Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1878-02-28
! THE HESSIAN1IEATpno
'tCouhtry GenittlenIha'hh..] h'h.]

IL t1'tCouhtr!y e GenttIenIhaHh..1 tI, IhH.1 4'i'"
Enclosed please fihts sorhb roots of
wheat containing tleseggs Of the Hes
sian Fly. The top,, yeg see, is entire
~ destroyed; the roots We're, when
taken from the ground, s6uhdi and
Full of, sap.ot WH you please,mgive
through the Country ;Gentlespqn7 the
time wien these insects. hatchI and
leave the Wheat5 and when they Ahatch
! do, they make, OF tlier' deposits oin 1.-THE
growing wheat, etc,2 1T has been
recommended by some to pasture the
wheat With sheep, as they woild mp
them and destroy them in that way
that cannot.be, for you see those are
found under ground. Does any one
know the habits of this fly? Do ttev
appear at stated periods, If SO, how
long is their time, etc.3 &C. NJ.
/ Milford 1fiils, F1. jHi!l tul rn'l
We give the following reply, kihd-
/ ly furnished by DR.. j. A. Lintner al
Though in the interval of its prapara
ton, it has been partially anticipated
by an article in our last issue, ~,
In replying to the above inquiries,
it may be well to give a brief account
of the Hessian fly. since at the present
time its serious ravages in many parts
of the country have drawn popular
attention to it. .L .-aaf
It is a European insect, as most of
our more injurious insects, and IS geti-
orally believed to haYe been brought
to this country by the Hessian soldiers
in 1776 /; appearing first on the east
! end Of Long Island. whence it has
spread to nearly all Of tile United
| States east of the Mississippi Rit CT.
It's scientific name is Ceci60mYs
destruct6r- named by Say I'M 1917.
1t is very small insect, belonging to
the order of Diptera or two-WiBged
| flies. and is numbered among the gall
flies, although it does not produce a
gall. Its head, antenn9 and thorax
arc black. The body is of a tawny
color; annulated with black. and
bearing some fine, short gray hairs
The wings are black, but tawny to-
ward their base a..;t
There are two annual breeds of this
destructive pestItlIe first having for
its period the fall, winter and early
spring the second, the remaining
part of the year.
The dy deposits her eggs in tho
months of August, September and DC.
tober-varying in different attitudes
and in different scasons-on tho
blades of the young wheat plant, in
the furrows of the upper sn face
They are of a pale red color, marked
with darker red spots; twenty or
thirty are often found on single leaf.
They hatch in about four days, when
the young larvae crawl down the leaf
and stem to the base of the sheath at
the crown of the roots. Here they
attach themselves, and live upon the
sap. In about six weeks they attain
their growth, when they cease to feed
ing, contract in size, undergo certain
changes. become of chestnut color,
and assume the '.faX seeds form-a
semi-pupal stage. Early in the spring
they change to pnpe, and in few
days thereafter, come forth as perfect
flies. la ~ H
The eggs of the second brood are
generally deposited just as the spring
wheat is issuing from the ground.
the period Of eviposition continuing
for about three weeks. The larvae
Matched from these pass down the
stem to near the roots, where they
feed 6ntil they take their faxseed
| FORM, in, June and July. They are in
this condition during harvest, SO that
in cutting the wheat, they are nearly
all left in the stubble. Here they re-
main until the latter part of August
or September, when the perfect insect
is developed from them as before
/ stated.
II the stubble he burned before the
flies commence to appear, the greater
comparatively few left to produce the
succeeding brood which conceal them
selves during the winter, in the roots
bereat!i the ground.
In one of the roots sent for exam :
nation, as stated in the above COM
munication, eleven of tie '.haX-seed"
mot egss-were closely slowed away,
tile number being ample to entirely
destroy the plant. The field from
which the roots were taken was very
badly infested" and the crop, I think,
4 must have been wholly destroyed.
The Hessian fy, like many other
of our insect foes, has its periods ioi
abundance, during which time the
wheat crop has virtually to be given
over to their attack. After having
been very numerous for a term of
years usually the several parasites
that prey upon them have so multi
piled that, through their agency, we
are delivered from the scourge. '2'5i
4 The Third Regim mt of French
Zouaves, observing Victor Emau.
uel's bravery sat the battle Of Pales-
! tro during the war with Austria
lelected him q corporal of their
regfment,-a distinction OF which
the King was proud. His name
was. until recently. dailv called nv