﻿rACKAUD.J 
  • 
  THE 
  WHEAT-FLY 
  THE 
  WHEAT-MIDGE. 
  709 
  

  

  The 
  Common 
  Wiieat-Fly, 
  Clilorips 
  vulgaris 
  Fitcb. 
  — 
  Certain 
  small, 
  slender, 
  iiale- 
  

   greeu 
  and 
  watery-white 
  shining 
  niagjrots 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  above 
  species 
  with 
  the 
  oth- 
  

   ers 
  mentioned 
  below 
  are 
  said 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  to 
  burrow 
  in 
  diflereat 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  stalks, 
  

   dwarfing 
  and 
  often 
  killing 
  them. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  1855 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  tliat 
  wheat 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  

   was 
  aiiected 
  by 
  these 
  maggots, 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  discovered 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   Eitch, 
  who 
  thiuks 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  and 
  other 
  insect 
  

   depredators 
  that 
  farmers 
  are 
  not 
  now 
  able 
  to 
  raise 
  such 
  large 
  crops 
  as 
  

   used 
  formerly 
  to 
  be 
  harvested. 
  The 
  ChJorops 
  vidgaris 
  is 
  abundant 
  the 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  June 
  in 
  wheat-fields. 
  It 
  is 
  pale 
  yellow, 
  and 
  0.15 
  inch 
  in 
  

   length. 
  Another 
  fly 
  is 
  the 
  Meromyga 
  americana 
  of 
  Fitch. 
  It 
  is 
  yel- 
  

   lowish-white 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  preceding. 
  Another 
  minute 
  

   fly, 
  found 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  the 
  others, 
  is 
  the 
  Liphonella 
  ohera. 
  It 
  is 
  less 
  

   tban 
  a 
  line 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  is 
  jet-black. 
  Still 
  another 
  form 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   heads 
  of 
  wheat 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  June 
  is 
  Oscinis 
  tibialis. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  0.08 
  

   inch 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  also 
  jet-black, 
  with 
  pale 
  dull-yellow 
  shanks 
  and 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  last 
  fly 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Fitch 
  is 
  Hylemyia 
  deceptiva, 
  which 
  

   occurs 
  in 
  abundance 
  upon 
  heads 
  of 
  wheat 
  late 
  in 
  June. 
  It 
  is 
  ash-gray, 
  

   with 
  black 
  legs 
  and 
  feelers, 
  and 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length. 
  

  

  INJURING 
  THE 
  HEADS. 
  

  

  The 
  Wheat-Midge, 
  Diplosis 
  triiici 
  of 
  recent 
  authors 
  ; 
  Ccc\do\mjia 
  tritici 
  Kirby. 
  — 
  

   Several 
  minute 
  orange-red 
  maggots, 
  one-eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  long, 
  crowding 
  around 
  the 
  

   kernels 
  of 
  wheat, 
  causing 
  them 
  to 
  shrivel 
  and 
  dry 
  when 
  ripe. 
  The 
  maggots 
  descend 
  

   into 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  spin 
  minute 
  cocoons, 
  from 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  June 
  come 
  

   bright 
  orange-colored 
  midges. 
  — 
  (Fitch.) 
  

  

  This 
  insect 
  was 
  probably 
  imported 
  into 
  Qaebec 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1820. 
  

   It 
  made 
  its 
  way 
  along 
  the 
  Saint 
  Lawrence 
  and 
  Ohambly 
  (Sorelle) 
  Elv- 
  

   ers 
  into 
  Northwestern 
  Vermont, 
  and 
  soon 
  became 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  New 
  

   England 
  and 
  New 
  York 
  that 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  wheat 
  was 
  mostly 
  aban- 
  

   doned. 
  Its 
  attacks 
  then 
  decreased, 
  and 
  wheat 
  was 
  again 
  raised 
  until 
  

   in 
  the 
  year 
  1854, 
  when 
  wheat 
  was 
  largely 
  in 
  cultivation, 
  it 
  again 
  became 
  

   very 
  destructive, 
  causing 
  a 
  loss 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  alone, 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  estimate 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Eitch, 
  of 
  $15,000,000. 
  In 
  Canada, 
  in 
  1856, 
  

   the 
  loss 
  was 
  estimated 
  to 
  exceed 
  $3,500,000. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  year, 
  in 
  por- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  the 
  midge 
  destroyed 
  one-half 
  to 
  two-thirds 
  on 
  the 
  

   uplands, 
  and 
  nearly 
  all 
  on 
  the 
  lowlands, 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  was 
  worse 
  

   in 
  1857 
  and 
  1858. 
  In 
  1858 
  very 
  little 
  white 
  wheat 
  was 
  sown 
  in 
  Western 
  

   New 
  York, 
  and 
  the 
  midge 
  reduced 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  wheat-lands 
  at 
  least 
  

   40 
  per 
  cent. 
  In 
  1859 
  the 
  midge 
  unaccountably 
  disappeared, 
  to 
  again 
  

   become 
  prevalent 
  in 
  1861. 
  — 
  (Eitch.) 
  Mr. 
  Eiley, 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Tribune, 
  

   refers 
  to 
  this 
  insect 
  as 
  infesting 
  wheat 
  in 
  Indiana 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  

   1876. 
  

  

  xVs 
  regards 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  wheat-midge, 
  I 
  reproduce 
  the 
  following 
  

   account 
  from 
  my 
  "Guide 
  to 
  the 
  Study 
  of 
  Insects:" 
  "When 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  

   in 
  blossom, 
  the 
  females 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  

   long 
  retractile 
  tub'e-like 
  extremii:y 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  within 
  the 
  chafty 
  scales 
  

   of 
  the 
  flowers, 
  and 
  in 
  clusters 
  of 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  fifteen 
  or 
  more. 
  In 
  eight 
  

   or 
  ten 
  days 
  the 
  eggs 
  disclose 
  the 
  transparent 
  maggots, 
  which, 
  with 
  age, 
  

   become 
  orange-colored, 
  and, 
  when 
  fully 
  grown, 
  are 
  one-eighth 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch 
  long. 
  They 
  crowd 
  around 
  the 
  germ 
  of 
  the 
  wheat, 
  which, 
  by 
  press- 
  

   ure, 
  becomes 
  shriveled 
  and 
  aborted. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  August, 
  the 
  maggots 
  become 
  full-fed, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  

   molt 
  their 
  skins, 
  leaving 
  the 
  old 
  larva-skin 
  entire, 
  except 
  a 
  little 
  rent 
  

   in 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  it. 
  'Great 
  numbers 
  of 
  these 
  skins 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   wheat-ears 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  molting 
  process 
  is 
  completed.' 
  

  

  