Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-07-28


drought. The wheat in September not at al
injured by the fly and produced good crop that sowr
alongside Of it, fortnight later, was hardly worth reap
ing, from the ravsges Of the Hessan Fly.Afer year,
of observation and reflection, have concluded il is
impossible to "head" the Hessian Fly. The only pro
phylactIc agans, their ravages, worth trying
wheat, If possible, between the goth of Septo mhe
and 10Th of October, and even then may
suffer considerably from their nroads. A. B.
Louisa, July 90, 1913.
/ THE HESsIAN FLY.
To the Editor of the american Farmsr:
/ have waited 4 reasonable time for some more
competent than myself take proper notice of the
Essay of Mr.. NJ Kenney, published in the Farmer OF
July 5, but has done so, ask the priv
| ege of examining that essay through the me
dunn by which II found lis way to the public The
whole essay is based upon the following sentence:
'.The Hessian fly docs not proceed from The egg oil
any insect, but is the natural product of the grain =!
much so as the root, and the stalk, and the blade
are"
The main fact relied upon by Mr. Mckinney 10 sus.
tain this theory, is stated as follows:
81 have never yet heard of any who has detect
ed fy in the act Of deposi,ing eggs in the wheat
either 10 the grain during its growth; the most that
has been dicorered is hat called the faxseed
and worm or maggot development, after which the
raVages witnessed and the fly itself il seen upon
the young wheat"
shall attempt TO prove that both the theory and the
facts adduced to support it, utterly and entIrey
unfounded in truth. Arduous as the task may be,
shall prove by the respectable testimony that the
fly has "bsen dttccted in the act of depositing its
eggs; and assert that IT be detected easily by
person who will take the trouble If prove this fact
presume it will be sufficient of itself 10 upset the
theory Of Mr. NJ 'Kenney. | will here remark, tina,
r MIR kenney's theory has not even the merit of orr
ginalIty. In communication in the American Farmer
vol 2, page l59, writer who signs himself "Jeremiah
Simple, says Of the Hessian fly, 'rhere does come
from say Mat IL is born aciM the grain. When
the grains about half ripe, small maggot may by
which continues grow with growth and strene tn
en- with its strength, &c, &c. And strange to say,
he adduces the anaoges 10 prove his theory that
Mr. Kenney does, TO wit, the pea bug, &c.
In relation TO the philosophy of Mr. McKenney's
theory, must be permitted 10 remark that through
out all Nature, vegetable and animal, everything that
man has been able to watch curing the progress OF ge
neraton, or the propagation of individuals IS known
positively 10 proceed from lis kind With animals OF
a size, and habits that enable TO observe them con-
tinuay, one ever doubts as TO their origin-the
same remark may be made of the vegetable kingdom
1t is only in cases Of very small insects, and some
plants whose habits OBSCURE that The closest and
most perseverng watching, often with powerful mag
MYERS, necessary 10 detect hem that any doubt
exists. Why it may be asked, should this equivocal
generation be confined TO these small insects if il exist
at all Some two hundred years ago, it was supposed
that the silk originated from the purifying body
III
after calvng, to he fed exclusively on mulberry
leaves, and the calf killed when a month old, split
open, and spread out upon wooden tray, entrails
skin, and all, and placed upon the top of the house
whence, 1t was SAID, the young silk worm would come
as the animal matter began 10 purify. have
book with plate representing The whole process, and
giving detailed account of il, the author OF which, il
tfue expresses doubt 10 the truth of the story
But the progress Of the natural sciences, such doc
,rnes of equivocal generation have been generally
Io to anIar tn al. fhnPa
not single Of the kim that has not been
reced. The only why error now prevails on
such subjects, among the people at large is That they
will not take the trouble 10 invesgate-o search the
books, IT they will not examine subjects for them
> selves-hke your correspondent Mr. McKenney, who
might by little trouble, have found abundant evi
dence of the Of his theory and thus have saved
himself the modification of its exposure But take
the high ground of asserting, and will engage 10 prove
by experiment necessary, that there is such thing
in Nature as one regularly organized being, either We
eeable animal, high or low in the scale of being, orr
ginalng IN any other way, from any other thing
than its own parents, and they of its own kind. II
this Law Of Nature had been written by the hand oil
the Creator in broad letters in the sky could not be
more convinced of its truth than now am.
will now proceed 10 quote authorities in favor Of the
"egg theory, Mr.. NJ Kenney calls the true natural
history of the insect:
ain two instances tie eggs were discovered at The
instant of their being laid BY the flies ~ Gen j II
can Farmer r0t l, page 200.
"On the 9th of October last, my very intelligent and
worthy neghbor, MIR. John Linton, Informed me, that
on the preceding day he the fly in the act of de
the s,urbIe field James Hor,h to Robert pauz Sec
retary eMe Philadelphia Socieytor promoting .1grcul
!, ture. .7mcrtcan Farmer, rot =, page $50
"Having not only observed with the naked eye
the eggs the blades but also The fl,es in numerous
instances, IN The Gerry act Of making their dep0sites
D / - ~ ri, u n.,
Farmer, col 2, page 235 Mr. Tghmau repeats this
fact with others, at length, in the Albany Cutvatol
for May 1S4l page o2 and this too, after 20 years o.
observation!
'The latter end of April and beginning Of May
they may he laying their eggs the that
have grown that season-they deposile them in the
small that longitudinal in the af"-[Dr
Isaac Chapman Essay writtcn in 1897, read b.tort
ne 79renurai Society IF Bucks county, Pennsyira-
mia, august a. 1890. american Farmer, rol 3, pag.
lG6
"rhe flies began 10 appear the farm Of Mr.. Ha.
vens that year, U7S7) early as the 10Th of April
. Between that time and the 10Th of May, they were
continually coming forth and laying their eggs =
ura Society Of AJemarie, I'd March, 1913, By Thoma.
". Randolph. american Farmer, col. l. pare 1873.
"Soon after the plants are up, in the Fall, the Hes
sian fly begins 10 lay her eggs upon them, and cont
nues her operations for several weeks She deposit:
her eggs the upper surface Of the leaf e. the heul
or strap shaped portion of the leaf) Of the plant
Edmund c. Herrick, Mem Yale Nat Hist Society =
SHiimans Journal of Science and .4rts COL Al, Pag
:. 1855
81 have repeatedly, both in autumn and spring,
. the Hessian fly in the act of depostng her eggs
wheat, and have always found that she selects for Thu
purpose the leaves of the young plant."-GEdmund
errick quoted BY Harris in IA Treatise on some of th
! Insects of New England which are injurious to Agri
culture, page 426.
/, So much, Mr.. Editor, for the remark Of Mr. M'Ken
ney that he had "never vet heard OF any one who hal
detected fly in the act of depositing eggs in The whea
either in the grain during its growth the most tina
has ever been discovered is what called the Hax.seet
and worm or maggot development after which the ray