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insectivorous birds and also to those of other insects which prey upon them. After 

 a short time the land may be ploughed deeply so as to bury them so deep down that the- 

 flies will be unable to work their way up out of the ground. 



In Miss E. A. Ormerod's " Manual of Injurious Insects and Methods of Prevention," a 

 most excellent little work published in London, England, the following paragraph appears 

 at page 81 : — 



" In Canada it is considered a complete cure to turn down the surface of the field 

 with the Michigan plough, which, with the first turn-furrow, takes off about two inches 

 of the surface, together with the weeds and stubble and the insect vermin in the roots, 

 and deposits them at the bottom of the furrow, whilst the second turn-furrow raises 

 another land slice, and, depositing it over the previous one, buries it several inches deep. 

 If the course of agriculture allows this to be left untouched till after the usual time of 

 appearance of the Wheat Midge in the following year it is found to completely destroy 

 the maggot." 



A remedy which has sometimes been attended with much success is to give up the 

 sowing of fall wheats, which come into flower early, and sow instead spring wheat at 

 such a time that it will not come into ear until after the midges have deposited their 

 eggs. This they must do soon after they appear. With very little trouble and observa- 

 tion, the time of the appearance of the perfect midges in any one locality, can be discov- 

 ered, and when this is known some variety of wheat must be chosen which does not come 

 into ear at this period. Of the different varieties of fall wheat which are recommended 

 for their immunity from the attacks of the midge " The Democrat " is one of the most 

 highly esteemed, Mr. George Oasey, M.P. for West Elgin, even going so far as to say that 

 where this wheat has been grown in the same field with other varieties, it is exempt from 

 attack whilst the others are destroyed. There are other varieties, varying in quality, 

 which are more or less exempt from the attacks of this insect, but so far no first-class 

 variety has been discovered. Many years ago, when the midge was very destructive in 

 Canada, Mr. Arnold produced what was known as "Midge Proof Wheat." This was of 

 poor quality, and he was undertaking a series of experiments in hybridizing it with 

 better varieties when the attacks of the Midge ceased to be troublesome, and he carried, 

 the experiment no further. There is a " Midge Proof Wheat " grown in Nova Scotia 

 by some farmers now, and Mr. James Clark, of Tatamagouche, N.S., who has now grown 

 it for five years, finds it very satisfactory. He says, " it has given me the best satisfac- 

 tion of any variety I ever had, never having been infested with either midge or rust, 

 both of which are very common here. I know of no other variety which is altogether 

 midge and rust proof." 



The adoption of " Midge Proof Wheat," even if a variety of good quality could be. 

 produced, would not effect the total extermination of this pest by starving it out, for 

 although it will by preference lay its eggs in wheat when it can be found in the proper 

 condition ; if this should not be available, it will lay and can pass all its stages in several 

 of our native grasses, particularly "Couch Grass" (Triticum repens, L.), sometimes called 

 " Twitch," " Quack," or " Skutch." This grass is botanically closely allied to the wheat 

 plant. As the insect attacks grasses, it is clear that wherever they grow, around fields, 

 and in fence-corners, they should be cut down and all weeds kept under. 



