16 
CORN AND GRASS. 
On the 3rd of August Mr. Ashworth, writing from Tabley Grange, 
Knutsford, Cheshire, reported:—“ The whole of the Oats and Wheat of 
this district is attacked, and I fear the yield will be most seriously 
damaged. It is not unlike the ‘ Rose Fly,’ but brown in colour. We 
have had a long continuance of dry weather , with cold east wind.* 
Mr. E. J. Gaskell, Secretary of the Wirral Farmers’ Club, Birken¬ 
head, also in Cheshire, reported, on Sept. 10th:—“ We have had a 
great quantity of black insects in Wheat, Oats, and Barley in the 
district (more than could possibly be eaten off by birds, the heads of 
Wheat being black with them), which has caused quantities of ears to 
shrivel and only yield very small corn, say 5 per cent, loss.” 
Wheat-ears infested by Corn Aphis were forwarded from near 
Knaresboro’, Yorks, with the observation that most of the Wheat in 
that neighbourhood had been affected by the attack ; and on August 
17tli Aphis-infested ears of Wheat were sent from Lumby, S. Milford, 
Yorks, by Mr. R. Gouthwaite, with the mention that the plant-lice had 
been first observed about a fortnight before, when some of the ears 
were “ quite black with them,” and that the ears sent were plucked at 
random from a field of Wheat infested by millions of the insects. It 
was further remarked, “ I have seen them on the Wheat before, but it 
is years since.” 
About the same time (that is, August 10th), Mr. Ralph Lowe noted 
from Sleaford, Lincolnshire :—“ The Wheat-heads are covered with 
what I have always considered to be Aphides, clustered upon many 
heads last evening.” 
Further north the attack was troublesome at the same time. Corn 
Aphides were forwarded by an agricultural correspondent in Edinburgh, 
as specimens of insects which were then proving very injurious to 
cereal crops; and on August 18tli a correspondent at Largo, Fife, 
reported that one of his fields of Wheat had recently “had all the 
appearance of * smut,’ and very badly, too. On examining the heads 
the appearance resolved itself into thousands of small black insects 
tucked into the interstices of the still green heads.” The note further 
added that a heavy shower which had occurred seemed to have 
destroyed them. 
At two localities (respectively in Kent and Herefordshire) the 
attack appeared to be wholly or in part of the true Corn Aphis. 
* The following is a short general description of specimens forwarded from 
Tabley Grange :—The youngest forms or “ lice ” were fawn or brown. The pupae 
brown or chestnut-brown, with the fore body paler, and with a greenish tint; the 
wing-cases (which are at this stage appendages like little fins or flattened spikes 
laid on the sides), were pitchy-black down the middle; the honey-tubes pitchy. 
Winged specimens: Fore body chestnut or somewhat yellow-fawn; abdomen of a 
darker shade of chestnut, and eyes dark chestnut. Wings glassy, not quite trans¬ 
parent, with yellowish nerves. 
