Octobe 



r i. 



1891] 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



77 



to enter the ground and complete its changes. The 

 perfect insects, forming the second brood, emerge 

 from the ground just as the second crop of clover is 

 coming into flower, and the females lay their eggs 

 amongst the forming blossoms. From these eggs 

 hatch minute, pink, legless maggots, which penetrate 

 the pod and destroy the seed. About the time the 

 seed is ripe they leave the clover and enter the ground, 

 to pass the winter and emerge again the next spring 

 just at the same time the clover comes into flower. 



3. Hessian Fly (Cecidomyia destructor, Say). — 

 Two or three small whitish maggots embedded in the 

 crown of winter wheat, or, in summer, just above the 

 first or second joint. When full grown these maggots 

 harden and turn brown, when they resemble small 

 flax seeds. These change to small smoky-winged 

 gnats, which appear in spring and autumn. The vast 

 losses due to this insect are too well known to farmers, 

 and even then there is no doubt that only a small 

 proportion of the damage is recognised as caused by it. 



Remedies. — (i.) Delay sowing winter wheat until 

 after the third week in September, so that it does not 

 come up until after the last brood of the Hessian Fly 

 has disappeared ; (ii.) Burn all rubbish from the 

 threshing machine : in this way many of the flax seeds 

 or pupse will be destroyed as well as many weed seeds ; 

 (iii 1 Harrow the stubble directly the crop is carried, 

 so as to start a volunteer crop for the flies to lay their 

 eggs upon — this latter to be ploughed in early in 

 September; (iv.) Apply special fertilizers in spring to 

 help a weak or injured crop to overcome the injury. 



4. The Pea Weevil (Bruchus fiisi, L.) — A small, 

 brownish-grey, very active beetle, \ inch long, with 

 two conspicuous black spots on the end of the body, 

 which emerges from seed pease in autumn or in spring, 

 leaving a small round hole. The egg is laid on the 

 young pod and the grub eats its way into the pea, 

 where it passes all ils stages, emerging the same 

 autumn or the following spring. 



Remedies. — (i). Clean seed. Of great importance 

 is sowing uninfested seed. When weevily pease are 

 sown as seed the beetles emerge soon afterwards, and 

 remain about the fields feeding on the plants until the 

 young pods are formed. It is sometimes alleged that 

 weevily pease are almost as good for seed as sound 

 grain, and that the insect will not thrive in the colder 

 parts of Canada. The use of weevily pease as seed 

 is a great mistake, the germ of a very large proportion 

 being, as a rule, destroyed, and those, which do ger- 

 minate producing weak plants. Although I have 

 found that extreme cold (below 15° below zero, Fah.) 

 certainly killed the weevils in two samples of pease, it 

 would be a most unjustifiable experiment to introduce 

 infested seed into a district, trusting to the climate to 

 destroy the weevils. In addition to this, the crop 

 grown the first year from the infested seed would 

 certainly be much injured. 



(ii.) Bisulphide of Carbon. — When seed is known 

 to be infested there are several ways of destroying the 

 contained insects. The remedy most widely used 

 by seedsmen, who have all the conveniences, is to 

 place the seed to be treated in some close vessel and 

 subject it to the vapour of bisulphide of carbon. This 

 chemical vaporises when exposed to the air, and the 

 vapour is so much heavier than air that it will run 



down through the mass of any seed upon the top of 

 which it has been placed, and will destroy all contai- 

 ned insects. The quantity required is small, \ lb. 

 being enough to disinfect 3 cwt. of pease. The 

 method of using it is to place the grain in a perfectly 

 tight bin or barrel, and then pour some of the bisul- 

 phide into a shallow vessel and place it on the top, 

 put on the cover and keep it tightly closed for 

 forty-eight hours. The bisulphide does not injure 

 the seed in any way, but it must be used with care, 

 on account of its extreme inflammability. The seed 

 must be emptied out, out of doors, and no light 

 must be brought near it or an explosion will occur. 



(iii.) Warm Storage. — If seed pease are stored in a 

 warm room, in bags of canvas or strong paper, 

 during the winter the weevils will emerge and die 

 before the seed is required for sowing. 



(iv.) Holding over Seed. — Pease can be held over 

 until the second year after harvesting without injury, 

 and the defective skin can be sorted out before 

 sowing. 



(v.) Soaking. — If seed be found to contain weevils 

 at the time of sowing, and it is inconvenient to hold 

 it over, the weevils can be drowned by placing the 

 seed in soak for twelve hours before sowing. It 

 must, however, be sown or dried at once, when taken 

 out of the water. 



5. Wheat Midge, "Weevil" {Diplosis tritici, 

 Kirby). — Several small reddish maggots, \ inch long, 

 crowding around the grains of wheat in the ear and 

 causing them to shrivel. Some of these, when full 

 grown, fall to the ground and pass the winter beneath 

 the surface. Others remain in the ears of wheat and 

 are harvested with the grain, 



Remedies. — (i.) Burn all rubbish and screenings 

 from the threshing machine, particularly in localities 

 where the midge is prevalent, (ii.) Deep ploughing 

 as soon as the crop is carried. 



Wheat-stem Maggot (Meromyza Americana, 

 Fitch). — A glassy-green, slender maggot, \ inch long, 

 which attacks the base of the top joint of barley and 

 wheat, causing the ear to turn white before the rest of 

 the crop is ripe, also occurring in the root-shoots of 

 winter wheat and rye and many grasses, where it passes 

 the winter, to emerge the following spring as an 

 active, yellowish-green fly, \ inch long, with shining 

 green eyes and three dark stripes down the back. 



Remedies. — The same as recommended for No. 1, 

 the American Frit-Fly. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUITS. 



7. Apple Aphis {Aphis malt, Fabr.) — During the 

 winter, small, shining black eggs may be found upon 

 the twigst of apple trees. From these eggs, early in 

 spring, emerge green plant-lice, which attack the 

 leaves. 



Remedy. — Spray the trees, just before the buds 

 burst, with kerosene emulsion. (Remedy II.) 

 Apple Worm. — See Codling Moth. 



8. Beautiful Wood Nymph (Eudryas grata, 

 Fabr). — On grape vines may be found, in the month 

 of August, highly coloured caterpillars with the body 

 blue, ringed with orange bands and fine black lines, 

 head orange and the whole body dotted with black 



