﻿[4] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  cerned 
  to 
  examine 
  their 
  wheat 
  fields 
  iu 
  time, 
  as 
  delays 
  may 
  prove 
  dangerous; 
  and 
  if 
  

   they 
  discover 
  their 
  fields 
  infested 
  with 
  the 
  insect, 
  it 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  too 
  late 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  

   above 
  example. 
  

  

  The 
  insect 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  resembles 
  a 
  small 
  flaxseed, 
  rather 
  of 
  a 
  rounder 
  shape, 
  but 
  

   now 
  mostly 
  appears 
  of 
  a 
  white 
  colour, 
  and 
  rather 
  longer 
  than 
  when 
  in 
  their 
  brown 
  

   colour. 
  They 
  lay 
  mostly 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  between 
  the 
  first, 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  blades 
  

   near 
  the 
  root, 
  above 
  the 
  ground, 
  sometimes 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  spire 
  near 
  the 
  root. 
  

  

  To 
  THE 
  Printers 
  of 
  the 
  Pennsylvania 
  Packet. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  wheat 
  by 
  the 
  Hessian 
  Fly, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  called, 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   neighbouring 
  governments 
  for 
  some 
  years 
  past 
  and 
  their 
  penetrating 
  so 
  far 
  into 
  this 
  

   State, 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  harvest, 
  are 
  alarming 
  circumstances, 
  and 
  especially 
  to 
  the 
  

   farmers, 
  your 
  publishing 
  the 
  following 
  remarks 
  on 
  that 
  interesting 
  subject, 
  we 
  flatter 
  

   ourselves, 
  will 
  be 
  agreeable 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  your 
  readers 
  and 
  probably 
  convey 
  some 
  use- 
  

   ful 
  information 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  them, 
  which 
  may 
  conduce 
  towards 
  alleviating 
  or 
  lessening 
  

   so 
  great 
  a 
  calamity 
  ; 
  if 
  it 
  should 
  in 
  some 
  measure 
  serve 
  this 
  good 
  purpose, 
  the 
  end 
  we 
  

   have 
  in 
  view 
  will 
  be 
  answered. 
  

  

  JAMES 
  VAUX. 
  

   JOHN 
  JACOB. 
  

  

  Providence, 
  Montgomery 
  Co., 
  Pa., 
  

  

  Eighth 
  Mo., 
  16th. 
  1788. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  7th 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  month 
  we 
  left 
  home 
  on 
  a 
  tour 
  to 
  Jersey 
  and 
  Long 
  Island, 
  

   in 
  New 
  York 
  government, 
  to 
  inquire 
  into 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  that 
  destractive 
  insect, 
  and 
  

   what 
  remedy 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  baneful 
  consequences 
  in 
  these 
  parts 
  ; 
  

   likewise 
  to 
  make 
  inquiry 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  sagacious 
  and 
  intelligent 
  practical 
  

   farmers, 
  who 
  have 
  declined 
  sowing 
  wheat, 
  what 
  mode 
  of 
  cropping 
  they 
  have 
  adopted 
  

   in 
  lieu 
  of 
  wheat 
  crops, 
  to 
  make 
  annual 
  returns 
  of 
  cash; 
  and 
  in 
  an 
  especial 
  manner 
  to 
  

   ascertain 
  the 
  true 
  species 
  of 
  bearded 
  wheat 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  by 
  experience 
  effect- 
  

   ually 
  to 
  withstand 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  and 
  to 
  procure 
  samples 
  of 
  the 
  same. 
  The 
  

   following 
  remarks, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  said 
  inquiry, 
  were 
  noted 
  for 
  our 
  own 
  satisfaction 
  

   and 
  now 
  offerd 
  for 
  general 
  information. 
  We 
  find 
  the 
  fly 
  passes 
  itself 
  between 
  the 
  

   outer 
  straw 
  oi 
  husk 
  and 
  the 
  stalk 
  of 
  the 
  wheat 
  until 
  it 
  reaches 
  near 
  the 
  first 
  or 
  lower 
  

   joint, 
  and 
  t^^ere, 
  somewhat 
  like 
  a 
  caterpillar 
  or 
  a 
  twig, 
  fixes 
  its 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  stalk, 
  in 
  

   number 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  eight 
  to 
  fifty 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  growing 
  of 
  them 
  the 
  stalk 
  becomes 
  so 
  com- 
  

   pressed 
  with 
  the 
  adhesion 
  of 
  the 
  cluster 
  and 
  weakened 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  degree, 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  sup- 
  

   port 
  its 
  own 
  weight, 
  consequently 
  falls 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  the 
  crop 
  is 
  irremediably 
  

   lost. 
  

