38 ANNUAL REPORT OF STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
for some years on their account, while the past six years he had grown it 
successfully. His success, ho thinks,-is not due to dry Junes, but to the 
fact that the midge had disappeared. He doubts, too, if his success is due 
to superior culture, for he used to summer fallow all his land, now he turns 
it over and seeds after barley, and oats, etc., etc. 
T. C. Peters.—So far as white wheat is concerned, the theory of the 
effect of the season upon the ravages of the midge upon it, is correct. But 
the Mediterranean is the only variety that can be grown now safely. Ha 
thinks the white wheat has very much degenerated. 
Other gentlemen present coincided with him in this matter and united in 
asserting that the best mode of redeeming white wheat was to change the 
seed. It was further agreed that the Mediterranean had greatly improved 
by cultivation—that it was “ bleaching out.” 
Mr. Bishop, of Wyoming, asked if early or late sowing had not had to do 
with checking the ravages of the aphis 1 
Dr. Fitch replied, yes. Its ravages are greatest on late sown wheat. 
Late sowing is not advised, if the object is to avoid its ravages. The 
same remark applies conversely to the midge. It does not so seriously 
affect the late as the early sown wheat. 
President Cornell.—Have you observed the aphis in the ground around 
the roots of the barley ? 
Dr. F. had so discovered it. 
Mr. Geddes—Why is it that the midge should have appeared one year, 
and not doubled the second and tripled the third, etc., etc. ? He thought 
the midge was disappearing. 
Dr. Fitch said there were two successive years when the midge disap¬ 
peared, and then the third year appeared again and was very destructive. 
He does not think it was because the midge passed away from the country, 
but because the season was not favorable to its development, or at least 
not favorable to its operations on wheat; it passed to some other grain. 
At this point there was a rambling conversational discussion upon the 
relative value of different varieties of wheat. Much of this the reporter 
was unable to hear. But he heard enough to establish the fact that there 
were many present who believed the Mediterranean the safest and best 
wheat to sow ; that it was improving in character, while the white wheat 
of the Genesee Yallej r was deteriorating. A few claimed that better flour 
could be made from the Mediterranean than from any other wheat. 
