The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-12-01
THE HESSIAN FLY.
A Destructive Pest Which Ap-
pears in EARLY Sown
Wheat.

I'm plH'iPSi Nl' III '' lttClli Nbul
munication, says:
Many farmers are now congrat-
Mating themselves upon their
fine stand of early -Sown fall wheat.
They say. 1T is unusually green
and we'll StooIed.' They are cor.
rect in their observation. but they
have not seen the most important
factor, which is the direct cause
of the Stooling. a few weeks
hence, or perhaps few days, the
green blades will fade to Il vel.
lowiSh, Sickly color, and at or be-
low the surface of the ground be-
hind the leaf SheathS. will appear
"A knotty swelling showing more
or less dark color through the
sheath. If the sheath or blade
is stripped off. number of brown
iSh objects will be seen. In size,
shape and color they resemble
tlaxScedS. They look harmless,
but within this brown case, snug
ly tucked away, sleeps the great
eS, enemy of the wheat grower.
Ii is the cradle of the IlesSian fly.
From this 'haNSeed' the adult fly,
a gnat like creature, will appear
next spring and deposit its tiny
eggs upon the leaf for another
| brood. If the wheat is well
Stuoled' and remains green this
fall, look out next spring, as it
may ripen before it heads.
During the past week have
had a number of inquiries about
tie cause OF Sickly, yellowiSh
wheat. In every instance where
samples accompanied the inquiry
/ | found an abundance of 'tlaXSeed
cradles containing the Slumher-
ing lleSSian infants. The most
Important question in these let
tcrS is, Nv hat shall we doH In
very many instances il would he II
hopeless task to attempt to save
the wheat. 1t is a case of My
brother is sick, what shall | do'
But before doing anything the
case must be diagnosed. It is
very hard to doctor sick wheat,
! especially when it has the yellow
fever with tlaNSecds in its throat
Under ordinary circumstances
the field might bc paStured with
sheep this fall: but If the wheat
is very yellow at this time it
might just as well be plowed
down in the spring, rolled and
narrowed and planted in corn.
| would not advise blowing up
. badly infested wheat this fall
If YOU consider it a hopeless case,
pasture it this fall and piow it
early next spring before the sleep
ing beauties come out for their
sun bath.
- the future hc more cautious
about seeding and do not SOW too
early. There are years when late
sown wheat is affected with fly
also, but these periods are rare
exceptions. A few notes about
the habits of this notorious pest
may not he amiSS at this time.
The following is from my bulletin
(No. 5S), on the lleSSian fly:
"There are but two broodS of
the IIcSsidn fly over large area
of the United States, one appear
, ing in the spring and the other in
the fall. There is no question of
doubt, however, about there be-
. ing supplemental broodS, both in
the spring and fall, particularly
in the Southern wheat area. In
the extreme Northern belt, where
spring wheat is largely grown,
there may be only a single brood.
"The tlaXSeedS that have passed
\ the winter in the fall wheat pro-
+ duce the winged individuals
which appear in the spring during
April and May, more abundantly
about the middle of the latter
month. The eggs are deposited
n usually on the upper surface OF
+, the leaf With the spring brood,
!, however, they are sometimes
F.. thrust beneath the leaf sheath on
. the lower joints. A single female
Y produces from 100 to $50 eggs,
+ and they are deposited in irregu
+, lar rows of from 3 to ) or most.
$ "Hatching from the eggs the
young larvae imhed themselves
# beneath the sheath and Sten
:. causing a more or less distorted
# plant. The spring brood usually
st develops in the lower joints nea
G the ground. Under certain con
S ditions the insect may remain
r dormant in the tlaXseed state 70
r a year or more and still brins
e forth the adult. This is. withOu
i doubt, provision Of natUro i.
tended to prevent accidental eX
termination of the species. TIL
e migrating brood is the one whic
d appears in the fall; the sprini
!. brood does not usually leave til
IS field in which it is developed"
That Throbbing Headache
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pf 81 H. rnrs hayn trnVal hnir a Ia los