110 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO STAPLE CHOPS. 



shallow seed-bed in which there has been developed, by 

 tillage and the action of the atmosphere, an abundance of 

 readily available plant-food. Manures and fertilizers should 

 be kept near the surface and the young roots encouraged 

 to spread out on the surface soil, thus avoiding much of 

 the damage by heaving in winter and leaving the deeper 

 soil for fresh pasturage for the plants during the following 

 spring and summer." 



Prof. Webster strongly recommends the rotation of the 

 wheat-crop, sowing it as far from where it was grown the 

 previous year as possible. Where this has been judiciously 

 done, individual farms have often remained free from 

 serious attack when neighboring ones were badly injured. 



Remedies. — After injury by the fly has once become 

 apparent in the fall, there is no application known by 

 which it may be destroyed. The application of a liberal 

 amount of fertilizer to land not already well fertilized will 

 enable the plants to better withstand the injury and possi- 

 bly outgrow it. Pasturing shee^D on early-sown fields 

 would doubtless result in crushing many of the flaxseeds 

 and larvae, and give the ground that compact, pulverized 

 nature which it should have. 



Nothing is known as a remedy for injury by the spring 

 brood. 



In summarizing his knowledge of means of controlling 

 this pest, Prof. F. M. Webster, who is probably our best 

 authority upon it, says: " After thirteen [now fifteen] years 

 of study of the Hessian Fly^ I am satisfied that four-fifths 

 of its injuries mmj he 2)r evented hy a letter system of agri- 

 culture. For years I have seen wheat grown on one side 

 of a division-fence without the loss of a bushel by attack 

 of this pest, while on the other side the crop was invariably 



