308 



Occidents to Indian Corn. 



Vol. IX. 



remains concealed, devouring the meal with- 

 in. Subjocting the grain to a heat of 165'^ 

 Fahr., for twelve hours in aa oven, will kill 

 the insect 



2. The English vi'heat fly {lipula tritici, 

 Kirby,) is a small orange-eoloiived two-wing- 

 ed gnat, which lays its eggs in the head of 

 wheat while blossoming. The maggots from 

 these eggs are witlwut feet, tapering towards 

 the head, at first perfectly transparent and 

 colourless, but soon becoming orange-yellow; 

 and when mature, are each about an eighth 

 of an inch long. It is supposed they devour 

 the pollen, and prevent the setting of the 

 grain, the maggots fall from the spike to the 

 earth, within which they undergo their final 

 transformations. This insect — ^or one very 

 similar to it — has done much damage in the 

 noithern States and in Canada for several 

 years past; but no eftectual mode of pre- 

 venting the mischief^ or of destroying tiie 

 insect, appears to have been devised. 



3. The wheat caterpillar. — This is a span 

 worm of brownish colour, with twelve feet 

 • — six near each end of the body. It feeds 

 on the kernel in the milky state, and also 

 devours the germinating end of the ripened 

 grain. It is said to be found in the chaff 

 when the grain is threshed. We have little 

 certain knowledge concerning the parent in- 

 sect or its transtormations. 



In addition to these three, there are pro- 

 bably other insects more or less injurious to 

 our wheat crops. Much has been published 

 in our journals relative to these depredators; 

 yet their habits are imperfectly understood, 

 and many of the accounts are confused and 

 contradictory. It is greatly to be desired 

 that all who have the opportunity should 

 endeavour to make careful observationfi, and 

 communicate them to the public. 



These observations must be accompanied 

 by accurate descriptions of the insect under 

 examination and in its various stages; other- 

 wise, most of the labour will be spent in 

 vain. — EllsworMs Report for 1844. 



Accidents to Indian Corn. 



Messrs. Editors. — I have not the arro- 

 gance to suppose that any wisdom of mine 

 will be greatly valuable to your agricultural 

 readers; but as I feel a lively interest in 

 their pursuits, and as the physiology of ve- 

 getation is with me a favourite study, I will, 

 with your permission, suggest two or three 

 hints in relation to the culture of Indian 

 corn, hoping they may be of some practical 

 benefit. 



In the flowers of all plants — unless the 

 ferns, mosses, and similar forms of vegeta- 

 tion, be exceptions — the organs that perform 



the principal office in reproduction, are the 

 stamens and pistils, the former leing bar- 

 ren, the latter, in fiivourable cireuFi^stances, 

 fertile. In many plants, as the radish, the 

 potatoe, the clover, tbese diflerent organs 

 are located in the same individual flower or 

 floret There is another race, in which the 

 staminate and pistillate organs are on the 

 same plant but are in separate groups by 

 themselves. The cucumber and the mul- 

 berry are specimens of this class, and so are 

 most of our forest trees. Here also belongs 

 the Indian corn. There is a third class in 

 which the barren or staminate flowers are 

 on one individual plant, and the fertile or 

 pistillate flowers on another. The hemp 

 and poplar are well known examples. 



In each of these three classes there is 

 upon the stamens a dust which botanists 

 call the pollen; arid though most kinds of 

 vegetation may be propagated from the root, 

 and niany from layers or cuttings, like the 

 mulberry, the seed or germ of the new plant 

 cannot be produced unless this dust is scat- 

 tered upon the pistil. Hence, by the way, 

 as only the staminate tree of the Lombardy 

 poplar has been introduced into this country, 

 it has never been reproduced from the seed. 

 Its propagation has been eflected only by 

 means of layers or roots; and this is the 

 reason, I have little doubt, that this species 

 of the poplar, which, when first introduced 

 into the country, was a beautiful tree, and 

 commanded a most extravagant price, has 

 now so far deteriorated as to be entirely 

 worthless. 



In the Indian corn the staminate flowers 

 are those arranged in a semi-conical form at 

 the top of the plant Every one who has 

 passed through a corn-field in the flowering 

 season, must have observed a profusion of 

 dust from these stamens. The fibrous, silk- 

 like appendages at the end of the ear, the 

 base of each of which is enclosed by the 

 husks, are the pistils. These threads lead 

 along the rows, and each one is connected 

 with some embryo kernel of corn. Now in 

 order to the impregnation, formation, and 

 growth of these kernels, it is necessary that 

 the fructifying dust from the flower above 

 fall upon these filaments projecting from the 

 end of the ear. But this is r.ot all. It is 

 supposed to be indispensable to the forma- 

 tion of each kernel, that the filament lead- 

 ing to it should receive a portion of the pol- 

 len. Experiments have been made, which 

 to my mind clearly prove this fact. When 

 I remove the silk entirely from the ear be- 

 fore the plant is in flower, there will not be 

 a kernel produced. You will observe a sort 

 of receptable for the seed, but the ear, for 

 all practicable purposes, is destroyed. The 



