Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-07-08
AGRICULTURAL.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE ENQUIRER.


husbandman of the fruits Of his labor and
blasts the fiirest prospects OF abundance
may justly claim place in your papcr.....
ms impression, together With your nvitatiuu
to thai effect, with which was well pleascd)
has induced me 10 communicate the following
hasty sketch on this interesting subject. Al
tho am tar from thinking that have made
any considerable progress towards discovery
OF remedy to this great calamity, yet if every
Farmer will, like myself, contribute his mite
and give publicity TO his observations and the
result of his experiments. il will form mass
ut valuable materials, which, explored by the
eye OF intelligence, MAY conduct us to a parti-
al 1T not an entire preventative. 1t is well
known that this destructive insect made its
hrst appearance with usin the North Its name
Is palpably figurative and reproachful, and
derived from the same source as Indian Hen
or French Mocking -Bird.-'ihc ravages they
conin,tted were not nike, in point ofaestruc-
tive effect, those Ofthe barbarians whose name
II bears. Its advance southwardly was regu-
lar and rapid-its first appearance in this coun-
~ was about the year l70S-When the effects
were first perceived, great difference of epi-
Mon existed as to the Kind of insect to which
1t should properly be ascribed. To satisfy my
self, IN the year 1893, l made The following eX-
pertinent. pulled up bunch of Wheat, pal
pably affected by the Fly, ami deposited il i'm
large glass tnnb!er the 10th May. To as
much dirt as couid be conveniently retained a.
bout the root, added some rich soil in the
Vuhpier, Kept II moist by occasional wettngs
covered the vessel With piece of gauze whose
meShes were too minute to admit of the eyress
Oh the insect, and placing it where there was
iree current of air and some sun, I discovered
the Fly on the 9th of May. flying about Is tum-
pier; 1T resembles somewhat the musqueto. CO
iorbiaek, length ofbody 18th of an inch, size Of
common brass pin, six legs, a sting in its
tan, The organ through which il deposits its
embryo. However, as have recently repeat
ed the above exper iment, and have nv urm-
pier tul OF them, prefer sending you the thing
itself viewed through microscopic "lass il
VIII be much more satisfactory than any de-
/ ntriu IL
assigns TO this iasect the capacity of breeding
twcea year. is certainly correct as far as il goes
the error is IN limiting il to that numbcr-Jt
might with more propriety have been extend.
eS~ In my opinion 10 four times say opinion.
because havenot as yet (thc' have now COM
menced them) made any experiments which au-
thor'ze me TO say positively that it is So But,
we have discovered that the Fly benins TO de-
post its embryo about the LIST ApriI if not in
terrunted by the GOODNESS ofthe weather
The Wheat shows its effects in about three
weeks after the deposit, and in May. it is not
only developed, bur acquires its full size. This
latter fact Is ascertained by a comparison of
the Fly hatchedin the tunlbler and those de-
tccted land now by me) last autumn, in the ve-
~ act OF deposit.ng the embryo, aud hence ne
cesSariiy mature. forgot to state, that the j.
IDENTIFY OF the insect sent you, was indepen-
DENLY OF the circumstances detailed proved
beyond question, in this way-Flies precisely
like the one sent, were discovered attempting
TO escape from the shell, bit had not succeed
ed, IN consequence, ii is pres med, of defici-
ency of sustenance To recur to the fseouen-
cy with which they produce their kind, will
remark that something less than 60 days seems
t. be required from tile deposit of the embryo
to the maturity of the iusect. repeat there.
lore, that the opinion which Suggests suspeu-
sion of the multiplication o. iheir kind for Sc
veral summer Iaonths, beng at variance with
the general law Of insects. isunsounde
Iwiii now proceed 10 give you the result of
my observations OH the manner in which the
fiv deposits its embryo--a subject on which -
Of has Stn1 %
prevalent OF them, and on which, understand,
many Farmers acted was, that the deposit was
made IN The gra'nin its tender state, The fal-
lacy Of this opinion was soon exposed bv repeat-
ed trials. II any additional proof had been ne.
cessary, il might be furnished by an expert
ment made Ivy one of my intelligent neighbors
VINO procured small parcel of Wheat from
AiSlers, (wheIe, IT is believed, the Els was un-
KNOWN the growing crop ofwhich was aSmuch
affected by Inc Fly as that from Domestic
Wheat. These results, however, went no far
ther than TO ascertain whatw was not the manner
OF propagatlDg their kind.
The last Autumn, l had all opportunity of
making an observation viichrcleYed my mind
OF all difhculty upon the subject. / sowed d
square in my garden on the 1th of September
with the Wheat alluded to by your Bucklapd
Correspondent, and known among us BY tie
name of the Hunton Wheat. On the Sh, il
came NJ, Cthe season being peculiarly favora-
ble)-abOut the 18th, saw TIE Fly in great a.
bundance floating about the W heat. pursued
them withcl0se attention, and discovered them
in tie very act of making their deposits. II
was paipab!e when they lighted OH the Wheat,
they just proceeded to ascertain the fitness of
their position for the desired purpGse-hencc
If ON an external branch their statNwas traIsi.
ent, they fitted abort till they finally rested on
the inside ut the youngest visible branch, when
Dy the repeated application of the tail to the
| wheat, II was most satsiaCtOr ly discovered
they were ia the act Of depOsting. And aIthO'
single egg could not have been discovered
! YET as the number was considerable, the Whole
al al
! myfriends being whine some days tIIerea fter,
| 'iHd an opportunity of making the same obser-
| vailons, and conceded in my opinions These
| embryo being external, are detached by beco-
ming dry, pursuing the conduit furnished by
| the structure Of the stalk, are prccpitatcd TO
| the bottom or near il, become attached as acci-
| dent directs, ard, after some fifty DAYS reap
| rtar To aiilict the Farmer with the niuItpIica-
| ton fits kind, and its consequent rayagcs-.
| The effect on the Wheat was manifested about
| the lst of October. IL was suddenly arrested
| in its rapid growth, became sickly in its alp.
| pearance, and thought about To- be DESTROYED
"A favorable season, good soil aud perhaps
| peculiar property, enabled il to survive the at.
| tack. WhileI write, il exhibits the most luz
| uriaBt appearance ever saw, and If not initi-
red by being laid or some disaster, Will pro-
| duce from 30 10 80 for one.
How this insect originated, or how il multi
plicsits Kind, are questions Of but little couse-
| quence when cOmpai ed TO the qHeSiOn-wlat
| can prevent lis ragageS You Will readily be.
lieye me, whep assure you that il is with un-
fegned regret that am constrained TO ac-
knowledge, that upon this, the most important
| branch Of the subject, / can furnish but little
information. Among the remedies proposed,
| a Kind of Wheat exempt from their influence
| naturally claims the pre- emncnce. proper
| Is of this Kind is ascribed to the Wheat ] have
| already had occasion 20 allude to, the Hunton
| Wheat, or, it you please, the Buckland. That
this Wheat does possess at present this quality
| toa certain extent, is most uuquest iOnabiy true.
| 4 lie p4s m lend a o. r