STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY . 
SOI 
3. It has not totally disappeared at any time. 
4. Before the midge came do not recollect in this section of any 
injury to wheat similar to this, (but, in Schoharie county , my father 
says, in about 1835-6, a worm a quarter inch long, white, brown 
head, appeared in wheat heads and roughed them, or the birds did 
it in catching the worms, but they have not appeared since. 
Father died twenty years since in that county.) 
5. Summer barley, red clover and mullen, have been infested by 
this insect; most in 1854. 
6. No variety of wheat has escaped. 
*1. Dry hilly uplands very perceptibly less affected than lowlands. 
8. As to damage, can't say very definite ; this year not much, 
as no great breadth was sown; but it is safe to say that the 
wheat crop product here, since 1852, is less than one-fourth of a 
full crop annually, before or without the midge. I mean to say 
in my answer to this, that probably less than one-fourth of the 
wheat has been produced, that would have been, had there been 
no midge ; but as to the damage itself, it would be hard to deter¬ 
mine, as much of the land upon which wheat would have been 
sown, has been put to other more sure crops ; besides, my expe¬ 
rience is, that where I could get thirty bushels white wheat, I 
could get only twenty to twenty-two bushels of Mediterranean. 
The loss or damage to our county is hard to over estimate, caused by 
this yellow mite. 
9. As to remedies, early sowing on drylands and early varieties 
most successful, but no effectual remedy. 
10. I have no knowledge of any parasites; report says there 
are such, but never have discovered any. 
11. Too early sowing, to escape the midge, has the tendency to 
encourage the Hessian fly, and in some instances has done so. 
(First a white, changing to a flax seed form and color, near the 
root.) This destroyed my spring wheat, June, 1855. 
Yours, JOSEPH WATSON. 
December 20, 1858. 
HON. G. DENNISTON— Prattsburgh, Steuben Co. 
January , 21, 1859. 
B. P. Johnson, Esq : 
Dear Sir — I received your circular soliciting information 
respecting the ravages of the weevil or wheat midge, in Steuben 
Co. I have delayed my reply until all the facts in relation to 
the crop of 1858 could be collected. These, I can assure you, 
