F. M. CAMPBELL—THE HESSIAN" FLY. 
181 
for Mr. Palmer, senior, informs me that he had noticed during the 
last three seasons that his barley was more “ root-fallen ” than 
might be expected, and it was this appearance which ultimately 
led to the discovery of the real cause. 
The dissemination of information amongst farmers and agri¬ 
cultural labourers as to the character of the attack is the initial 
step towards the adoption of precautionary measures, and it is 
somewhat amusing to an entomologist to find that, in accordance 
with their instructions, the veterinary inspectors were making 
inquiries in the dark of farmers last September whether the 
Hessian fly had been found in their district, before either the 
inspectors themselves or the farmers knew the indications of its 
presence or what to look for. The United Kingdom enjoys con¬ 
siderable immunity from the ravages of insect pests as compared 
with most other countries, and this may account for the inaptitude 
of the Privy Council when laudably endeavouring to defend agri¬ 
cultural interests from such attacks. Thus, in 1877, when it 
was believed that the crop of potatoes was endangered by the 
arrival of Colorado beetles at Liverpool on a cattle boat from Texas, 
it was ordered that any one finding such an insect must, under a 
penalty, give notice “with all practicable speed” to a “constable 
of the locality.” 
Distribution. 
The first chronicled serious ravages of this fly occurred in 
America in the year 1779, when, according to Dr. Asa Fitch,* 
“the crops of wheat were severely injured or wholly destroyed by 
it in Kings and Richmond Counties.” The same author considers 
that the fly is not indigenous to his country, and that it was in¬ 
troduced, probably with the straw used in packing, by the British 
reinforcement of 12,000 Hessian troops who landed in August, 
1776, on Staten and the west end of Long Island. This theory 
has, however, been shown by Wagner f to he untenable, as being 
opposed to the developmental history of the insect. Further, 
Hagen J states that the old Minutes of the American Philosophical 
Society, which were in 1885 in course of publication, contain two 
papers read in 1768 on the damage done to wheat by the Hessian 
fly, and the Secretary of the Society wrote to Hagen on the 1st of 
April, 1884 : “The term came into use in Pennsylvania from the 
early German emigrants long before the revolution. I am sure the 
term occurs in Pennsylvania gazettes long prior to that period.” 
The appearance of the Hessian fly on Long Island evidently was 
but accidentally contemporaneous with that of the Hessian troops. 
It was not exceptional about the time of the American revolution 
for each party to attach by way of opprobrium the name of their 
opponents to an injurious insect. Thus, the friends of the British 
Government in Maryland spoke of a “Revolution Ply,” and it is 
* ‘The Hessian Fly,’ 1847, p. 12. 
f ‘ Untersuchungen iiber die neue Getreidegallmiicke,’ B. Wagner, p. 25. A 
translation of this paper is in the appendix to 3rd Report U. S.. Entomological 
Commission. f ‘ Canadian Entomologist,! vol. xyii, ,p. 84. 
