Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-06-25

Wilfred Page, of the Cotata Ranch, near
PENIS Grove, Sonoma county, wrote re-
caD+I,- to Matthew Cnota nc r,lIovs.

Wilfred Page, of the Cotata Ranch, near
PENIS Grove, Sonoma county, wrote re-
Gently to Matthew Cooke as follows:
.MuHhe,c Cooke Esq, Sacrd,nento-DEAR SIR: At
the suggestion of Professor Dwinelle who owing
TO absence from home would be unable 10 in
Vestigate the matter personally, | now inClose
several stools of barley which believe to be in
tested with Hessian fly grubs in the haxseed
state, and others apparently in the same state but
lacking the haxseed color as yet. This barley
was sown in April, Oh land, which, with the eX-
ception of winter before last, when it was
plowcd and sown in corn, had not been in grain
of any kind for over twenty years The field is
a quarter of mile removed from any other
grain. viii you kindly investigate and give the
pests your attention. and if you cannot write TO
me individually about it, shall be glad to re-
ceivc marked copy of the REcoRD-UNIoN in
which YOU may publish the conclusions you ar
rive at Respectfully yours,
WILFRED PAGE.
From careful observation of over 700 acres of
land | should say the insect has this season re-
duced the crop on that land from one-third TO
one half of what il otherwise would have been.
W. 7.
Reply: The barley you send is seriously
infested by the Larvae of the Hessian fly A
large majority are in the tlaxseed stage. l
also found some females laying their eggs,
and some of the empty tlaxseed cases from
which the pupH had emerged. This is
proof that the Hessian fly is capable of pro-
ducing three broods in each year i'll this
State As the first brood was about chang
ing at the 9th of April in the vicinity of
Vallejo Junction. now the fiaxseed of the
second brood are producing the third
brood. One of the females | took out of
the barley you sent l placed in Il bottle
and she deposited sixty-one eggs, which l
have preserved rs specimens. This | con-
slider very serious matter for the wheat
growers of Sonoma county, and every
effort should be made TO prevent the spread
of this pest or il will destroy the wheat
crops of the county.
As soon as the grain is thrashed every
yestgie of stubble and straw in the sur
rounding country should be burned, and
the roots of the grain plowed under SO as
| to effectually destroy the pests. You will
understand that they hibernate in the stub
BILE and straw. | send You by mail to-day
package containing two small walls.
One contains pieces of the straw in which
you will find the full-grown Larvae, and the
other contains cuttings of the straw con-
tanning the pests in the faxseed state By
keeping the latter you will get the perfect
insect from them. The term fiaxseed is
! applied from their color. As soon rs the
niasgot is full grown and prepares for its
transformations il detacheS itself from the
outer shtH, mus causing thS Chdhse VI
color. and remains in the larvae for some
time. When nearly ready 10 pupate it
breaks away through the old skin, or
coarclate case, and moves up the stalk,
where il fastens itself in such position
that it cannot fall, and remains until per-
feet insect cmergeS.
You should call the attention of the
local press 10 this matter and give il as
much publicity rs possible. so that the
wheat and barley growers may be fully
warned of the danger with which they are
threatened After the burning of the stub
BILE sheep and other stock should be turned
on the ground to clean mp any stalks that
escaped the fire. See issue of this paper
March -. 1884, article on the Hessian
FlyD