Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-06-16
The New Bug in the Wheat.

Within the last few days good deal of
excitement has been created among our
farmers as we'll as those who do not raise,
but deal in whcat,by the discovery that in
this neighborheod, as well as throughout
the State, sort of plant-louse is preying
on tie heads of wheat and sucking the
plant dry. Since the discovery was made
| nearly every farmer in this vicinity who
has looked at his wheat carefully has found
this bug. 1t was at first pronounced to be
the milk-weevil, but close investigation
Ben. Fifer, the Flour Inspector of Staun-
ton, a gentleman who is quite familiar
with the wheat pests, says it is not the
weevil, and as confirming the opinion. has
found the same bug in the fruit trees and
bushes in his garden. The existence of
the bug is not readily detected; on the
farm OF Mr.. John Paris, near town, gen.
tleman walked through the field of wheat
without discovering the bug, and yet, on
regaining the open road. found his cloth
ing had thousands of them on its surface.
1t is minute, green bug, as soft almost
wheat. The wheat, it is very likely, is too
far advanced to be injured to any serious
extent, but the oats will suffer severely
Mr.. Frank Ruffin, who has had much eX-
perience in such matters, writes to the
Richmond Dispatch his remedy, as fol-
lows:
Il have not seen it, and know not what
hp,f i,f kn oatf or ind,
ces me to suggest the trial of remedy, |
hope not too late, which have found eff
tacious to destroy Hessian fly and joint
worms, and which, if it does no good, can
do no harm, and is very cheap. | refer to
ter-sIacked-mnd, not air-slacked.
lime, to be sowed on the wheat of calm,
clear evening, when the dew of the night
will form ley with the lime, that may de.
ssroy or cripple the lice; as it certainly
does the fly and joint worm. Let it be ap-
piled at the rate of bushel or a bushel
aud y half per acre, sowed aDith. and not
| against the wind, by hands and moving en-
echeton that is, in an oblique row, each
man few steps behind his next leader;
| all with their worst clothes on, and all
with their hands and face we'll creased to
keep the lime from chatting the skin.-
The lime ought not to cost more than ten
| to fifteen cents a bushel."
| Mr.. Sullivan, formerly Of Michigan, who
now resides at Willow Spout in this coun-
ty, says he remembers when the same pest
appeared in the wheat in Michigan and
rendered the crop Of that year almost
worthless. Tt is thought, however, by
| many experienced Augusta farme rs to
whom we have talked that the pest ap-
pears in Virginia this year too late to
harm the wheat much. 1t is different
| however with the rye in this county which
| is being greatly damaged if not destroyed =,
and the oats which are also suffering great
ly. In some fields that we have been in
formed of, where rye aud wheat are grow
ing together, the bug has not molested the
latter at all but is destroying the former.
A gentleman residing near Arbor Hill
has made the wheat louise study since
its appearance last week and finds that
Only twenty-four hours elapse between
the laying of the eggs and the flight of
the matured bug. This will account for
the fact that among many crops farmer
sees thena one morning and they disap-
pear by the next
Mr.. r. S. Harnsberger, living few
miles from town, yesterday showed us
| some stalks of his wheat which had been
cut off near the top by worm similar to
! the army worm.