290 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW YORK 
quite certain that the culture of wheat will, while the insect re¬ 
mains, prove a very unprofitable business. 
We would earnestly urge upon gentlemen to whom our circu¬ 
lars shall be sent the coming season, to give us all the informa¬ 
tion in their power ; and should there be a response from every 
county, we shall probably be able to compile a table, showing 
the appearance of the insect, the progress made, the time of its 
disappearance, and the extent of its ravages. Surely this would 
prove of great value to us hereafter, and facts may be collected 
which will enable us to adopt some system by which we may 
again be enabled to raise wheat to advantage. J. 
CIRCULAR. 
New York State Agricultural Rooms, ? 
Albany, May , 1858. i 
RAVAGES OF THE “ WHEAT MIDGE,” “ HESSIAN FLY,” AND OTHER 
DEPREDATORS ON WHEAT. 
Wheat Midge. 
The ravages of the wheat midge in this country, so severe and 
continued year after year, forms one of the most important inci¬ 
dents in the history of wheat culture, which has ever occurred. 
And the State of New York is prominent as the scene of the 
depredations of the insect. The statistics returned to the State 
Agricultural society in the year 1854, showed that the farmers of 
this State had that year experienced a loss of several millions of 
dollars from this pest; and in 1857 one of our citizens was injured 
to the amount of several thousand dollars by it; and in some sec¬ 
tions of our State the wheat crop was almost entirely destroyed. 
These facts will serve to indicate to what an extent the wealth 
and prosperity of our State are at present affected from this cause. 
And the Executive Committee of the State Agricultural Society 
feel it to be a duty which they owe to their constituents and pos¬ 
terity, now, when the whole history of this insect and its ravages 
are fresh in recollection, to gather up full information upon these 
topics, and embody the same in a report, which will give a clear 
view of the remarkable career of this insect, its habits and econ¬ 
omy, and will form an authentic record of these important facts 
for reference in all coming time. They therefore issue this cir¬ 
cular, with the earnest hope of hereby obtaining the requisite 
information from each particular district, in all the wheat growing 
sections of the State, not doubting but that the persons to whom 
this circular is directed, will be able, from their own knowledge, 
