Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-03-26

% mem mine Neutrality-suspicious. they DESTROYED by
me severity or chang-ablereSs Of the winter--has not
been aiIsiactnTy asertaned. They choose f,r their
refuge during cold weather places COVERED with litter
Dut chiefly the wo ds. either amongst The leaves in the
old >tumps or In the bark uf trees hen their state
OF Information Is over they emerge from their winter
quarters and congregaIe the tender wheat and in
IT" usys match out vrnng brood which Immediately
conmtnces the work of deStGucton The wheat is sci
dom entirely Killed, but continues to make feeble
grnwh and 10 put up lis stems until harvest. AT the
LINE oi rpenirg 1t changes pale, almost la white
color; HE heads destitute If gran and the stalks of
Ter little mre resistance TO the sythe thin 81 much dry
Straw. After the field is reaped they abandon u ana
march 70 the nearest cIrn ur Oat%-Oais, ho"e'ei, "
the in hcL they find it, offers but few attractions
but The rich and saccFarine juice Of the corn IS Ia
vnrire spd no see hem marching IN myrads trsm one
field 10 another is appalling sight. They remain
the c,rn as long as it affldS them any nourishment-
Increasing Their progeny between the shea rs Of the
blades aud the stakS-af'er which they spread them
selves out on the various kinds of natural grasses grow
ing amongst The curn such the be bruSh crupgraSs.
&c ar"us pedens have been 0ed In stay their
ravages. but none has proved entirely effecual. When
tty leave the wheat tor the corn, they collect the
hrsI few rows c,vering them and almost blackenng
them BY their numbers and if they vigorously at
lacked at that time, by killing many possible by
hand and burning hose which take shelter from the hot
sun under heaps Of litter laid for the purpose, their
bers may be materially diminished.
~ tcti-I ne WerVll Is moth, sometimes very 0eS
tructve to wheat and CON- and originates from eggs laid
the in lis green state in the same manner the
pea bug IN the case of the English garden pea.
1t Is very distinct from insect of The which
frequently found grea numbers in mills and grana
rie>, and which is more properly beetle. When the
wheat IS left to remain in the for any length of
time ALTER harvest, the weevi also certain make its
appearance 1hreshing the grain as early as possible
and throwing 1t into bulk in the chaf arrests pro
gess ~ great measure owing to the absence, Of the
necessary condition tor Matching the eggs. In those
districts Of county where lie weev formerly very
destructive, fame rs nave learned guard against lis
rlvages BY sending leir crops into market without de-
| lay.
As the course of remarks thus far in regard insects
h been chiefly IN connexlun with wheat it may not be
deemed irrelevant To extend little further consideration
To the subject Of The wheat crop. Ofal cereal grains
grown Tor the susenaHce of man. it is unuub edly the
most important. In ne particular countries others
may take the precedence, for instance the rice in
ASA. In America, also, the maize or Indian corn
scarcely be considered of secondary value. But
other gram Is subject 10 the number Of casualties
wheat. Il is liatle almost as many ills as flesh is
heir TO- Besides the enemies already enuer ated is
sometimes seriously injured and indeed almost destroy
ed by the smut and rust; and If The opinion of the great
majority If farmers is entitled 10 implicit credence is
trasnlltabe into cheat and spet From varuus causes
therefore II Is the prrcariouS crops. The smut
with due precaullOn, needs not be feared but for the
rust no adequate preventive has vet been discovered 1t
cannot be dnubed that the intelligence of is compe
lent to such achievement but, with due Difference it
believed halts Pc have been concentrated upon
It with the force which It's Importance demands If half
the ingenuity had been exercised in this branch Of en-
quIry, has been done endeavorng establish the
trdnSnutaton If wheat il is unreasonable to suppose
that the most important results might have been attained
But lie usual practice Of farmers has been favorable
to the establishment If any definite principles in re-
gard torust. Whenever new variety Of wheat is
brought into notice. every one tries 20 obtain it as SON
as possible, and dIscards the OLD. If farmer in
neghborhooI raises productive crop, others resort to
him fr seed in the hope that is better than The vare
ties they have been culllvang As long as the propen-
slty proceeds merely from spirit of change novelty
no good result can be expected. What need is
well considered series Of experiments made with proml-
nent varieties Of wheat, different times on soils
OF various qualities, with without the application of
several kinds OF manures as the may be; and the
results accurately noted. In The meantime however
there be doubt that fund Of valuable information
might De Obtained if The proper measures We're taken To
elicit ii.
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