264 Insects Injurious to Vegetation. [Oct., 



when a fair opportunity was presented him for doing so (as edi- 

 tor of Hooper's Medical Bictionari/, &c.) we doubt not, when the 

 excitement of the day was past, he deeply regretted that he had 

 ever drawn up an article so derogatory to himself as that which 

 appears in the Magazine. We should therefore suppress all al- 

 lusion to this subject, with the hope that it might pass wholly 

 into oblivion, but that the aiticle from the Magazine has of late 

 years been copied into some of our agricultural journals, and has 

 been referred to in terms of commendation by some names of re- 

 spectability. With the currency thus unfortunately given to it, 

 it will be read by hundreds who can never see the JYeio York 

 Gazette, and who will thus deem that one of our most distin- 

 guished savans had degraded himself by a paltry attempt to fore- 

 stall Mr. Say in giving to this species a technical name. 



Gen. John H. Cocke this year communicated his observations 

 to the Albemarle Agricultural Society of Virginia. Having w^ell 

 ascertained that the fly deposits its eggs upon the blades of the 

 wheat, at from a half to three inches from the central stalk, and 

 that these remain there four or five days before they hatch, he 

 recommends feeding off the crop, by pasturing sheep upon it; 

 thus destroying the eggs, and depriving the fly of its wonted 

 place for depositing them. " A King William Farmer" dissents 

 from this advice, and thinks covering the seed to the depth of 

 three inches the best safeguard against the fly. " A Frederick 

 County Farmer" and Dr. Merriwether oppose this, and a contro- 

 versy ensues, reaching through several communications in the 

 Richmond Enquirer and National Intelligencer, and afterwards 

 continued in the .linierican Farmer, till in 1820 it was brought 

 to a close by a valuable article from that distinguished agricul- 

 turist, the late James M. Garnett, (^American Farmer, vol. ii., p. 

 174,) accompanie/J by an illustration, clearly demonstrating the 

 correctness of the statements first put forth by the King Williana 

 Farmer. The facts thus elicited will be more fully considered in 

 a subsequent part of this essay. 



In 1820, Edward Tilghman, of Maryland, described [.rlmerican 

 Farmer, ii., 235) the place and mode of deposition of the eggs, 



