18 



N E AV ENGLAND F A R iM E R , 



JDI.T-21, J -4 1. 



Latr., and may prove to be identical willi some one 

 of the hundred species of tliis genua which are de- | 

 scribed. (Entom. Mat^ Lond. iii. 217. font. Mad. 

 Lye. i. 81.) The insect is abundant in the autumn, i 

 I first saw it Sept. 2:5, 1833, in the act of deposi- ' 

 tin? its eggs in the egrps of the Hessian fly. Krom | 

 subsequent observations it appears that four or five , 

 csgs are laid in a single egg of the Hessian fly. | 

 The latter egg hatches, and the animal advances 

 to the pupa state as usual, but from the pupariuin ; 

 no Hessian fly ever comes forth. This parasite | 

 forms within the puparium, a silky cocoon of a | 

 brownish color. ■ [ 



2. This is the chief parasite of the pupa. It is | 

 described by Mr Say, (.lour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. ] 

 i. 47,) as the Cernphron I)estructx,i: It appears to 

 Lie not to bclonn; to the genua Ceraphron, (Latr.) 

 but to fall within the gems Eurjjtomo, of Illitror. 

 It pierces the sheath of the stalk, nuikinjr a hole 

 too small to be detected by a (Kjwerful microscope, 

 and deposits an egg in the pupa within. This is 

 done chiefly in June. The perfect insect is evolv- 

 ed in the summer and autumn succeeding;, catincr 

 its way through the puparium ami the .sheath ot the 

 leaf. An insect (of which 1 have seen females on- 

 ly-) very similar to the Knrytoma Destructor, but 

 with mere rudiments of winjrs, i.s soinetimcs evolv- 

 ed from the pupa; of the Hessian fly. I am in 

 doubt whether it should be considered a distinct 

 species or only a variety. The winged individu- 

 als never throw ofl' their wings. 



3. The next parasite of the pupa is an insect of 

 the tribe Chalcidire, (Lntr. in Cuv. Rerne An.) 

 whose genus I have not determined. Its habits 

 are like those of No. 2, but it is evolved later. Ap- 

 terous females of this species are also found. 



4. Another parasite of the pupa is an insect of 

 the tribe 0.\yuri, (LaU: in Vuv.) whoso genus I 

 Jiave not determined. In habits it agrees with 

 Nos. 2 and 3, but it is evolved still later in the 

 year. All of these parasites are likewise evolved 

 in the spring, Irom Hessian fly pupa; of the sum- 

 mer previous. 



A few suggestions may be made respecting the 

 best modes of preventing the ravages of the Hes- 

 sian fly. 'I'hey linve all been published before, by 

 others, but they are of such a nature that there is 

 little probability that any of them will ever exter- 

 minate the insect. The stouter varieties of wheat 

 ought always be chosen, and the land should be 

 kept in good condition. If fall v. heat is sown late, 

 some of the eggs will be avoided, but ri.'fk of win- 

 ter-killing the plants will bo incurred. If cattle 

 are permitted to graze the wheat fields during the 

 fall, ihcy will devour many of the eggs. A large 

 number of the pupie may be destroyed by burning 

 the wheat stubble immediately after harvest, and 

 then plowing and harrowing the land. This meth- 

 od will undoubtedly do much good. As the 

 Hessian fly also lays its eggs, to some e.xtent, on 

 tye and barley, these crops should be treated in a 

 similar manner. 



Aeuj Haven, Conn. 



From the Alliany Cultivator. 

 THK HESSIAN FLY. 

 Messrs Cimjlord S,- Tucker — I have nut boi'n a 

 •lubscriber for your valuable paper, till the present 

 year, as your list will show. Thus far, I find it 

 deeply interesting and well calculated to excite 

 and promote a spirit of inquiry and improvement 

 among agriculturists. 



I noticed a piece in your number for March, I 

 headed 'Hessian Fly — A Lady Observer." Hon- 

 or and praise to the ladies ! I have derived from 

 them the far greater por(ion of my earthly com- 1 

 forts. I fi'cl much gratified at the interest and in- | 

 quiry, which the discovery of Miss Morris, respect- 

 ing the Hessian fly, has elicited. The great de- 

 sidoratum is the discovery that the ovum, or egg, i 

 is d(!|x)»iled in the grains of the wheat before it is 

 hnrvested; because, knowing the hiding place and 

 fortress of the foe, wo can the more surely adopt 

 the mean.^ of hia destruction. I will, therefore, 

 give you my observations, confirmatory of those of 

 Miss Morris. 



More than twenty years ago, while I lived in 

 Leesburg, Va., I adopted the opinion, that the Hes- 

 sian fly deposited its eggs in the berry or grain of 

 wheat, in its ripeninir stale, and that in=tinct di- 

 rected the deposit to the germ or bud, which was 

 to produce the new stalk. The eggs, being depo- 

 sited in that part of the germ, which adheres to the 

 grain, are enclosed within the first two leaves that 

 spring directly from the germ. They are not often 

 found at the third blade, though this may occur 

 without violation of the general principle, as they 

 may be deposited a little deeper in the germ, or 

 may be moved in the growth of the plant. 



I was led to this opinion while walking in my 

 garden between the rows of peas, ripening for seed. 

