﻿REMEDIES, 
  PREVENTIVE 
  AND 
  GENERAL. 
  221 
  

  

  Late 
  sorcing 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  tJie 
  icheat-seed. 
  — 
  All 
  writers, 
  both 
  entomological 
  

   and 
  agricultural, 
  concur 
  in 
  recommending 
  this 
  easily-ap])lied 
  remedy 
  : 
  

   that 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  wheat 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  sown 
  until 
  after 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  

   September 
  in 
  the 
  Northern 
  States. 
  The 
  writings 
  of 
  Fitch, 
  Harris, 
  and 
  of 
  

   Cook 
  concur 
  in 
  recommending 
  this 
  course 
  in 
  a 
  district 
  ridden 
  by 
  these 
  

   pests, 
  even 
  though 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  being 
  iujured 
  by 
  the 
  cold 
  

   autumnal 
  or 
  the 
  winter 
  weather. 
  As 
  the 
  year 
  1877 
  was 
  a 
  bad 
  fly 
  year, 
  

   we 
  quote 
  the 
  following 
  explicit 
  testimony 
  from 
  Professor 
  Cook's 
  pam- 
  

   phlet: 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  the 
  century's 
  experience 
  in 
  our 
  country 
  witli 
  tkis 
  insect, 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   most 
  certain 
  and 
  satisfactory 
  method 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  ravages. 
  Even 
  more 
  than 
  thirty 
  

   years 
  ago 
  this 
  measure 
  is 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  unanimously 
  sanctioned 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  efficient 
  

   of 
  remedies*. 
  During 
  the 
  past 
  season 
  [1877] 
  I 
  have 
  reliable 
  reports 
  from 
  the 
  following 
  

   counties 
  :, 
  Ottawa, 
  Van 
  Buren, 
  Cass, 
  Kalamazoo, 
  Hillsdale, 
  Saint 
  Joseph, 
  and 
  Lapeer, 
  

   and 
  with 
  few 
  exceptions 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  early-sown 
  wheat 
  was 
  injured 
  badly, 
  w^hile 
  

   all 
  sown 
  after 
  September 
  20 
  nearly 
  escaped. 
  In 
  traveling 
  through 
  Ohio 
  and 
  south- 
  

   ern 
  Michigan, 
  I 
  found 
  I 
  could 
  often 
  tell 
  the 
  early 
  from 
  the 
  late 
  sown 
  wheat 
  for 
  long 
  

   distances, 
  the 
  former 
  looking 
  like 
  oat- 
  plants 
  after 
  a 
  hard 
  frost, 
  the 
  latter 
  appearing 
  

   green 
  and 
  healthy. 
  Often 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  field 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  demarkation 
  was 
  very 
  distinct. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  newspaper 
  extracts 
  bear 
  upon 
  this 
  subject: 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  effectual 
  remedy, 
  or 
  rather 
  preventive, 
  is 
  late 
  sowing. 
  No 
  wheat 
  

   should 
  be 
  sown 
  in 
  localities 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  already 
  appeared, 
  or 
  in 
  districts 
  adjoin- 
  

   ing 
  until 
  September 
  15, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  deferred 
  until 
  the 
  20th 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  all 
  the 
  better. 
  

   Repeated 
  rolling 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  destroy 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larvae, 
  and 
  burning 
  the 
  stubble, 
  where 
  

   practicable, 
  would 
  certainly 
  destroy 
  many 
  and 
  thus 
  prevent 
  so 
  great 
  devastation 
  of 
  

   the 
  succeeding 
  crop. 
  The 
  great 
  objection 
  to 
  either 
  rolling 
  or 
  burning 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  de- 
  

   stroys 
  both 
  friend 
  and 
  foe 
  alike. 
  

