266 FARM CROPS 



place. If grain is well stacked a farmer can be 

 more independent and choose his time for thresh- 

 ing. But if not well stacked it is desirable to 

 thresh as soon as possible, for if heavy rains set in 

 much of the grain will be greatly damaged. 



One successful way to thresh from the shock is 

 for ten or a dozen farmers in one neighborhood to 

 organize a club, get a machine and go to work im- 

 mediately, threshing first for one man, then an- 

 other until each man in his turn has been served. 

 In this way help is paid back at once and the work 

 is over. 



Controlling the Hessian Fly. — This pest causes 

 annually considerable loss in the wheat fields. Vari- 

 ous remedies for its suppression have been sug- 

 gested, but none of them is wholly satisfactory. To 

 be effective, burning the stubble after the crop has 

 been harvested must be done before the flies emerge 

 from the pupal state. In case this plan is to be 

 adopted, the wheat should be cut quite high, so 

 that all the pupae will remain in the stubble. The 

 objection to this of course, is that some of the in- 

 sects have been permitted to mature. Burning the 

 screenings and chaff after threshing may lessen the 

 number to some extent. Another plan is to turn 

 under the stubble after the grain has been re- 

 moved, plowing to a depth of several inches and 

 rolling the ground. The pupas in most cases will be 

 destroyed. 



The food supply for the insects during late sum- 

 mer and early autumn should be destroyed. The 

 fliies emerge during this period, and if the volunteer 

 grain about the stack and in the field is not present 

 eggs cannot be deposited. Destroy the volunteer 

 grain by plowing or pasturing. Some farmers 