 The pods had become yellow, but not dry, and 

 opposite to every full pea in the pods, I observed 

 a white circular space, from which the juice had 

 e.xuiled, and in the centre a perforation. This was 

 done bv the insect which deposits in the pea the 

 egg that produces the pea bug. And this is the 

 general habit of insects to deposit their ova or 

 eggs, in some soft and moist substance, as cher- 

 ries, plums, &c. The fact observed in the peas, 

 led me at once to the opinion that the Hessian fly 

 deposited its eggs in a similar manner in the grains 

 of wheat in their ripening state, before they be- 

 came hard. 



Some time about or in the year 1820, or '21, I 

 published an essay on the Hessian fly, melting forth 

 my opinion, in the Pert Folio, edited by Harrison 

 Hall, Esq,, Philadelphia. In that essay I recom- 

 mended a trial of the fidlowing remedy, which I 

 have used in a small way, and never found it fail. 

 Soak the seed wheat in lime water, kept milk-warm, 

 till the grain is swollen to the point of almost 

 sprouting; then roll in plaster, after draining, till 

 well coated, to prevent injury to the seedinan's 

 hand, ami to promote vegetation. 



I was led to this recommendation by reflecting 

 that two agents, heat and moisture, are necessary 

 to quicken or vivify insect's eggs. The eggs be- 

 ing in the grain, the warmth of the water would 

 quicken them, aird the lime would so corrode the 

 membrane or coating of the eggs as to destroy 

 their vitality. 



Enrli/ anil Latt Sowing. — Wheat sown early is 

 often destroyed by the fly in autumn, because there 

 then remains, generally, warm weather enough to 

 quicken the egg and bring it into the " flax-seed" 

 state, and sometimes to the fly state, and then the 

 mischief is done in autumn. In very late sowing, 

 there does not, usually, follow warm weather sufli- 

 cicnl to quicken tlie egg, and it remain-i protected 

 in the earth till the wurm weather of spring, com- 

 monly in this climate about the lOlh of May, when 

 its progress to maturity shows its ravages at every 

 stage. 



In our climate, filleen miles north of Washing- 



ton city, the safest time, to avoid both the forego- 

 ing risks, is found by experience to be from the 

 1st to the 10th or l.'ith of October. The reason of 

 this selection of time is, that in ordinary seasons, 

 there will remain warm weather sufficient to 

 quicken the eggs, but not enough to advance them 

 to an injurious slate before the hard frosts com- 

 mence, which will destroy them easily, after being 

 quickened. The general rule, however, as to the 

 time of 8 iwing, must be regulated by the latitude 

 of the place, so as to avoid the extremes of early 

 and late, in reference to that latitude. And, after 

 all, the rule and the reasons above assigned for it, 

 will be subject to infringement and excepiions, 

 owing to the difference of the weather in different 

 autumnal seasons. 



Cold ffiniers and little Snow Fifty years ago, 



before the inroads of tlie Hessian fly, the farmers 

 were delighted to see their fields covered with 

 snow during the winter, as a protection to the grow- 

 ing crops. Not 30 now. Our best wheat crops 

 follow winters in which the snows ore light, and 

 the ground generally bare or nearly so, and hard 

 frozen, so that little of green appears in the wheat 

 fields, and then they are not troubled by the'fly in 

 the spring. I have observed this for thirty years 

 The reason, I presume, is that the eggs of the fly 

 and other insects, in their unprotected state, art 

 destroyed by the severe frosts ; wlierea.-<, this eflTect 

 is prevented when the ground is deeply coveret 

 with lasting snows. 



Sincerely yours, JOHN MINES. 



From the Magazine of Horiieulture. 



THE "YELLOWS" l.\ THE PEACH TRKE. 



I have noticed occasional useful remarks on lh< 

 best varieties and the culture of fruiv trees in you 

 valuable Magazine; hut I have not, as yet, seei 

 any remarks upon the disease called the yellows 

 which affects the peach tree,- or reasons assignc 

 for its prevalence. If the caCse could be foun 

 out, it might lead to a cure, which would render 

 lasting benefit to our country. However vahiabl 

 most other fruits are, none are equal to the peac 

 in delicious flavor and healthiness, and I shoul 

 therefore be pleased to see this subject carefull 

 investigated, and the experience of some of yoii 

 intelligent correspondents communicated Ihroug 

 your pages. 



And as I have, for about thirty years, occasior 

 ally had iny attention drawn to this subject, I ai 

 willing to throw in my mite of experience. I ai 

 fully satisfied that the complaint exists. Som 

 persons siiy that the worm at the root is the caus 

 of the yellows. I acknowledge that any diserdc 

 that destroys the trees will cause the leaves t 

 turn yellow, but the complaint I call the yellow 

 will kill a whole orchard, without any visibl 

 wounds, on or before the third or fourth full cro| 

 I think where any neighborhood abounds wii 

 peach orchards, it will be nearly impossible t 

 keep clear of the disease. 



On planting out young peach trees on the sid 

 of u peach nursery, two years after the norser 

 was removed, and although the ground was in otlu 

 respects well suited for the growth of the peac 

 tri 1', yet by the next autumn many of them wei 

 dead, and the balance so sickly that I had tliei 

 all dug up, and there was no sign of the worm i 

 the roots. From this, and other similar cxper 

 inenis, I think the di.-^ease may be generated b 

 planting in or near where a nursery or orchard < 



