50 
CORN. 
BE 
but little doubt that the fly is abundant. I hardly expected to find 
the ‘ flax-seed’ thus early, as the Wheat is so green and late this year.” 
The specimens sent were on green Wheat-stems, which were thoroughly 
bent at the spot where the maggots had lain and fed. 
The only other note of attack which I received was sent me 
somewhat later in the season—on Sept. 1st—from Lower Abbey 
Farm, Leiston, Suffolk, by Mr. A. M. Rosse. In this case it was a 
twelve-acre field of Barley that was infested, and the “ flax-seeds,” of 
which specimens were forwarded, lay at the 2nd knot of the straws. 
For some time previous the straws had appeared to leave off growing 
and dwindle away; the crop had promised very well in June and the 
early part of July, but was then a good deal laid by the heavy rains, 
so that it was difficult to say how much of the damage was to be 
attributed to the insect-presence. He had not observed the “flax¬ 
seeds ” until the preceding day, and then, though there were many 
imperfect stems of Barley on almost every root (some with a few 
grains, and many with none, and most of them broken down), he only 
found four or five of the puparia or “ flax-seeds ” after searching a 
good while. 
The above six notes were the only observations which I received 
of Hessian Fly presence last season. Of course the attack may very 
possibly have occurred in many places without any mention of it being 
sent to myself, but still, as it was not reported, and very little mention 
of it was made in the agricultural journals, save, as far as I am aware, 
one note (somewhat generally expressed), that it was all over one of 
the southern counties, I think there is great reason to hope that there 
has been a most satisfactory decrease of presence of the pest. 
The points of prevention cannot be too strongly insisted on still, 
which have been before mentioned, and which are approved by the 
leading agricultural and practical entomological authorities in other 
Hessian Fly-infested countries. One of these is to sow Wheat no 
earlier than is usually the case in this country. In America it is called 
late sowing ; but here sowing after September may be fairly expected 
to put the appearance of the young Wheat quite safely after the time 
when the Hessian Fly of the summer brood are abroad for egg-laying. 
Thus, so far we have escaped the winter attack to the young plant, 
which is a most important matter, and, in fact, at once saves half (and 
what, I am informed by Prof. Riley, Entomologist of the Department 
of Agriculture, U.S.A.), is considered the most important half, of the 
year’s mischief caused by this pest. Another great point in prevention 
is destroying the light screenings from infested corn. These are of no 
value, being chiefly of dust, small weed-seeds, and the like ; and, 
being thrown down together by the threshing-machines, there is little 
difficulty or expense in gathering them up and destroying them. If it 
