176 
THE HESSIAN ELY IN BKITAIN. 
from attack to the young winter wheat-plant, which I am told by 
Prof. Riley is the worst half of the attack in America. 
Further, our British discovery that the “ flaxseeds ” were thrown 
down by our threshing machines amongst the fine light screenings, 
where they might be gathered up and destroyed without any 
appreciable trouble or expense, is of enormous importance. 
Thus we can take up the germ of the coming attack in our hands, 
and burn it in the fire, or choke it in pond mud, and so get rid of it 
thoroughly. It has been advanced that this is dangerous, for we 
may destroy the parasites that would have killed the fly. But why, 
I reply, should we not do this, when if we had a quantity here 
to -day, and I thrust the whole on to a fire, we have done with it; 
if on the other hand I leave it, the Hessian flies develop and fly to 
everybody’s wheat round the place, and then the parasites would 
fly after and doubtless would lay eggs and so prevent a quantity of 
the Hessian maggots turning to Hessian flies. But meanwhile all 
the wheat and barley crops in the neighbourhood would have 
suffered. The present attack would not have been prevented, and 
it would be a very curious thing if all the Hessian maggots had 
received parasitic prevention. The plan has not prevented the 
Hessian fly from wasting and ravaging for more than a hundred 
years in America, and I think that if at this minute I had a heap of 
infested chaff outside this window and asked any of my agricultural 
friends whether we should destroy it, or leave it for the parasites 
to come out and kill the maggots which would be ruining their 
crop towards July, I feel pretty sure that they would themselves 
assist in the operation rather than that I should subject them to 
such an unneighbourly visitation. 
Such is my belief, and I have full confirmation of it from the 
chief authorities on this subject in Russia, Canada, and the United 
States of America. 
