Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-10-02

SIMPLE METHOD OF DESTROYING TN! nj
SIAN Fly. AS the wheat crop this sen Son
in some places, suffered considerable d anI
from the destructive effects of this in sect.
are happy to be enabled, by n valuable. and
bhg'ng correspondent, to publish the follas
directions for destroying it.
The Hessan Fly deposits its egg, or
wheat ear before it is reaped, the e.g
small, as to be invisible to the naked eve
may be very distinctly seen with n mi croso,
sometimes one grain of wheat will be obse
to have several of these eggs on it. They
attached to the wheat by gutinous lbsta
deposited around them, by the pa, ent fly.
which they are held so firmly on the s,Isfac,
not to be easily removed by the motion of r,
ing, threshing, &c. Shortly after tho 8,
begin to germinate in the soil, the ge Dial
ofthe season brings the young fly from, its
IN the form ola very small! maggot Gas 8 the q
with all insects j these little maggots depo
themselves at the root of the srak, to the s,
ofwhich the eggs had been attached, betw,
the stem and the lowest blade or lea {, VIII
they may be discovered, during the month
May and beginning of June, quietly eposip
here they remain until the warmth of tn O so,
brings them to maturity, when they CO NINE,
ealing the substance to which they have b,.I
attached 1t is not until this period that Thu
destructive effects are visible, by the wheat NJ
coming wi,hered and bligh,ed- This accom-
Tor the fact that wheat, which is attacked n
t"'s destructive insect, presents a healthy Al
pearance In the month Of June, the period =,
winch embryo the fly begins to use food.
Now 1t is evident that if the eggs of this A.
can be destroyed on the seed wheat. h., -.
process that will not also destroy the vegc,tati,
quality OF the grain, the ruinous effects will !
avoided. This can be done by the fol low;,
very SIMPLE process :-"Soak the seed vvb nm, .
water Tor tweivs hours; spread it out on 1, bar
hoor' so as to allow the superabundant water ,
escape /; then take fresh Stacked lime, and m;x
among the wheatin quantity sufficient to b,v
every grain covered with lime, taking care ,
STIR the wheat well with shovel so that mn NJ,
lic'e may escape coming in full contact with tn
'.'nc' which when thus applied, will in sho,
'''ne destroy the eggs, and consequently pre
serve the grain from destruction"
Our correspondent assures us that t,,o 49,
"h'ch before the application of the lime, ,n,ea,
clear q transparent, afterwards becomes c,,a,,,
ana puts on the appearance of an added enc
Inc efficacy of the above remedy has hoo, %
tablished by several experiments, one Of wb;cI
we VIII here relate. Wheat supposed to be in
iected by the Hcssan Fly, was taken. one b,,
the quantity treated with lime, and the o,bo
nan was sown in the same soil with tho
ed, IN alternate drills the result was thai -
stalk IRON the prepared seed came To ,,,,,,-;,'
ana was productive, whilst the alternate Ain,
which had been sown with unprcpared seed ver,
almost totally destroyed.
The above remedy for so serious an ev;,
not be too widely circulated-we would recon,
mend its translation into the French nane,. ~,
we think the Cures of the country parisbe,
would confer benefit on the parishoners. h,
having it made known AT their respective cbrrc,
doors, after divine service