The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1900-12-13

The almost unparalleled destruction
Of the wheat crop Of 1900, throughout
Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, is gener-
ally ascribed chiefly to the Hessian fly,
and undoubtedly this insect has caused
much loss, not only by destruc-
ton outright of many plants in the
rail-, but by SO weakening the vitality
OF others that they succumbed to
weather conditions which they would
otherwise have been able to resist. But
oen1nd these causes there lies another
which must not be lost sight of, name
ly, the exhaustion of soil fertility. The
Importance of this factor is shown in
the experiments of the Ohio Station, in
which wheat on new land has, this
year, yielded nearly 40 bushels to the
acre, without fertilizers, whereas un-
fertllized wheat on land that has been,
Tor 60 or 70 years, under such cultiva-
ton as is practiced on a large proper
ton OF Ohio farms, was almost total
ly destroyed by fly and weather condi1
tons combined, the number of plants
attacked by the fly being in both cases
approximately the same. 4
Where the sowing of wheat has been
delayed until after the middle of Sep
TENDER in the extreme northern part
OF the state; to the Goth and 25th I'M
the latitude of this station; to the last
week in the month in that of Column
bus, and to the first week in October
farther south, the results have BEEN
generally more favorable than where
the seeding was done earlier; but these
dates were not sufficiently late to-
escape the fly last fall, owing probably
in part to peculiar seasonal conditions.
When the seeding is delayed beyond
the dates mentioned the loss from the
plant not having time to sufficiently
prepare for the winter will probably
be greater than the average loss from
the fly.
Even at these dates, in ordinary sea-
sons, there will be need to see that the
land is thoroughly prepared and we'll
fertilized if remunerative yields are to
be obtained.
Late sowing, however, while in some
measure a protection from the fall at
tack of the fly, will have no effect on
the spring attack unless universally
practiced in a given district; for if
one farmer in a township sows his
wheat in time to invite the fall attack
he Will have provided a breeding place
from which flies will swarm the follow
ing spring to destroy the crops of all
his ~neighbors. 1t would seem, there
fore, to be well worth while for farm
ers to take united action in this matter
by banding together over large dis
tr1cts and agreeing to delay their
wheat seeding until the dates sug-
gested. Such a test, if properly car
rled out, would be of ~incalculable value
in determining the actual value of this
method of securing immunity from the
fly.
1t. in connection with a general post
ponement of the date of seeding, each
farmer would SOW a small strip of
wheat at an earlier date, this to be
plowed under with a jointer a few days
before the general seeding and then
resown, it might have a very useful
effect in attracting the flies and caus-
ing them to deposit their eggs where
they could be easily destroyed.
Many farmers are writing to the Ex-
pertinent Station, asking whether it is
advisable to sow rye instead of wheat
this fall. To this we have to reply that
rye is also subject to attack from the
Hessian fly, while the statistics OF crop
production in Ohio show that the aver
age yield of rye is no greater than that
of wheat, and the market statistics
show that it's average value per bushel
is much below that of wheat.
Our advice therefore is, in brief: Put
the seed bed for wheat in the best pos
sible condition by blowing early, thor
oughly pulverizing the surface immedi-
ately to retain moisture, and manur-
ing or fertilizing literally; then delay
the seeding to a comparatively late
date and use a liberal quantity of seed.
The recent experiments of this station
show that two bushels of thoroughly
cleaned seed is not too much for an
acre of ordinary land.-Chas. e.
Thorne, Director Ohio Experiment Sta
ton.