VOL. XIV. NO. 30. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



237 



from tlio Mediterranean, in and since the year 

 18.'J7. His first cro|) was free from tlie fly, but it 

 was gradually introduced from adjacent fields ; and 

 in tlie present year tlie mischief lias been conside- 

 rable. As Miss Morris stales that the fly has nev- 

 er made its appearance in Susijuehannali and lirad- 

 ford counties, seed wheat free from the (ly, might 

 be obtained from these and probably from other lo- 

 calities. 



" The conniiittee recommend that the conclu- 

 sions of Miss Morris may bo subjected to the only 

 efficient test — repeated observations and effective 

 trials of the precaution she advises." 



Believinfif the above to be an observation of very 

 considerable importancf, and sincerely hoping that 

 repeated trials and e.\amiiiations may confirm its 

 correctness, we have prepared the present notice 

 for the Cabinet, in order to bring it before the ag- 

 ricultural community. 



Miss Morris's observations and inferences agree 

 very well with what we know of the habits of many 

 insects. Thus they are, as a general rule, not 

 produced till their food is ready for them ; while 

 their eggs appear to approach the seeds of plants 

 in the power of enduring long delay and some vio- 

 lence, before they lose their vitality and faculty of 

 developement. The eggs of silk-worms are kept 

 for various periods, and still retain the susceptibili- 

 ty of being hatched. How long this power, in 

 some insects, may be capable of enduring, has not 

 been ascertained ; but the presumption arising 

 from their analogy to seeds leaves it by no means 

 certain, (until observations are made,) that the pe- 

 riod may not be one of magnitude. The lower 

 animals are said by naturalists to approach, in con- 

 stitution, much more nearly to vegetables than to 

 the more complex beings of their own class ; and 

 this is acknowledged to be strikingly exemplified 

 in the instance we have been reciting. Something 

 analogous may be perceived in the instance of the 

 common fowl ; in which species, the eggs first laid 

 are allowed to remain till enough are accumulated 

 for the parent to commence sitting, and without in 

 any way injuring the product. 



That highly and justly distinguished American 

 naturalist, the late Thomas Say, has lefc us an en- 

 tomological description of the Hessian Fly, in the 

 first volume of the Journal of the Philadelphia 

 Academy of Natural Sciences. He appears never 

 to have identified the insect in an earlier portion 

 of its life than the flax-seed state. Thus, he de- 

 scribes the larva, first state or maggot of the ani- 

 mal, as resembling the pupa or second state, ex- 

 cept in the dark, reddish brown color of the latter ; 

 and alleges that, " when taken from the culm, it is 

 almost inert, exhibiting very little motion to the 

 eye." This was in 1817; and as that eminent 

 writer was principally occupied in the task, then 

 new, of describing and classifying American in- 

 sects in their perfect forms, it is entirely credible 

 that he might have erred in rt-latinn to their ear- 

 lier stages ; nor is it wonderful that, in twentythree 

 years, further discoveries should be made, and his 

 account corrected. What Mr Say calls the larva, 

 will, if Miss Morris be correct, be considered the 

 early period of the pupa. 



The discovery of Miss Morris, then, appears 

 principally to resolve itself into the fact of the ego- 

 being deposited in the seed ; and into the history 

 of the pale, green worm or larva, as the primary 

 stage of the animal's existence. The account of 

 its periodical change given by Mr Say is confess- 



edly conjectural ; and insufficiuntly explains the 

 preservation of the species through the winter. His 

 words are, " The history of the changes of this in- 

 sect is probably briefly this." He then proceeds 

 to describe the parent insect in depositing its cgvs 

 within the sheath of the leaves, near the root of the 

 plant, the fixed mode of life of the flaxseed sub- 

 stance, together with the indentations produced in 

 the straw, the distortion of the flaxseed worm when 

 crowded, and the death of the plant. He then adds 

 the following notice, which ends the recital: " 1 he 

 perfect fly appears early in June, lives but a short 

 time, deposits its eggs, and dies — the insects from 

 these eggs complete the history by preparing for 

 the winter brood. The words would seem to imply 

 that there arc two broods of these flies ; one for 

 summer and one for winter. If " preparing for the 

 winter brood," means laying the eggs which are to 

 produce them, why are not the flies seen in the end 

 of October; before which time the sheaths of the 

 leaves and the straw itself of tlio winter wheat do 

 not exist, and at which period no fly of any descrip- 

 tion is to be met with in the fields ? If, on the 

 other hand, " the insects from the eggs laid in June," 

 arc themselvts "the winter brood," they are to be 

 found in the stubble after harvest ; and cannot pos- 

 sibly be the same individuals that are found next 

 spring in the damaged stalks of the new crop. 



According to the facts believed to be ascertain- 

 ed by Miss Morris, the difliculty at once disappears. 

 The fly lives only ten days; during which time it 

 deposits its eggs. The eggs remain unaltered till 

 the wheat sprouts ; and the young worm is then 

 below the surface of the earth, in a substance which 

 is not frozen, and which supplies him with food. 



