256 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Aug. 
stumps of trees,- they have an astringent styptic taste 
and a pungent and often nauseous odor; they become 
blue after being cut; they are moist on the surface; 
they possess an orange or rose-red oolor, they turn 
yellow when salted. Mushrooms which possess any of 
these properties, are to be shunned as dangerous.— Ca¬ 
nadian Agriculturist. 
The Wheat Midge. —Ceddomyia tritici. 
This insect, whose appearance in this country was 
first noticed about thirty years ago, has been gradually 
spreading westward. For several years, while it was 
committing great injury in some of the New England 
States, and in Lower Canada, it was not seen in the 
Mohawk valley. The period of its appearance in West¬ 
ern New York is still more recent. No farther west 
than Syracuse, no particular complaint was heard in re¬ 
gard to it, till 1846, when the wheat crop was report¬ 
ed to have been so much damaged by it, that the cul¬ 
ture of that grain was considerably lessened in conse¬ 
quence, the succeeding season. The present season we 
hear of its ravages in the Genesee valley, and in the 
state of Ohio. It has doubtless prevailed more or less 
in those sections for several years, but not in such num¬ 
bers as to attract notice from the damage it occasioned. 
Jn 1843, the writer of this article discovered a few 
specimens of this insect in the interior of Ohio. The 
present season the wheat crop in some sections of that 
state has been seriously alfec-ted by it. The Ohio 
Cultivator says—Some entire fields, which promised 
well at the time of blossoming, are wholly destroyed by 
this new devastator.” The same insect is said to have 
attacked the oat crop also, which, in some instances, 
has been much injured by it. 
The great inquiry, of course is, for some defence 
against so formidable an enemy. Where the insect has 
formerly prevailed, various means have been used to 
ward off its attacks. As regards spring wheat, we be¬ 
lieve the most successful expedient has been late sow¬ 
ing. If sowed the last of May or first of June, the crop 
would not come into bloom till the insect had gone, or 
ceased to do damage. An opposite expedient was found, 
best for winter wheat. It was observed that the earli¬ 
est was least injured by the insect; and this suggested 
the idea of sowing early varieties, early in the season, 
where winter wheat was cultivated. Hence the Medi¬ 
terranean , an early variety of winter wheat, was found 
to escape in a great degree, when later kinds were 
destroyed. It was beyond the state to be injured by 
the midge, at the time of its attack. 
This kind of wheat was first introduced here on ac¬ 
count of its properties in resisting the attacks of the 
Hessian fly— Ceddomyia destructor ; but its compara¬ 
tive exemption from injury by this insect, was from a 
quality quite different from that by which it escaped 
the midge; it was thought to be owing to the leaf or 
sheath adhering so closely and firmly to the stalk, that 
the worms, which are hatched in the furrows of the 
leaf, were unable to obtain a lodgement within the 
sheath—the latter being the natural situation for its 
principal growth and perfection. For several years af¬ 
ter the introduction of this variety, it seemed to be al¬ 
most proof against the Hessian fly; but latterly, as we 
are told, it appears to have lost, in becoming acclima¬ 
ted, more or less of the peculiar property for which it 
was at nrst so highly valued. 
The Black-sea wheat is a spring variety, which has 
been cultivated with advantage in sections where the 
midge has prevailed. The reason of its success is, that 
it bears late sowing better, with less liability to rust, 
than other varieties. 
Thus it is seen that it is on account of opposite qual¬ 
ities that certain kinds of winter wheat and spring 
wheat escape the midge, and that these qualities are 
still different from the quality which exempts one va¬ 
riety from injury by the Hessian fly. 
We would suggest the importance of attention to the 
proper names of insects. Confounding several species 
under the same name, is a common error. For instance* 
the wheat midge is spoken of as the fly”—a term 
which, by common consent, has been almost universally 
given to the Hessian fly—a different species from the 
midge, and very different in its habits and manner of 
attacking the wheat crop. In other instances the midge 
is called “ the weevil,” “ wheat worm,” &c.—names 
which have been given to very different insects. A lit¬ 
tle study of the important science of entomolog} 1 -, would 
prevent this confusion, and enable all to converse or 
correspond understf.ndingly in regard to different in¬ 
sects, and the best modes of preventing their ravages. 
There are various parasitical insects which attack and 
destroy the. Hessian fly and the wheat midge. The 
most important in regard to the former, is a fly call Ce- 
raphron destructor. We do not know that this insect 
has ever been known to attack the wheat midge. A 
writer in a late number of the North British Agricul¬ 
turist, speaks of a beetle which he had found within the 
glumes of wheat, stinging the larvae of the midge.—- 
He supposes the beetle to have been the Ceraphron de¬ 
structor, which must be a mistake, as that insect is de¬ 
scribed by entomologists as & four-winged fly. 
But the parasites of the wheat midge, are probably 
but imperfectly known in this country. Dr. Fitch, in 
his essay, published in the N. Y. State Society’s Tran¬ 
sactions for 1845, observes that four or more species are 
known abroad, which destroy the worm or larvae of the 
midge. 
Dr. F. states that one of the most effective destroy¬ 
ers of this insect, in this country, is the common yellow 
bird. He observes: 
u Fields much infested by the insect, have been for 
many years recognized even by passers on the highway 
contiguous to them, by the rough and ragged aspect 
of the heads of the grain. I am not aware that the 
cause of this peculiar appearance has ever been stated 
in any of the communications that have appeared in our 
agricultural papers. It results from the operations of 
this bird. Alighting, it adroitly grasps the wheat stalk 
just below the ear, and clinging fearlessly to it, even 
when swayed to and fro by the wind, ( it with its bill 
parts down the chaff from the gr^in, and one after an¬ 
other of the worms to which it thus gains access are 
rapidly picked off and devoured. Thus several heads 
are generally freed from the worms, ere its repast is 
completed. That it is the worms and not the grain 
that it is in pursuit of, is readily ascertained by an in¬ 
spection of the heads after the bird has left them: many 
of t.he kernels, not being sufficiently loosened to drop to 
the ground by the operation, will be found remaining, 
the maggots that were upon them only ha.ving been 
removed; whilst those kernels of the head which are 
not infested by the worm, are passed over untouched. 
It is curious that this little creature, by a tap with its 
horny bill, or some other process, is enabled to distin¬ 
guish those scales of chaff which conceal so minute a 
worm, from those which do not; a knowledge which 
we only arrive at when we have parted down the chaff. 
A flock, numbering about fifty, embracing both male 
and female birds, appeared to make the field which I 
examined on the 16th of June their constant resort, for 
a period of three weeks or more, where they could be 
seen busily occupied almost constantly every day. The 
number of worms consumed by them during this time 
must have been immense; and I cannot but believe that 
this lovely bird will henceforward be esteemed for its 
utility, as much as it has heretofore been for its beauty.” 
Many artificial modes of destroying this insect have 
been suggested, and more or less tried, most of which 
