"124 PESTS OP KICE ANt> WHEAT. 



and possibly not even in a wheat-growing area ; as in all cases of 

 experimental cultivation special remedies should be adopted, when this 

 pest is prevalent, by spraying with lead arseniate to poison the young 

 insects as they hatch. 



Minor Wheat Pests. 



The most important minor pest of wheat is the aphis (page 287), a 

 green aphis which infests the leaves and ears. It is a fairly general pest 

 found in enormous abundance on ripening wheat. It is doubtful how 

 much harm aphis does; at its worst it so weakens the plants and 

 grain that only inferior wheat is produced. Beyond spraying, there is 

 no remedy possible until further investigation has discovered the habits of 

 this pest throughout the year. Spraying is practical only on experimental 

 crops but is necessary there if the full results are to be obtained. Flea 

 beetles (page 203) attack wheat, and germinating seed is destroyed by 

 ground grasshoppers and surface weevils (page 220). 



Termites are also a somewhat serious pest in some localities (page 228). 



