23 



Mr. Samuel Bartley, o£ Edgewood, says: "I think your suspi- 

 cion as to the third brood of the Hessian fly is well founded — I 

 think there is no doubt of it. I have several times plowed my 

 wheat stubble as soon as the wheat was cut — not waiting to take 

 shocks off the ground — and the volunteer wheat was nearly de- 

 stroyed by the fly; and if I neglected to plow the ground the 

 second time, before sowing, I would be nearly sure to fail in 

 raising a crop on account of the fly." 



From Mr. John Marten, of Albion, I had the following reply: 

 "For three seasons past I have found the larvae in considerable 

 numbers on the volunteer wheat after plowing the stuhble under. 

 This was most extensively noticed last August, when I found an 

 abundance of larvae on volunteer wheat wdiere plowing had been 

 done. They were most abundant during the last few days of 

 August and the flrst two weeks of September, after which I was 

 not able to visit the field for some time." 



Hon. David Gore writes from Carlinville: "I have observed the 

 fly in volunteer wheat after the stubble had been plowed, but do 

 not remember seeing it so far advanced as the flaxseed form." 



Mr. F. Helms, of Heinrichtown, a farmer well acquainted with 

 the fly in all its stages, sent me, in reply, the following interest- 

 ing and important information: 



"I have "found the Hessian fly (flaxseed stage) in volunteer 

 wheat every year for more than twenty years, some years in 

 vastly greater numbers than others. The date of the formation 

 of the flaxseeds seemed to depend on the time the w^heat came 

 up. I have seen them in the early part of September. In 1879 

 I sowed, for experiment, some ten acres of wheat about the 20th 

 of August on strong land. The wheat made a quick start, and 

 looked fine and well when about three or four inches high. The 

 flies then deposited their eggs in great numbers, so that it was 

 almost impossible to find a blade free from them. Dry warm 

 weather followed, and the w^ieat was nearly killed by the fly (now 

 in the flaxseed). The warm weather continuing long enough to 

 allow the fly to hatch, the wheat then took a new start and made 

 a fine pasture for sheep during the winter and early sprii]g, and 

 matured a good crop of heavy w4ieat." 



Mr. W. H. Cotter, of Edwardsville, says that he has seen the 

 fly in volunteer wheat in great abundance, — "particularly betw^een 

 the middle and the latter part of September;" and Mr. Jas. R. 

 Miller writes from Caseyville substantially to the same effect. 



Mr. F. C. Krinard, of Bunker Hill, Macoupin county, observed 

 the volunteer wheat to contain the Hessian fly in as great num- 

 bers as wheat sown at any time during the season, if examined 

 four or five weeks after its coming up. 



