Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-12-02
NO. Is.
9gtitnltutal.
Destroying Grain Insects


Agricultural science is perhaps the most inn
portant of all others, because we are dependant
upon its results for the very stamina of life. and
no subject in relation TO it is of more general in.
terest than the which forms the topic of these
remarks. The labors of the husbandnan are
frequently rendered sbortive by the ravages of
tiny insects, which devour his grain IN the fields.
destroy the fruit of his toll, and blast his hopes
of an abundant harvest. The two most destruc.
tive OF these insects are the Hessian fly and the
wheat nudge or red weevil. The ravages of the
latter have been very destructive in some sec.
tlons of our country during the present YEAR
The attacks of both confined to grain in the
fields. The means which should be employed
by farmers to prevent or mitigate their dspreda-
tons described by the distinguished State
entomologist of New Yerk, Dr. A. Fitch, also by
Professor Hind, of Toronto C. W., in his prize
essay of 1856.
There is another wheat insect which is often
times very destructive to grain in heaps, name
~, the true weevil, (caiandra granaria) ~
This weevil is sort of small beetle, brown
IN color, having slender body, and is abou&
| one-eishth OF an inch long. The female LAYS
her eggs in the wheat in the granary, and sim
Gle pair will produce six thousand descendants
in ono year. The young burrows in kernels of
the grain, consume the contents, and leave only,
the shells. SO secretly are their operations con-
ducted that it is impossible to detect them by
the simple inspection of the wheat On throw
ing handful of the grain into bucket of wa
ter those attacked with the insects will float,
while the sound grains Will sink, and in this
manner their presence will be discovered. Af-
terra female weeyil has deposited an egg in a
grain, she closes the puncture with glutin-
Gus substance of the same color as the husk;
hence the difficulty of detecting the presence of
this depredator when in its larve state. As
one ofthese insects can be the means of Destroy
ing six thousand grains in storehouse in sea-
son, some conception will be formed Gifts means
of destruction.
On the approach of very cold weather, devel-
oped weevils retire from the wheat, and seek
shelterin crevices where they remain in a torpid
state They are not so destructive in the cold
as IN the warmer sections of our country, where
certain methods for their destruction are more
urgent and necessary. They avoid light; hence
if the wheat is kept in we-lighted rranaries
and frequently turned over, much will be done
towards checking their operations Authors,
however, who have devoted much attention to
their habits, have asserted that kn-drying the
wheat is the only effectuai means of destroying
them 1t has also hean rAaantly roeon,,rau tlea
that wheat for storing up should be submitted
to- the action of a smut machine, to receive a
thorough securing, ia order to rub off the glue
with which the female conceals the punctures
made for her eggs. The admission of air into
these small holes, it is stated destroys the ger.
minGting powers Of the eggs. It seems reason.
able to us that by submitting wheat to scour.
ing process then heating it in kiln up to a
temperature Of about 1910 degrees or 1870 de-
grees Fab, it would be completely protected
from the destructive effects of this insect in
correspondent of the american Farmers
Magazine asserts that the weevi, midoe, Hes
sian fly and rust may be exterminated from
wheat by preparing it for sowing, as follows:-
Wash the wheat throughly in several waters in
a tub, stirring it well until the water runs of
clear. After this take two quarts of caustc lime
to every bushe of grain and mix it we'll with
the wet wheat IN the tub. The amount Of water
IN the tab should just cover the grain, which
must be left to soak fer twelve hours. This
lime I've kills all the insects, and the wheat is
then fit for sowing by turning it over among dry
wood ashes on the barn floor, aud using a
pound Of the -four of sulphur to each bushel. It
is stated that the sulphur protects the grain from
the attacks Of vermn, while the alkali dissslYes
the insect ova in the seed. Wheat thus prepar-
ed has yielded crops in New EnglaMd. We
have seen this grain prepared for sowing by
various modes, such as salt brine, lime and ashes
but we like the above method better than any
hitherto known to US.