﻿EARLY 
  HISTORY 
  OF 
  HESSIAN 
  FLY 
  IN 
  N. 
  Aj 
  [5] 
  

  

  millers. 
  The 
  fly 
  will 
  reside 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  where 
  this 
  wheat 
  is 
  sown 
  and 
  deposite 
  their 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  the 
  straw, 
  but 
  hardly 
  ever 
  materially 
  injure 
  the 
  crop. 
  The 
  only 
  instance 
  we 
  

   heard 
  of 
  was 
  a 
  widow 
  woman 
  procured 
  one 
  single 
  bushel 
  of 
  this 
  yellow 
  bearded 
  

   wheat 
  and 
  sowed 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  field 
  with 
  the 
  common 
  sort 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  

   quantity 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  field 
  ; 
  when 
  the 
  fly 
  had 
  destroyed 
  the 
  common, 
  

   they 
  attacked 
  the 
  bearded 
  in 
  very 
  great 
  numbers, 
  the 
  crop 
  was 
  much 
  hurt, 
  yet 
  

   notwithstandiug 
  she 
  reaped 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  bushels 
  from 
  the 
  1 
  bushel 
  sown. 
  A 
  man 
  at 
  some 
  

   distance 
  from 
  the 
  said 
  widow's 
  sowed 
  a 
  field 
  with 
  the 
  yellow 
  bearded 
  wheat, 
  the 
  fly 
  

   destroyed 
  all 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  fields 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  sort 
  and 
  seemed 
  to 
  collect 
  in 
  his 
  

   plentifully 
  ; 
  from 
  their 
  appearance 
  he 
  concluded 
  his 
  crop 
  would 
  be 
  destroyed 
  ; 
  this 
  

   man 
  reaped 
  about 
  20 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre. 
  We 
  found 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  general 
  opinion 
  there,, 
  

   that 
  this 
  wheat 
  stands 
  the 
  winter 
  better 
  and 
  escapes 
  the 
  mildews 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  sort 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  ought 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  sowed 
  earlier 
  than 
  the 
  second, 
  third 
  or 
  fourth 
  

   weeks 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  month, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  progress 
  the 
  fly 
  has 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  neighbour- 
  

   hood 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  sown 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found, 
  by 
  observation, 
  that 
  the 
  fly 
  deposite 
  

   their 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  if 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  suffered 
  to 
  grow 
  into 
  stalks 
  before 
  the 
  cold 
  

   weather 
  pinches 
  them, 
  as 
  the 
  plant, 
  even 
  of 
  this 
  wheat, 
  is 
  then 
  too 
  tender 
  to 
  resist 
  

   the 
  spear 
  of 
  the 
  fly, 
  if 
  any 
  has, 
  or 
  bear 
  the 
  compression 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   deposited 
  at 
  that 
  early 
  period 
  are 
  most 
  likely 
  to 
  injure 
  the 
  stalk 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  before 
  

   it 
  has 
  acquired 
  a 
  sufficient 
  degree 
  of 
  firmness. 
  The 
  straw 
  of 
  this 
  wheat 
  appears 
  

   nearly 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  texture 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  rice 
  and 
  is 
  injured 
  by 
  the 
  fly 
  neither 
  more 
  

   nor 
  less 
  than 
  it. 
  The 
  fly 
  still 
  abounds 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  as 
  rife 
  as 
  ever, 
  yet 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  

   understand 
  any 
  material 
  injury 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  them 
  save, 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  wheat. 
  

  

  Isaac 
  Underbill 
  lives 
  near 
  E'lushing 
  on 
  Long 
  Island, 
  is 
  a 
  farmer 
  and 
  miller, 
  and 
  a 
  

   person 
  worthy 
  of 
  having 
  the 
  fullest 
  credit 
  given 
  to 
  his 
  opinion 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  case 
  ; 
  

   he 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  person 
  who 
  discovered 
  the 
  peculiar 
  benefit 
  of 
  sowing 
  this 
  kiud 
  of 
  

   yellow 
  bearded 
  wheat, 
  has 
  taken 
  considerable 
  pains 
  to 
  spread 
  the 
  beneficial 
  effects 
  

   around 
  him 
  ; 
  and 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  his 
  philanthropy 
  induces 
  him 
  to 
  promote 
  the 
  general 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  this 
  invaluable 
  grain. 
  

  

  Andrew 
  Underbill 
  lives 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  is 
  estimed 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  veracity, 
  

   is 
  concerned 
  in 
  several 
  mills, 
  took 
  methods 
  early 
  to 
  introduce 
  the 
  bearded 
  wheat 
  for 
  seed 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighbourhoods 
  from 
  which 
  his 
  mills 
  had 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  supplied; 
  the 
  consequence 
  

   has 
  been, 
  he 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  full 
  quantity 
  for 
  his 
  use 
  ever 
  since, 
  and 
  his 
  wish 
  is, 
  that 
  the 
  

   public 
  generally 
  may 
  be 
  supplied 
  with 
  seed. 
  We 
  had 
  our 
  information 
  from 
  many 
  

   persons 
  on 
  the 
  spot, 
  especially 
  from 
  the 
  two 
  mentioned 
  and 
  from 
  them 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  

   promise 
  of 
  sixty 
  bushels 
  of 
  seed 
  for 
  ourselves, 
  the 
  present 
  season 
  and 
  are 
  happy 
  to 
  in- 
  

   form 
  our 
  neighbours, 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  promised 
  to 
  procure 
  what 
  is 
  in 
  their 
  power 
  for 
  any 
  

   of 
  them, 
  who, 
  from 
  inclination 
  or 
  apparent 
  necessity 
  may 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  send 
  for 
  it. 
  

  

  We 
  found 
  no 
  instance 
  of 
  any 
  farmer 
  substituting 
  other 
  crops 
  in 
  lieu 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  

   but 
  one, 
  of 
  any 
  having 
  common 
  wheat, 
  so 
  as 
  constantly 
  to 
  withstand 
  the 
  fly. 
  The 
  

   method 
  he 
  pursued 
  was, 
  to 
  cover 
  it 
  with 
  sea- 
  weed 
  or 
  straw, 
  soon 
  after 
  it 
  came 
  up. 
  It 
  

   appears 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  as 
  in 
  all 
  others, 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  general 
  rule 
  without 
  exception 
  ; 
  

   some 
  injury 
  having 
  been 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  bearded 
  wheat, 
  though 
  so 
  little, 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  

   the 
  least 
  weight 
  with 
  a 
  person 
  of 
  reflection 
  ; 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  some 
  spots 
  of 
  the 
  

   other 
  wheat 
  has 
  been 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  fly, 
  but 
  this 
  happened 
  so 
  

   seldom 
  that 
  a 
  prudent 
  man 
  will 
  hardly 
  run 
  the 
  risk, 
  when 
  he 
  may, 
  with 
  great 
  proba- 
  

   bility 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  small 
  additional 
  expence, 
  propose 
  to 
  himself 
  a 
  crop 
  equal 
  to 
  what 
  kind 
  

   Providence 
  has 
  been 
  pleased 
  heretofore 
  to 
  bless 
  him 
  with. 
  — 
  [From 
  the 
  Pennsylvania 
  

   Packet 
  and 
  Daily 
  Advertiser, 
  Thursday, 
  August 
  21, 
  1788 
  

  

  