The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-31
HESSIAN FLY NOW.
This Year 1t Is the farmers Worst
Pest.

comes from the neighborhood of Lang
don that the grasshoppers are busily
engaged in deyouring the wheat crop
In that region and that the farmers
are harvesting their wheat earlier than
usual on account of their old time enc
mics active operations. However this
may be in some parts of the state, GER
tain 1T Is that the grasshopper Is not
so numerous locally as he has been in
former years. The open winter and
cold spring carried his. long-legged
highness off in his prime, or rather,
nipped him in the bud at the outset of
his career, and, to add to his other
difficulties, this happens to be the year
for the arrival Of the insect known as
blister pills or cld-fashioned potato
Oils, who eat the eggs of the grass
hopper, and thus effectually put a stop
to all further operations on his part
In some parts of the state, especially
in the burnt district along the Duluth
tracks, the grasshopper has had little
to interfere with him, and has created
havoc generally with the young yege-
tation, which. since the fire of two
years ago, had grown to three or four
feet in height. In New York the grass
hopper has been more destructive than
IN many years previous. 1t Is the MI
gfatory species which does the harm,
ndLlVG
only in that it has longer wings, which
enables 1t to fly greater distances. and
also carries air sacks, which it can in
hate or empty at will, thus enabling
IL 10 overcome the power of gravitation
to large extent when flying. These
insects are gregarious and travel in
immense numbers, deyouring nearly
everything In sight, though they have
a fondness for tart or highly-favored
food, such as onions or tobacco, and
are more or less of a carnivorous nat
ure, and when one of their number ia
killed will proceed to eat him up.
But If the grasshopper is not doing
the farmer any harm there are other
KINDS or creatures which are making
him tear his hair and puzzle his brain
and write lengthy epistles to Prof. Otto
Lugger, of the experimental farm.
mailing at the same time odd looking
packages containing samples Of the
little pests which are robbing him of
his sleep and destroying his wheat
fields. The army worm is one of these
torments and he has developed himself
thlS year as new variety and has
stripped all the dainty green foliage
off the young trees which have come
up since the prairie fires in the north
ern part OF the state. The army worm
is nothing more nor less than the COM
mon cut worm until hunger and lack
of supply of food drives him to assume
army attire, and, together with an en-
oImous band of his fellow worms, he
starts off over the country in a reck-
less quest Of provision. For the army
worm is b1indly reckless and will push
ahead in his wild hunt for food into the
very jaws of destruction Thus it is
that the farmers are enabled to rid
themselves Of him in very simple
manner. Long bitches are dug ahead
OF the invading army, for it always
travels in one direction, and into this
ditch the foolish creatures crawl When
a goodly number has accumulated
straw is thrown on top of them,
quantity Of oil tossed in and the whole
ignited. Some times a log is dragged
over them, but such a proceeding is
hardly to any ones taste.
The other little insect which Is Civ
ing the farmer the heart ache is the
Hessian fly. 1t is very minute and Is
shaped like the common house fly. In
color it is greenish. This tiny insect
lays its eggs between the first and
second joints from the ground of the
wheat stalk, and from the small, white
glistening eggs, minute maggot Of
greenish hue is Matched, the posseSsor
Of no feet, but of a sharp forked breast
bone, as it is called, with which it earns
it's living. This maggot forces itself
between the blade and stem and with
the peculiar instrument before referred
to, irritates the plant at that point,
rupturing the stalk, and in that way is
enabled to get at the sap which it takes
as food In a short time this weakens
the plant and about the time the ear
is ripe the stalk falls over bending just
above the point occupied by the mag
got, which 1t thus protects. When the
farmer cuts his grain these stalks are
too low to be cut with the rest OF the
field and in some cases 10 per cent Of
the crop is destroyed. Prof. Lugger has
had 40 letters day Of late, all devoted
to the Frit-fly, and says that the only
way to get rid of him is to pillow the
field just as soon as the grain is har-
vested In this way the stalks containing
the little fiends are brought down and
may be burned Prof. Lugger has been
i'll for a few weeks, but has his assis-
tant out about the country looking In
to the matter. Five years ago in the
Red river valley he had an experience
with this same insect, and found that
blowing the field was the best way to
kill it, He says that the army worm has
run over every part of the state and is
just departing. It deyoured the grains
and grasses and even in a fit of devil
try no doubt, for 1t does not eat it, bit
off the seed part of the flax. Prof. Lug
ger says that old hay stacks are to
blame for the coming of this worm and
that the farmer who keeps them on his
place has invited the fiddler and must
expect to pay him.
HAD HARD LUCK.