Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-05-30
ON The WEEyIL IN WHEAT
Nelson Coun,v "a. All 90 lea

wheat beng one of our mos, ynluable ceop,
ahu me "eevli ITS greatest enemy, iacts ten
aihg 10 enable the farmer To prevent it's raw
ages must De acceptable. Believing that the
'"e's "o'eu, ana The observations made by my
sell several years past, may have that ieoden-
cy, or lead others TO make observations that
WIN, am induced TO trsnscribe The notes and
obset valions then made aud forward for the
American Farmer
As early as convebieni after harvest 10 1926,
| got out some wheat for presen, use, aud
put II away on plank floor in an app.r room
over the kitchen. During August, | heard
much complaint among my neig hbours of The
iavages OF the wee'il in their wheat, add was
induced TO examine my own | found
that which had been cleaned out mech wsevil
eaten while that In the chat, either in the
| barn or s,sck, WAS much less affected. | re-
collected that some, though very few, were 10
be seen when the heat was got out. The ex-
| iraordinary, aud so greatly dsprOporiionaie
increase OF the fly IN the cleaned wheat, sci
| my mind nj work TO find olt, II possible The
cause ofthat d,fTei ence,
had heard OF Two theories on the subject
the hrs that there was . living principle IN
| All wheat, which IN 2, particular state of heai
aih moisture, would become animated and
produce tile neevil. The second, and more
Common one was, thai there was some paren,
! tiy which resorted TO the field, and impregna-
| ted the grain during lis soft state, in The inai-
| ner that fly IL known to do in The garden
per" lhis situation OF the cleaned wheai, o.
yer room IN which there was always mole
OF less FIRE, was IN some degree favorable TO
edch OF these thelries-yet on reelection /
doubted The truth of either argued thus
u there is n principle or guaiiiy in the gram
winch given state Of atmosphere could an-
male, so as 10 produce an insect, the effect
nut hp Al
cliwaie "heie II operates. as to destroy al once
Whole crops of grain-wheieas il was well
known, that when the weeYil is first discoy.
eIeo, us rasages may he arrested in various
Ways. Ana moreover, II this theory had b, en-
correct, II must iGug since have been detected
b} the insesiis5fohs OF science. As To the
'mPf"s"aIion ny Il parent Gt, considered
nat tlia period GuSUug which Tho ope,atlou
81 'uld take nlacf, must OF necessity be short
say from hte 10 ten days. Immediately prec.-
aihg the rip'nldg Of The grain. When we re-
NIX o. ihe imDense number OF grains de.
'royed IN bad weeviI ear, il is obvious thai
II me number Of flies requisite 10 impregnate
MI 'he'e grams, in few days should resort TO
ne " heat field, the number must be SO exec.
dinRly great, n often TO have attracted the
attention oi the vigilani and INTEL gent agricul-
turls' such, no doubt, would often have
seea the parent fly in actual contact with The
grain IN ID ca, as ia the Ca g Of tiepea. A ain
III all the grams become impregnaied within
few days OF the same tine, il should seem
probable at leasi, thai the coming forth Of the
weev'i would be equally simultaneous-whs,e-
| asst swell k"o~D, that after the weeyll
| fly begins to appear. it progresses with
| increased ratio, ill checked by the cold oil
| autumn.
Dstrustns these theories, and seeing the
| great Increase ON wbeal TO which the hy had
tree access, was led to The supposition that
mere must be Continual increase, by propa-
| gation, during the warm seasoa. This sug-
| gested the idea of borrowing a magnify ing
| glass OF siiyersmiih. for tue purpose of a
more minute examination than was capable
OF making with my spectacles, which age had
Obliged me 10 use.
On the 22d Of August, BY The use of the glass
discovered what mad never heard of before,
the eggs, or MS, the grey weevil fy OH ma
| ny grams OF wheat. Ihes we're generally ola
pale reddish color, somewhat brig hter than the
color OF the wheat, though some OF them were
nearly white. these eggs were mostly d.-
posted IN tue ere ase or indenture on one side
of the grain, and adhered With a slight dee rec
Of tenncry. number OF these grains with
eggs or nts on them, we're selected and put
away Ia saucer 1hey we're examined eacl
day but 40 perceivabIe change uulIi the 9th
l
had eAhib'ted, they appeared TO consist on,
OF n coal OF web Of the ihinuest conceivable
texture. On pressing them they did not crack
as before. On closer examination a numbe
| OF small worms were seen, Remarkably active
| some un the grams OF wheai, aud someo III,
| saucer. Oa Tie 29ih there Was scarce nit I,
be seen in lis original transparent state, so tha
all the eggs or ms on the grains which ha.
been put in the saucer, had been halched il
about hiee days. | entertained no doubt lha
the lillle worm had proceeded Gom the egg
And from the frequent attempts which IL az
pear. to make to penetratB the grain, by IL
assiduous exeit,ons at one spot, was led u
the opinion that it did actually eat it's way
through n Q bran into the grain.
WAS tnen DESTROYS 10 ascertain whether tn
eggs or nits had seen, we're really those o
The weevii H.. 10 this end. confined ihre
OF these flies in a glass tumbler, by covering IL
with book, and put several grains of whea
! in with tnem. | continued to notice tn m
daily till about he sIxih day, when | found
thait two oithe dies we're gone, having been
let out as | supposed by the cbiliren, and one
was dead On examination, | found three
different lunches Of nits on tue bottom OF III
glass, precisely like those had seen on III
" heat, BY the help OF The mas0Ifying glas
could count lhfm there were upwards oil
twenty eggs in each bunch, tue eggs IN eacl
several bunch adnering togethei. Inis eIper,
ment | again repsa ed, with the same re
suit, except dat The humber OF eggs were
lever.
During my attention TO this subject, be
came enabled TO pick out almost uberringly
the grains of whept that had worms, however
small. found them from the smaesi size
sea, cely larger than those had sen in thu
: saucer, up 10 The size OF the maggo' just before
going inio The cnrysalis state, also conlt
discern The hoif, through which according tt
T the opinion OF some, the parent BY had depos
e tied the young 10 the grain, cr through which
as was my own opinion, the worm 'lsei haf
. entered. This hole was not larger than wcult
admit tho point Of a very small needle-lo'
Q am ~ for the mixed eve OF most persons. III