182 
F. M. CAMPBELL-THE HESSIAN FLY. 
quite possible tbat the agriculturists of Long Island, enlarging 
upon an already established term, nicknamed their winged enemy 
the “Hessian Fly” to flout the Hessian troops, against whom 
they had a strong animosity. 
In the seed time of 1787 the flies were seen like a cloud coming 
over the Delaware Liver, while during the following harvest they 
entered rooms in Pennsylvania in such numbers as to be exceedingly 
troublesome. The appalling and increasing havoc of the fly excited 
the attention of the Lritish Government, and, after consultation 
with Sir Joseph Banks, an order was issued on the 25th of June, 
1788, prohibiting the entry of wheat from the United States into 
the United Kingdom, although it was still allowed to be stored at 
the different seaports. A few months afterwards our Government 
bought the grain thus stored, kiln-dried it, and sold it at a loss. 
Since 1779 the fly has made steady and rapid progress, and it 
may now he said to infest the whole wheat area of the United 
States and the adjoining parts of Canada.^' Its ravages appear to 
be the greatest in the Central States, and in some localities the 
whole of the crop has heen destroyed. In 1846 the loss of wheat 
from this insect in the western section of the State of Hew York 
was estimated at not less than 500,000 bushels. 
Mr. A. S. Packard, junior, in the third report of the United 
States Entomological Commission, points out that during the last 
90 years there have been five periods marked by an unusual number 
of Hessian flies, namely, about the years 1790, 1817, 1844-1845, 
1871-1872, and 1876-1878, and that after the culmination of the 
greatest abundance they often suddenly disappear. This is not 
unusual with insects, many of which are very dependent on 
favourable seasons, but Mr. Packard considers that in this case it 
is due to the numbers of parasites, to which I will refer hereafter, f 
The first reliable evidence as to this pest in Europe was given by 
Dana, who in 1834 discovered it near Toulon, Haples, and near 
Malon, on the island of Minorca. J In 1857 and 1858 it was met 
with in the provinces of Silesia and Posen, and in Prussia, where 
it was considered to be a new corn-fly, and was described by Loew § 
as a new species, Cecidomyia secalina. This error was pointed out 
by Wagner, |j who chronicled the occurrence in 1860 of the pest in 
Fulda (Hesse Cassel), It is now well known in Germany, Austria, 
Hungary, France, Italy, Lussia, and Sweden. It is, however, 
satisfactory to find from the report on the Hessian fly issued by 
our agricultural department (1886) that this insect has not been at 
any time very troublesome in Europe, except in Germany and 
Austria in 1863 and 1864, and has there hardly been noticed 
during the last 20 years as seriously injurious to crops. 
* It appears that there is “very little of it now in Canada.” See ‘Beport 
on the Hessian Fly,’ 1886, by Charles Whitehead. 
f ‘Third Beport of the U. S. Entomologioal Commission,’ p. 231. 
X ‘ Silliman’s Journal,’ vol. xli, p. 154. 
§ ‘Die neue Kornmade und die Mittel welche gegen sie anzuwenden sind,’ 
II. Loew, 18g9, || ‘ Untersuchungen iibev die neue Getreidegallmucke,’ 