  

  Great 
  care 
  should 
  always 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  destroying 
  all 
  noxious 
  insects 
  lest 
  we 
  also 
  de- 
  

   stroy 
  the 
  beneficial 
  ones; 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  Ichneumon 
  and 
  Chalcis 
  flies. 
  In 
  

   the 
  counties 
  of 
  Yates, 
  Seneca, 
  Tompkins, 
  and 
  Cayuga, 
  where 
  the 
  Hessian 
  Flies 
  have 
  

   already 
  made 
  their 
  appearance, 
  it 
  would 
  ajiiiear 
  wiser 
  to 
  fit 
  the 
  ground 
  perfectly, 
  

   ap}>ly 
  extra 
  fertilizers, 
  and 
  sow 
  late, 
  rather 
  than 
  run 
  any 
  risk 
  or 
  trust 
  to 
  any 
  methods 
  

   of 
  destruction. 
  If 
  all 
  infested 
  and 
  contiguous 
  districts 
  would 
  sow 
  late 
  enough 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  wheat 
  would 
  not 
  appear 
  above 
  ground 
  before 
  September 
  2.5, 
  I 
  -believe 
  the 
  fly 
  

   could 
  be 
  effectually 
  starved 
  out. 
  — 
  [I. 
  P. 
  Roberts, 
  professor 
  of 
  agriculture, 
  Cornell 
  

   University, 
  in 
  the 
  Biiral 
  New 
  YorJccr, 
  September 
  8, 
  1877. 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  this 
  (the 
  second 
  or 
  spring) 
  brood 
  of 
  worms, 
  the 
  lower 
  joints 
  of 
  

   the 
  wheat 
  are 
  weakened, 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  formed, 
  and 
  the 
  growth 
  is 
  heavy, 
  

   the 
  weakened 
  joints 
  give 
  way 
  and 
  the 
  wheat 
  falls 
  over, 
  or, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  commonly 
  ex- 
  

   pressed, 
  it 
  ''crinkles." 
  If 
  but 
  few 
  larvui 
  are 
  at 
  work, 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  some 
  kernels 
  of 
  

   grain 
  in 
  the 
  heads 
  thus 
  aftected, 
  but 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  more 
  or 
  lessi 
  shrunken. 
  If 
  the 
  insects 
  

   are 
  plenty, 
  the 
  head 
  seldom 
  "fills," 
  and 
  the 
  field 
  looks 
  as 
  if 
  cattle 
  or 
  something 
  else 
  

   had 
  passed 
  though 
  it, 
  tangling 
  up 
  and 
  throwing 
  down 
  the 
  straw 
  in 
  every 
  direction. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  thus 
  two 
  generations 
  of 
  the 
  Hessian 
  Fly 
  each 
  year, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  subsists 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  always 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  roots, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  at 
  some 
  joint 
  above, 
  and 
  

   never 
  at 
  the 
  root. 
  If 
  the 
  wheat 
  could 
  be 
  fed 
  off 
  by 
  sheep 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  between 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  and 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  their 
  hatching, 
  this 
  remedy 
  would 
  be 
  perfect. 
  Unfor- 
  

   tunately, 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  then 
  young, 
  and 
  farmers 
  do 
  not 
  like 
  to 
  risk 
  thus 
  feeding 
  it 
  off". 
  

   The 
  only 
  remedy 
  left, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  to 
  sow 
  so 
  late 
  that 
  the 
  wheat 
  will 
  not 
  appear 
  above 
  

   ground 
  before 
  October 
  1. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  added 
  risk 
  of 
  winter-killing, 
  

   because 
  the 
  plants 
  have 
  not 
  time 
  enough 
  to 
  get 
  well 
  rooted 
  before 
  winter. 
  On 
  well- 
  

   drained, 
  rich 
  land, 
  this 
  danger 
  is 
  greatly 
  prevented, 
  and 
  therefore 
  late 
  sowing 
  and 
  

   thorough 
  farming 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  enly 
  available 
  means 
  yet 
  discovered 
  to 
  avoid 
  great 
  

  

  