HESSIAN FLY. 
85 
I should say that in no case is one per cent, damage done, as the 
Wheat ripens as well where the insect is on such land, where the 
attack comes late.” 
On the 4th of August, Mr. Biley further reported, “ I have not 
found the Hessian Fly here, only at Goole this year.” 
The following letter, sent on July 30th, by Mr. Geo. Malden, of 
Cardington, Beds., is of interest, as giving some amount of estimate 
of damage since the first observation of Hessian Fly attack in that 
neighbourhood in 1887. Mr. Malden observed :—“ So far this season 
I have only just walked in a Barley crop for about five minutes when 
I saw four or five straws that were attacked. This is the fourth 
season I have noticed it among our crops. In 1887, both Wheat and 
Barley were somewhat seriously attacked, and upon counting I 
estimated the damage between If and 2 per cent. I believe that 
was the first noticed in this district. Both in 1888 and 1889 it was 
to be found in all fields, though considerably less than in 1887 ; 
probably *5 per cent of the straw were attacked.” 
A few days later (on August 2nd), Mr. Malden wrote further, men¬ 
tioning the very small infestation to which the Hessian Fly presence 
amounted, even where he noticed it in all the fields examined. 
Mr. Malden wrote:—‘‘I have suspected our crops and some of our 
neighbours’, and, though the Hessian Fly is to be found in all Wheat 
and Barley fields, there is not nearly so much as the last two years, 
and can only be called a trace.” 
On the 31st July, Mr. W. McCracken, late Professor of Agriculture 
at the Eoyal Agricultural College, Cirencester, sent the following note 
from Crewe, Cheshire ; and here, as in most of the above observations, 
it will be seen that the damage was not considered to be serious :— 
“ I am sorry to have to report that the Hessian Fly is once more 
at work in this neighbourhood. Yesterday and the day before I found 
specimens of the ‘ flax-seeds ’ in the only two fields I examined. These 
were about 17 miles apart, one at Sandbach in Wheat, and one at 
Spurston in Barley. The latter field is the same in which I found 
specimens last year amongst Wheat. In neither case had any damage 
of consequence been done.” 
On the 5th of August, Mr. McCracken further added :—“ Since 
writing to you I found the Hessian Fly at work in a field of Wheat not 
far from Market Drayton, in Staffordshire, just over the Shropshire 
boundary.” 
On the 1st August, Mr. T. Freke Lewis, of Abbey Dore, Hereford, 
forwarded specimens of straw much bruised, broken, and brown. 
Wnere the Hessian Fly chrysalids were noticeable they appeared quite 
small or crushed. In one case the “flax-seed ” lay as usual a little 
above a joint, and a little above it the stem was cleanly bitten about 
V d 2 
