22 
when a fair opportunity was presented him for doing so (as edi- 
tor of Hooper’s Medical Dictionary, &c.) we doubt not, when the 
excitement of the day was past, he deeply regretted that he had 
ever drawn up an article so derogatory to himself as that which 
appears in the Magazine. We should therefore suppress all al- 
lusion to this subject, with the hope that it might pass wholly 
into oblivion, but that the article from the Magazine has of late 
years been copied into some of our agricultural journals, and has 
been referred to in terms of commendation by some names of re- 
spectability. With the currency thus unfortunately given to it, 
it will be read by hundreds who can never see the Vew York 
Gazette, and who will thus deem that one of our most distin- 
guished savans had degraded himself by a paltry attempt to fore- 
stall Mr. Say in giving to this species a technical name. 
Gen. John H. Cocke this year communicated his observations 
to the Albemarle Agricultural Society of Virginia. Having well 
ascertained that the fly deposits its eggs upon the blades of the 
wheat, at from a half to three inches from the central stalk, and 
that these remain there four or five days before they hatch, he 
recommends feeding off the crop, by pasturing sheep upon it; 
thus destroying the eggs, and depriving the fly of its wonted 
place for depositing them. “ A King William Farmer” dissents 
from this advice, and thinks covering the seed to the depth of 
three inches the best safeguard against the fly. “ A Frederick 
County Farmer” and Dr. Merriwether oppose this, and a contro- 
vetsy ensues, reaching through several communications in the 
Richmond Enquirer and National Intelligencer, and afterwards 
continued in the American Farmer, till in 1820 it was brought 
to a close by a valuable article from that distinguished agricul- 
turist, the late James M. Garnett, (American Farmer, vol. ii., p. 
174,) accompanied by an illustration, clearly demonstrating the 
correctness of the statements first put forth by the King William 
Farmer. The facts thus elicited will be more fully considered in 
a subsequent part of this essay. 
In 1820, Edward Tilghman, of Maryland, described (American 
Farmer, ii., 235) the place and mode of deposition of the eggs, 