The residence of the worm, as described by 

 Miss Morris, within the hollow of the straw, is 

 precisely like that of certain other insects. The 

 animal that destroys the more luxuriant shoots of 

 the parsley-leaved elder, and which, in its perfect 

 state, becomes, as we are informed, a beetle of 

 splendid coloring, passes its larva-existence within 

 the pith of the plant. Additional examples, we 

 believe, are not diflicnlt to be obtained. 



To the directions given in the "Proceedings" 

 for avoiding the production of this pernicious in- 

 sect, little seems necessary to be added. We are 

 inclined, however, earnestly to repeat the recom- 

 mendations of further trial and observation. It 

 would seem that the farmer who uses seed wheat 

 from a district ravaged bii this animal, actually 

 commits the absurdity of planting Hessian flies for 

 the benefit of his next year's crop ! ! 



The precise period at which the minute green 

 worm escapes from the hollow of the straw, to re- 

 pose and undergo its subsequent changes beneath 

 the sheath of the leaf, is not ascertained with accu- 

 racy ; and may furnish a question for investigation. 

 We are informed that Miss Morris is continuing 

 her observations on growing wheat, in which she 

 will probably ascertain the fact. It is in the pow- 

 er of our readers to cimfirm or reject her conclu- 

 sions, both in this and in what she regards as al- 

 ready established. 



There is no duty greater in this age, than to use 

 every laudable exertion to promote the cause of 

 agriculture — this is most successfully done by dis. 

 seminating agricultural journals. Let every far- 

 mer feel that, as a patriot, he must exert himself to 

 efl'ect this object, and the light which is most need- 

 ed will soon be supplied. 



LE ITER TO THE EDITOR. 



jYiw Berlin, Penn., Jan. 12, 1841. 

 To the Eriilor of ihe New EnRland Farmer ; 



Having been a subscriber to your paper for six- 

 teen years, I feel the interest of an old friend in its 

 welfarn. 1 have hitherto been content to send my 

 money: I read the paper without any personal com- 

 munication with the editor, either by way of en- 

 couragement or complaint. It is true I had no 

 ground for complaint, for I always had my money's 

 worth ; and I supposed the most valuable encour- 

 agement was to take the paper and pay for it in 

 advance. From your introductory, we are bound to 

 believe you a very modest man, to whom an ap- 

 proving word might be useful. I approve fully of 

 your resolution to use "a watchful care not to pre- 

 fer the vew to whatever in the old is heller." I 

 consider this a principle that ought to be made 

 prominent in an agricultural periodical. In this, 

 as in many other things, too many believe novelties 

 to be improvements. I have always had a strong 

 attachment to tlie old paths, and do not feel dispos- 

 ed to deviate from them, except on full proof. But 

 this full proof can be had, and that too without 

 much risk. For that reason I have always about 

 here discouraged extensive experiments. Make 

 trial, in a small way — keep accurate accounts, so 

 that the results are certain, and then (ivery step 

 forward may be a sure one. 'I here is another con- 

 sideration of great importance. Does the old way 

 afibrd a fair Jiving profit? If it does, change cau- 

 tiously. If it does not, it is fair to risk something 

 in making a change. 



Many men, not seeing the reason for a thing, be- 

 lieve forthwith there is none. This is often jump- 

 ing too far at a conclusioni Very frequently the 

 change proves that there was a reason, though not 

 before apparent. 



I am pleased with the course you have marked 

 out for yourself We subscribe for an agricultu- 

 ral paper, and you will give us what we subscribe 

 for. If it cannot be sustained so, let it be known ; 

 and proclaim that you publish a periodical melange 

 because farmers will not support a newspaper pur- 

 posely published fiir themselves. I hope this may 

 not be necessary, for this is one of the old ways I 

 do not like. Perhaps you remember (I do) a peri- 

 odical on medicine and agriculture, published 

 by Dr. Daniel Adams. It. is so long ago that it 

 makes me feel very c>ld wlien I think of it. If I do 

 not mistake, it was very short-lived. Since that, 

 what a number and variet\5 of publications on each 

 of these subjects have been well sustained! You 

 are right: we want instruction in farming from 

 you. We do not want from your paper, informa- 

 tion on politics, law, medicine, or theology; nor (if 

 you will allow me to say so,) do we want dogma- 

 tism on any subject. Nor will you need to resort 

 to any of these. If you stick to the hills and dales, 

 the mud holes and peat bogs, the sand banks and 

 clay plats of your editorial farm, you will have no 

 plan for other matters. 



Very respectfully, 



JA.MES MERRILL. 



[This favor from our stranger-friend is most wel- 

 come. VV^e hope to requite it by faithful efforts to 

 furnish him with a paper suited to his tastes and 

 wants. — Ed.] 



Mr G. Bancroft, of Reading, Mass., has a sow 

 which in 13 months has produced him 53 pigs at 

 three litters. 