  

  We 
  must 
  leave 
  to 
  naturalists 
  to 
  develop 
  and 
  describe 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  ; 
  but 
  

   to 
  us 
  it 
  appears 
  unlikely 
  that 
  any 
  means, 
  within 
  the 
  bounds 
  of 
  human 
  wisdom, 
  will 
  be 
  

   found 
  to 
  destroy 
  it, 
  or 
  to 
  tincture 
  the 
  wheat 
  stalks 
  with 
  any 
  noxious 
  quality 
  sufficient 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  the 
  fly 
  from 
  preferring 
  the 
  common 
  wheat 
  stalks 
  to 
  deposite 
  their 
  eggs 
  for 
  

   the 
  continuance 
  of 
  their 
  species. 
  We 
  therefore 
  conclude, 
  from 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  intelligent 
  farmers 
  and 
  millers 
  with 
  whom 
  we 
  conversed, 
  that 
  none 
  but 
  unin- 
  

   formed 
  or 
  obstinate 
  men 
  will 
  attempt 
  sowing 
  the 
  common 
  wheat 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  

   of 
  the 
  fly, 
  unless 
  corhpelled 
  thereto 
  by 
  necessity. 
  But 
  this 
  need 
  not 
  intimidate 
  the 
  

   farmers 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  from 
  proceeding 
  in 
  a 
  regular 
  course 
  of 
  wheat 
  crops, 
  as 
  the 
  fatherly 
  

   care 
  of 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  His 
  providence 
  even 
  in 
  this 
  instance, 
  when 
  

   the 
  wisdom 
  of 
  His 
  dependent 
  creatures 
  evidently 
  proves 
  insufficient, 
  has 
  interposed 
  

   and 
  made 
  provisiftn 
  for 
  man's 
  comfortable 
  subsistence, 
  without 
  obliging 
  him 
  to 
  de- 
  

   viate 
  from 
  his 
  usual 
  practice 
  of 
  tillage 
  or 
  his 
  sustaining 
  much 
  loss 
  or 
  even 
  disappoint- 
  

   ment, 
  but 
  only 
  requires 
  his 
  timely 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  proffered 
  remedy 
  ; 
  which 
  seems 
  

   to 
  consist 
  of 
  seed-wheat 
  of 
  a 
  peculiar 
  species 
  and 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  procured 
  in 
  due 
  time. 
  

  

  Isaac 
  Underbill 
  of 
  Long 
  Island, 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  had 
  his 
  wheat 
  destroyed 
  by 
  

   the 
  fly, 
  consequently 
  had 
  not 
  any 
  for 
  seed 
  ; 
  but 
  being 
  ^ 
  miller, 
  took 
  some 
  out 
  of 
  his 
  

   mill, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  purchased 
  from 
  on 
  board 
  a 
  ship 
  at 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1780 
  

   or 
  1781 
  ; 
  this 
  he 
  sowed 
  and 
  reaped 
  therefrom 
  upwards 
  of 
  20 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre, 
  when 
  

   few, 
  if 
  any 
  of 
  his 
  neighbours, 
  for 
  some 
  miles 
  round 
  had 
  any 
  to 
  reap, 
  it 
  being 
  destroyed 
  

   by 
  the 
  fly; 
  and 
  he, 
  being 
  an 
  observing 
  man, 
  immediately 
  concluded 
  that 
  this 
  wheat 
  

   must 
  possess 
  some 
  peculiar 
  quality, 
  therefore 
  caused 
  his 
  whole 
  crop 
  to 
  be 
  thrashed 
  

   out 
  and 
  disposed 
  of 
  it 
  to 
  his 
  neighbours 
  in 
  small 
  quantities 
  for 
  seed. 
  This 
  wheat 
  they 
  

   have 
  now 
  sowed 
  for 
  6 
  or 
  7 
  years 
  past 
  and 
  Isaac 
  has 
  never 
  reaped 
  less 
  than 
  10 
  bushels 
  

   from 
  the 
  acre 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  unfavorable 
  seasons, 
  but 
  generally 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  30 
  bushels. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  yellow, 
  plump, 
  full 
  grain, 
  with 
  a 
  white 
  beard 
  and 
  white 
  chaff, 
  weighing 
  from 
  59 
  

   to 
  63 
  pounds 
  the 
  bushel. 
  

  

  The 
  millers, 
  Isaac 
  and 
  Andrew 
  Underbill, 
  informed 
  us 
  that 
  it 
  w^s, 
  in 
  their 
  opinion, 
  

   equal 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  red 
  wheat 
  ; 
  and 
  to 
  us, 
  who 
  observed 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  farmer's 
  eye, 
  it 
  appears 
  

   a 
  perfect 
  grain, 
  much 
  like 
  the 
  yellow 
  Skippack 
  wheat, 
  so 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  by 
  our 
  

  

  