FARMERS' REGISTER— MOTII-WEEVIL. 



3-2J 



that I have not been able, from the pressure of va- 

 rious duties to develope with fuhiess and accuracy, 

 my humble notions on the cultivation of the soil. 

 Wishing; you every possible success in the useful 

 and meritorious Journal you have undertaken the 

 publication of, I subscribe myself. 



Your friend and obedient servant, 



JOHN A. SELDEA. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 ON THE PROPAGATION AND HABITS OF THE 

 MOTH-WEEVIL, AND MEANS SUGGESTED TO 

 PREVENT ITS RAVAGES. 



There is no insect which has been more injuri- 

 ous to the farmers of Virginia, below the moun- 

 tains, than the Muth- TVeevil, and there is none, 

 under the depredations of which we suffer, whose 

 origin and habits, we are less acquainted with. — 

 Fortunately, some means, more or less effectual, 

 have been ibund to restrain the ravages of weevil — 

 or otherwise, a large proportion of the grain of 

 every crop ol" corn and wheat, would be devoured 

 by the maggots of these insects, and the remainder 

 deteriorated by being ground into meal with this 

 animal admixture. If wheat is left long in the 

 straw before thrashing, or ears of corn placed un- 

 der circumstances equally favorable to the opera- 

 tions of weevil, the inside of nine tenths of the 

 grains of both will serve as a nest, and for food for 

 their young. But without knowing, or inquiring 

 into the cause, it has longbeen known that if wheat 

 is thrashed and made into flour, as early as (with- 

 out regard to weevil,) economy would direct, the 

 loss from this cause is completely avoided. By 

 compelling us, under so heavy a penalty, to thrash 

 and deliver our wheat to the miller early, it is 

 doubtful whether the weevil has not rather been 

 serviceable than injurious to the wheat crops of 

 those who will profit by so forcible a lesson. Still, 

 immense quantities of wheat are lost almost every 

 year, merely from delay in getting out the grain : 

 and in most years, all corn kept in the usual man- 

 ner until alter midsummer, suffers considerably 

 from the ravages of weevil. 



The moth-weevil must be far more numerous 

 now than formerly. From what I have heard of 

 the former late treading out of wheat in Eastern 

 Virginia, when there were no thrashing machines — 

 and the tobacco culture, then general, caused still 

 more delay in getting the wheat to market — it seems 

 pertain that this insect could not then have been so 

 plenty as in later times. Still they were so injuri- 

 ous as to be considered a serious obstacle to the ex- 

 tension of wheat culture, the remedies being then 

 less understood than since. We learn from one of 

 Mr. Jefferson's letters from France, that the fear of 

 introducing this formidable enemy into Europe, 

 where it was supposed to be unknown, was a strong 

 objection to the importation of wheat from this 

 country. This fear was without foundation. The 

 ravages, and the existence of weevil, seem to de- 

 pend on the nature of the climate, and very slight 

 variations are enough to alter the strongly marked 

 limits of its habitable region. I have heard that 

 none were known west of the Blue Ridge until of 

 late years : but since, they have passed that bar- 

 rier, and are slowly ascending the country, follow- 

 ing the course of the valley of James river. They 

 were not known formerly in the state of Delaware. 

 I infer this from the indirect but conclusive evi- 

 dence contained in an article from Delaware, pub- 



lished m the Philadelphia Agricultural Memoirs, 

 which recommends as a good practice the treading 

 wheat from the straw on the ground when frozen. 

 If such delay was permitted in any country in- 

 fested with moth-weevil, there would be generally 

 found in the grain less flour than bran. These in- 

 sects have not been known for many years together 

 in some parts of Maryland, though very plenty 

 both before and after such long exemption. It is 

 stated in a letter published in the American Far- 

 mer (in 1826,) that weevil had rc-appeared on the 

 Eastern Shore of Maryland after an absence of 

 perhaps forty years, and were very destructive to 

 the wheat crops — the more so, no doubt, because 

 no precautions had been used to guard against de- 

 predations which were so unusual and unexpected. 

 On the whole, the territorial limits within which 

 these insects live, seem to be extending, owing to 

 the increased average temperature produced by 

 clearing and cultivating the country : but these li- 

 mits are sometimes contracted greatly, and for years 

 together, by spells of severe cold weather. 



In northern papers (this summer) statements 

 have been published of great injujies caused to the 

 wheat crops by insects which are called weevil, 

 and which by the description, seem to act on the 

 grain very much in the same manner.* This visi- 

 tation was severely felt on the crops in the valley 

 of the Hudson, and still farther north. But not- 

 withstanding the name, and the similarity of ope- 

 ration in some respects, these cannot be the same 

 with our moth-weevil, as the damage by the for- 

 mer appears to have been produced while the crop 

 was standing — or, at any rate, much earlier than 

 the moth-weevil is in action on wheat. The same 

 name being applied to different things, and differ- 

 ent names to the same thing, have served to throw 

 additional obscurity over this, as well as many 

 other subjects belonging to agriculture. 



The weevil known in more northern countries, 

 we have also in plenty in Virginia, and know it by 

 the name of black weevil. This is a very small 

 black beetle, which has wings underthe hard cases 

 which protect them, though I have never known 

 them to be used lor flying. These insects live 

 through the winter, if their food and shelter re- 

 main, and increase from year to year, in any house 

 where they have gained admittance, and where 

 grain always remains ; and they can be kept away 

 by care in clearing out the barn, and other precau- 

 tions, which are totally inoperative in guarding 

 against moth-weevil. Much confusion has grown 

 out of using the same name for these very differ- 

 ent insects. The excellent essay on weevil by 

 Caleb Kirk of Delaware, applies altogether to the 

 black weevil.* My observations are intended to 

 be confined to that which I distinguish by the 

 naiTie of the moth-weevil. 



Though I have spoken of the moth-weevil as 

 unknown in Europe, in obedience to what are 

 deemed the best authorities, still there is reason to 

 doubt the correctness of that opinion. The follow- 

 ing description, which seems to suit that insect, is 

 contained in a letter from a gentleman of Angou- 

 mois (in France) to M. Duhamel, and is present- 

 ed in a report of the Committee of Husbandry of 



♦ The extensive depredations of these insects are de- 

 scribed in one of the selections of our last No. (p. 310) 

 and also in some earlier piece in the Genesee Farmer. '^ 



we remember correctly, — [E(/. Fcniru Reg. / 



