Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-08-14
TILE HEsslAN FLY.

y discouraged by the ravages Of the
iessian Fly He says. there sis no
remedy for the plague; at least none
known, unless it be to SOW very late,
after the frost has disposed of the in
sect, and take the doubtful chances Of
such an undertaking." As there are
several errors in this statement, and it is
probable that many farmers may not
fully understand the habits of this in
sect, will quote the following from
the late DIR. Walsh, practical En-
tomologist, vol. !, page 1857 It is
hardly necessary to add that this is one
Of the latest and best authorities on the
subject DIR. Walsh says:
''There are two broods of this fly
every year, The first brood comes out
about the first of May, in the latitude Of
| New York, or little earlier OF later
as you go south or north, and lays its
eggs upon the upper surface OF the, leaf
| OF the wheat, close to the part of the
straw which is tightly enwrapped by
the base of the leaf, generally about.
the second joint in the straw from the
ground From this spot the little
maggots produced from the eggs crawl
downwards into the space between the
straw and the base Oft the leaf, and re-
main there, sucking out the sap of the
plant till they are full grown and ready
to pass into The pupa state. They thet,
construct shining semi Transparent
mahogany-brown cocoon inside which
they lie . long time in the larva or
maggot state, but finally assume the
pupa state. The above is what is
ordinarily known as 'the flaxseed state
from the cocoon being fattish and.
somewhat pointed at each end, so as to,
resemble flax seed. About len &C
twelve days afterwards they burst
through the cocoon, and came out IN
the shape ola small blackish fly, Wits
some orange bands ON its abdomen, and
shaped like q mosquito, but much
smaller; when the male and female
lays her eggs for second brood. BY
this time, in the latitude; of New York,
it is usually the beginning Of Septclu-
Der, or thereabouts, the period yan ing
a little, according to the season and the
latitude; as there is no wheat standing.
she lays her eggs on the leaves Of the
new crop of growing wheat or growing
rye. But this time she lays them
almost or quite under ground, as if she
had been aware that winter was comm Z
and her future family would require
protection from the weather The
larya produced from these eggs crawl
downwards as before, pass through the
same circle OF changes as before, and
come out in the spring, in the same
mosquito-like form in WHICH the other
brood had come out IN the preceding
autumn, to generate the first brood Of
the current year.
In another place DR.. Walsh says,
it has long been known that wheat does
not appear above ground until after the
lIessian fly has disappeared. escapes The
rayages Of that insect" And that
usually the fly comes out about the
first few weeks in September, and dis
appears III q week or SO, the time vary
ing little according to the latitude.
But the safessFtile is to notice in each
neighborhoobsat what date the latest
wheat that is ssslsen by the fly is the
Hessian flies are destroyed in this way.
AS is usually the case with other Insects.
destroyed in this way, the fly comes
first, and for few years may get to be
very destructive; then the parasitical
insects, having also had time to breed
and become plenty, will make a .prettya
clean sweep of them. Hence no good
farmer, who has good wheat land, need
give up raising wheat on account Of the
Ilessian fly. Farmers will naturally
SOW little later the coming fall, so as
to have the earlier wheat appear some
ten or twelve days, later than usual,
which will be after the usual season for
the flies This course may be also
necessary year from this fall = that is,
it may be if the fly works bad in the
wheat next year; but if little damage is =
done, it is probable that the depredatora
have mostly disappeared, so wheat may
be again sown earlier Still it is
never good policy to SOW too early, as
this is one of the principal means BY.
which the lHessian flies may be again
made plenty. True, land will some
times do better when sown very early.
but such lands exposed to two risks
.one is the fly, and the other is the
danger of a poor crop in bad season.
1t is much better to put the soil in con
dition to raise good eron Il sown a
little later. Besides, good land, OH
which there is a heavy growth of wheat
will be much less affected by the fly,
as am told by farmers is the case in
Western New York this season. So
good land, which is in condition to