[ 3-50 ] 



afifwer every purpofe that could be wifhed, without 

 , any pdflihle rifk of hurting the blofibms or fruit. 

 3d. What the farmers call the yellows in wheat, 

 and which they confider as a kind of mildew, is 

 in fact, as I have no doubt but you well know, 

 occafioned by a fmall yellow fly with blue wings, 

 about the fize of a gnat* This blows in the ear of 

 the corn, and produces a worm, almofl invifible to 

 . the naked eye; but being feen through a pocket 

 microfcope, it appears a large yellow maggot of the 

 colour and glofs of amber, and is fo prolific that I 

 laft week diftinclly counted 41 living yellow mag- 

 gots or infects, in the hufk of one fingle grain of 

 wheat, a number fuffictent to eat up and deftroy 

 the corn in a whole ear. I intended to have tryed 

 the following experiment fooner ; but the dry hot 

 weather bringing on the corn fafter than was ex- 

 pected, it was got and getting into fine bloflbms 

 ere I had an opportunity of ordering as I did; 

 but however the next morning at daybreak, two 

 fervants took two bufhes of elder, and went one 

 on each fide of the ridge from end to end, and fo 

 back again, drawing the elder over the ears of corn 

 of fuch fields as were not too far advanced in blof- 

 lbming. I conceived, that the difagreeable effluvia 

 of the elder would effectually prevent thofe flies from 

 pitching their tents in fo noxious a fituation ; nor 

 was I difappointed, for lam firmly perfuaded. that 

 no flies pitched or blowed on the .corn after it had 

 been fo ftruck. But I had the mortification of ob- 

 lerving the flies (the evening before it was {truck) 

 already on the corn (fix, (even or eight, on a fingle 

 £ar).fo that what damage hath accrued, was done 



.before 



