Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-09-04
3arn' anD tonstbolD.
IL wAsas x!6ss.


roneously called 1.-The weevil." Is iniest.
ing our wheat fields, working ruin to
the crop. The Lost Nation variety.
sown between the 5th. and the 25ih, OF
May. 10 much injured. The Odessa
late sown, will be but slightly dAmAg-
ed.
Farmers. as 8 rule. have fallen into the
common error of speaking OF The nudge
under the name of ''ihe weevil," when
they are separate and distinct insects.
and belong to distinct species. and fam
lies. and IN form and habits are very
unlike.
1t 10 estimated that within the limits
OF the United States there are 20 coo
disunc, species OF crop destroying in
sects, which are divided into fifty
groups, or families More than GO
have bees csislogued and descri bed.
In the population of an apple-iree,
more than 100 species Of noxious in
sects have been found. and more than
90 are known TO be inimicsl TO
wheat.
The wheat crops worst insect enc N lee
are the chinch bug. the nudge, the Hes
sian fly and the wecvil. The chinch bug,
3 terrible devss,ator in the West. don't
like New highlands climate.
The nudge and the He.sian fy are
distinct species Of the same family.
Both were imported, the Hessian fly
from Germany. the nudge from Eng
land. The destructive career OF the
nudge first excited attention In the
"Ststes. in Vermont. in The year ls2s
IL was seen in Quebec. two years ear
lier
This insect 3 yellow mite. in 1884.
destroyed in the state of New York
SIS. oco, 900 worth Of W heat.
A few Of the distinguishing marks
between The nudge, fy and weevil, are
as follows:
The nudge 10 One-brooded; feeds on
the milk OF the grain; its eggs are de-
posited between the husk And the ker-
mel, color, yellow.
The He,aan ay 10 ttco-brooded; it is
q ssp-sneker; deposits iis egg. be-
tween 3 leaf and the stalk
The nudge aud the Hes.isn ny. al.
though of different species. both belong
TO the Cecidomy,a family Of wheat
destroyers. They are closely allied in
history and scientific classification.
The tout eHsemble of The weeyil. 10 a
'horse OF entirely = different color"
The weevil. known also as "snout bee
tie Of which there are 20 kinds, be
longs TO the family eniomologically
known IS Curculionida. which in
clndes in its membership, the redoubta-
bic Curculio, that with frui. growers,
has such wide spread noloriety. The
wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarus)
is red. or nearly so. Ii deposits its egg
upon the outside of the husk, from
which emits 9 minute insect which
bores its wsy into the kernel, and siter
making & cavity house to live init
remains 10 quiesceDcs until the grain 10
harvested and housed. Once in the gran
AIRY they eat the inside of the kernel, leav.
ing tie hull only. some idea Of the
injury which they can do may be form
ed from two statements. that 10 one in
stance, wheat sent TO 9 fouring.mill
which had not been screened. thirty
five bushels did not bolt -four enough
to Gil g barrel; the other. that from l45
tons Of corn. were screened on, $500
weight Of weevils.
The nudge fly Is smaller than q mus.
quito; body, yellow; head. black. L,
comes in June, about the time the
Lightning bugs" appear. and immedi
A,ely begins TO deposit its eggs on wheat
In bloom; this it continues to do for
some twenty days. In sbost i've day,
the eggs hatch orange yellow mAggot,
which feed upon the juice. or milk Of
the forming kernels, causing them to b
dwarfish and shrunken when ripe.
After il 10 don. feeding Ia The wheA,
heads-hss done ell the harm II can,-
IL waits quietly until rain occurs to We,
the straw, when it becomes sciive and
crswls down 10 the ground. TO seel
winter quarters.
To abandon wheat growing. does moi
"sisrve them out" - in the absence o.
wheat. their chosen food. they feed OF
barley, oats, grasses ia the lowlsnds
and on various kinds Of weeds, whici
lsssess their numbers, but does no
drive them away.
In England aud France. the vhea
nudge has several parasitic destroyer
In this country. its only discovered
natural enemy 10 the little yellow bird
IL 10 ~ years since this greatest o
wheat enemies came into the country
yet the only known way to elude or re
sist its attacks. 10 late sortag Of IL
h0rdesf varieties Of seed. such - Ned
tsrrsncsu. and the Black Sea. and Oaes
%. II the last half of JuLe be warm sns
dry. SOW wheat; but If it be vet, dom
SOW seed 10 feed the nudge.
RURAL.
A continuous use Of Nerino buck
builds up. upon . stock Of inferier ewes
Q AOek Of 6ne and denseiy wooled ani
mails, with marvellous rspidity. A Aexi