24. Insects Injurious to Vegetation. [Jan., 



fore insures the same results which are claimed for a deep cover- 

 ing of the seed. In both cases, the shoots which first appear are 

 destroyed; another set appear afterwards, which are unharmed — 

 not because the seed is buried too deep for the worms to crawl 

 down to it, as the King William Farmer seems to infer, but be- 

 cause there are no flies any longer abroad to deposite their eggs 

 upon the leaves. The exact truth then, with regard to this mat- 

 ter, we are firmly persuaded is as follows. In a meagre soil, the 

 seed will die, whether it be covered slightly or deeply. In a less 

 impoverished soil, if the weather he dry in September, as it fre- 

 quently is, seed near the surface will often perish, when that which 

 is deeply buried will survive. In a fertile soil the seed will sur- 

 vive, whether it be covered shallow or deep. That suits of spe- 

 cimens can therefore be easily procured which will appear to de- 

 monstrate a state of things in every particular the very reverse of 

 those figured in the American Farmer, scarcely admits of a doubt. 

 Our conclusion then is, that the King William Farmer is measur- 

 ably correct in his position, but by no means correct to the extent 

 contended for. When the Hessian fly is present in any district, 

 deeply covering the seed, especially if it be early sowed, w^ill in 

 most cases be an additional safeguard against its destruction. The 

 measure therefore is good as a subordinate one, but it must fall 

 far short of ranking as a primary one. 



11. Procuring seed from uninfested districts. — This measure 

 also, is based upon the erroneous supposition that the eggs are 

 deposited upon the grain. It can consequently be of no utility 

 whatever as a safeguard against the Hessian fly. The measure 

 has been fairly tested in several instances without success. 



12. Sun-drying the seed. — Mr. W. H. Hill, in the JYashville 

 JJgriculturist of 1842, states that for fifteen yeais his wheat crops 

 had not been injured by the Hessian fly, whilst those of his neigh- 

 bors had suffered more or less. This immunity he attributes to 

 two causes; exposing his seed to the sun for two days previous 

 to sowing it, and sowing none but the largest and fullest grains, 

 the others being separated by a sieve. Doubtless stronger roots 

 and a more vigorous growth is obtained by sowing large, plump 

 seed. W^e think that eifectually drying the seed in the sun can 

 have but one effect, that of retarding its germination a short 

 time — an end that may be equally as well attained, and with less 

 trouble by deferring the sowing imtil a somewhat later period. 



13. Drnn'ing elder bushes over the young plaids. — We have 

 here one of the fancies of a former day, it being supposed that 

 elder possessed an odor or some more occult properly, which 

 rendered it peculiarly repulsive to insects. A trial of it against 

 the Hessian fly, however, soon demonstrated that it possessed 

 little or no virtue of that kind in reference to this ini;ect. If any 



