824 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW YORK 
MIDGE. DESTROYERS. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN THE PARASITES. 
and that those which were unstring all remained in the wheat 
ears. This view is undoubtedly in a measure correct. It is from 
those larvae which descend to the ground before harvest, and not 
from those which are remaining in the wheat heads, that these 
parasites are liable tq come. And we thus see how very slight 
the chances are for this parasite to reach this country. Centu¬ 
ries may elapse before any of the earth from old wheat fields will 
happen to be brought to our shores, in which larvae of the midge 
which are infested with this parasite will be lurking. 
It was after the disastrous results of the harvest of 1854, that, 
on giving this subject my most attentive consideration, and weigh¬ 
ing all the facts bearing upon it, I became persuaded that wo had 
not any parasites, or at least any genuine and efficient parasites 
of the midge in this country, and that our only effectual remedy 
for this insect was to import these, its natural destroyers, from 
Europe. I thereupon felt that the position I occupy, might be 
regarded as making it my duty to endeavor to obtain these in¬ 
sects. Accordingly, having previously had some correspondence 
with Mr. Curtis, I addressed a letter to him in May, 1855, chiefly 
on this subject, informing him of the immense amount of damage 
wo were sustaining from the midge here in America, and that 
with us no parasites appeared to accompany this insect to give it 
any check in its destructive career. J suggested the manner in 
which I thought in any place where the midge was present, 
ichneumonized larvae of it might be obtained, and the mode in 
which they could probably be transmitted alive to this country, 
and requested if he knew any person so situated that he could 
conveniently procure and toward to me such larvae, he would do 
me the favor of communicating to him my wishes to obtain them. 
When this letter reached him, Mr. Curtis was occupied in arrang¬ 
ing for a tour upon the continent, with the hope of hereby recov- 
ering those faculties which had become impaired by protracted 
over-exertion. Being President of the London Entomological 
Society, he laid this letter before the Society at its next meeting. 
I have not seen the published proceedings of that meeting, but 
was informed that the subject led to an interesting discussion, 
and the adoption of a resolution to the effect that if any member 
of the Society met with the parasite of the midge, under cir¬ 
cumstances which would enable him to forward it to me, he would 
endeavor to do so. But 1 can readily conceive that this parasite 
