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HESSIAN FLY. 
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especially regarding parasites and altered forms of growth by which the 
winter attack of Hessian Fly maggot in young Corn may be recognised 
if present. 
My first note of Hessian Fly presence in the past season was a 
short remark from Prof. Harker, of the Royal Agricultural College, 
Cirencester, on the 19th of July, “ Hessian Fly very numerous.” 
On the 25th of July, Mr. Geo. E. Palmer, of Revells Hall, near 
Hertford, who it will be remembered was the first observer of this pest 
in England, wrote me in reply to my request for information as to 
amount of attack :— 
“ I have made a careful examination of our Wheat and Barley 
crops with the following result. 
“ Barley .—Damage from the Hessian Fly slight, a few stalks here 
and there being broken down and containing the puparia. 
“ Wheat .—No perceptible damage, although there is occasionally a 
stalk attacked or broken down. On the whole I should say Wheat and 
Barley in this neighbourhood are very little damaged by Hessian Fly. 
It is possible that there is more of the pest in the Barley than can be 
seen by observation now, as the heavy rains have laid the Corn badly, 
and it will not be till the straw is passed through the thrashing- 
machine that we shall be able to see what amount of the puparia there 
is in it. 
“ In my opinion it will only be in dry seasons that we shall 
experience much damage to our crops from this fly.” 
Mr. Palmer’s view, as above stated, of but little damage being done 
by the Hessian Fly, was later on confirmed by the results of thrashing 
two stacks of Barley, of which he sent me a special note, on Oct. 24th, 
in reply to my enquiries :— 
“ Judging from the amount of puparia to be found in the screenings, 
I should say that there was not so much Hessian Fly this year as 
there has been previously, and this receives further confirmation from 
the fact that the yield of Barley is the largest we have had for a good 
many years. I have not been able to ascertain what amount of 
damage has been done on neighbouring farms, but I do not think in any 
case it has been at all serious, or I should no doubt have heard of it.” 
Returning now to the reports of amount of presence on the growing 
crop :—On the 25th of July, Mr. S. L. Mosley, writing from Beaumont 
Park Museum, Huddersfield, observed that he had looked for the 
Hessian Fly repeatedly in that part of Yorkshire, but had not succeeded 
in finding it. 
At the same date, also, Mr. J. Eardley Mason, writing from Alford, 
on the east of Lincolnshire, observed, “I reply to your enquiry 
respecting Hessian Fly that I have found it, both as larvae and 
puparia, in every field I have examined, but sparingly.” 
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