground within a week or two there- 

 after, as ail the insects in the vicinity, unless they are present in 

 immense swarms, will be attracted to and remain in the earlier 

 crop. About the last of September is probably as late as it will 

 be judicious to defer sowing wheat in this climate; and in most 

 seasons this will secure it from any serious attack of the fly. Al- 

 though when it comes forward, the season for the deposition of 

 the eggs of the fly may not in some years be entirely over, it must 

 be rare that a number of these sufficiently large to be materially in- 

 jurious, will be laid; but should that at any time be the case, other 

 remedies still can thereupon be resorted to, to counteract the evil. 

 3. Grazing. — This measure is alluded to as worthy of attention, 

 in the first account of this insect published in this country, where 

 the fact is stated, that "by feeding the crop very close in the win- 

 ter and spring, if the land is rich it will again spring up, and the 

 worms do not much injure the second growth," It is plain that 

 a close fed crop will furnish few leaves for the fly to place its eggs 

 upon, and these leaves will be commonly consumed before the 

 eggs are hatched. Gen. Cocke directed public attention strongly 

 to this measure in 1817, and six years subsequently states that full 

 experience had amply confirmed him in his estimate of its efficacy. 

 [Amer. Farmer, v., 241.) If in autumn it be omitted till after 

 the eggs are hatched, and the worms have descended to the root, 

 it can obviously be of little or no service. When, therefore, an 

 attack of the fly is feared, as the exact time of the deposition of 

 the eggs is somewhat variable in different seasons, it will be ne- 

 cessary to watch the young wheat, as soon as two or three blades 

 from each root appear; and if the fly is discovered profusely de- 

 positing its eggs, sheep or other stock should at once be turned 

 upon it, in such numbers, if possible, as to eat down the crop in a few 

 days. The eggs will thus be destroyed, and the favorite nidus of 

 the fly for continuing this deposite, will be effectually broken up: 

 it will thus be compelled to resort to other quarters. The same 

 process may also be repeated in the spring, if found necessary. 

 No injury to the crop need be apprehended from its being thus 

 grazed down, if the soil is of due fertility — it soon and entirely 

 recovers from this operation. Moreover, if the soil is poor and 

 impoverished, the fly will be sure to injure it far more than what 

 the sheep will do. We cannot, therefore, but regard this as a most 

 No. IX. 2 



