320 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW-YORK 
crops the same that it does ours ? and I was able to give but 
one solution to this query. From all the foreign accounts, it 
appears that whenever the midge becomes so numerous as to bo 
perceptibly injurious, instead of continuing its ravage, it sud¬ 
denly and totally disappears, and in place of it the fields next 
year swarm with the little parasitic bees which have destroyed 
it. But in this country no such parasitic destroyer appears to 
quell it, and I have hence supposed that we have received this 
insect from Europe, whilst its parasitic destroyer has not yet 
reached our shores. Thus we are hence without nature’s 
appointed means for preventing the undue multiplication of this 
insect. We have received the evil without the remedy; and 
hence it is that this little creature revels and riots in this 
country without let or hindrance. As a result of this view, it 
followed that if we could import the parasitic destroyer of this 
insect from Europe, it would here multiply, and check the 
ravage of this pest, the same that it does abroad. This being 
a matter of such vast moment, involving a saving of many mil¬ 
lions of dollars to this country, every year, as I was correspond¬ 
ing with Mr. Curtis, President of the London Entomological 
Society, I addressed him a letter upon this subject, a year ago 
last spring. This letter he laid before the Society, and it formed 
a prominent topic of discussion at one of their meetings, the 
members being astonished to learn the ravage which this insect 
was committing in this country, and they mutually agreed that 
if the midge presented itself to the notice of any one of them, 
so that they could obtain living specimens of its parasite to for¬ 
ward to me, they would do so. In its larva state these parisites 
might readily be sent to this country in a pot of moist earth; 
but as they can only be obtained in season when' the midge is 
abroad in considerable numbers, it may be several years beforo 
we can get it.” 
[We were informed by J. H. Klippart, Secretary of the Board 
of Agriculture, Ohio, that a parasitic insect had been discovered 
there which preyed on the wheat midge. If this should turn 
out to be so, then we shall have an opportunity of testing the 
value of this parasite. As we have not seen the parasite, we 
shall look with interest to the investigations Mr. Klippart is 
making in relation to the wheat midge.] 
