STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
299 
Society, for the purpose of collecting information concerning the 
ravages of the wheat midge. I am happy to render any service 
which will assist in so important a matter. 
To query 1. I answer to best information and recollection : 
Their first appearance was about thirty years ago in my county. 
They pretty steadily increased from year to year ; their ravages 
more and more destructive for some twelve or fifteen years, when 
our farmers were obliged to abandon wheat growing entirely. 
Some few farmers, the two years past, have ventured to sow a 
little wheat, both winter and spring wheat, and I have had good 
crops; no trouble with the midge; we consider they were north¬ 
ern emigrants. 
2. I am not prepared to answer to a certainty. 
3. The two years last past, I have heard no complaint of any 
injury by them. 
4. I have no recollection of anything of the kind, and presume 
I may safely say no. 
5. No other grains have been injured by them. 
6. No varieties escaped, although it was always understood that 
the bearded varieties were injured the least. 
7. Wheat growing on uplands were invariably injured less than 
upon lowlands. 
8. It would be a difficult matter to get at the damages sustained 
by the farmers of Dutchess, during the twelve or fifteen years 
that they were trying to raise wheat — and getting straw instead 
of wheat. It must be, however, a very large amount ; but after 
abandoning the raising of wheat entirely, and giving their atten¬ 
tion to other crops and grass, I am of the opinion their farms have 
yielded a better profit than they ever did by growing wheat. 
9. I don't know of any remedy, unless by refusing to raise 
wheat to feed them. We have starved them out. 
10. Don’t know of anything of the kind. 
11. During the time that wheat was generally sown, it fre¬ 
quently happened that it was much injured by the Hessian fly. 
12. I hope we have got rid of them. 
Yours, respectfully, 
STEPHEN HAIGHT. 
JAS. S. WADSWORTH, Esq., — Geneseo, Livingston Co. 
My Dear Sir — I hope your other correspondents have been more 
attentive than I have to your excellent wheat midge circular. I 
