The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1900-10-13
IRA RIM 1 N / BID EN.
MATTERS or INTEREST s,Tc
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

MATTERS ee,r INTEREST rs
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
sons Up-to- Dass Hints Abo,ut cul-.
0 tion 81 II: II. soil and Yisaass
Thersof Horticult ure. vitIcaltars and.
E1oricul A
Shall Indiana Farmers Continus TO Grow
tsS Wheat !? 5s;
Through much Of the state the.
wheat crop is a disastrous failure
Thousands Of farmers are asking, Is
SC worth lille to attempt; to grow
wheat z? This depends on whether the
cause or causes OF the failure are be-
yond the farmers control. While the
season had sonnet hing to do with the
poor wheat crop, the Hesgian fly was
largely responsible The \. q " pract1-
ccally destroyed many fields Of wheat
last last fall, long before the beginning Of
winter. Many localities exempt from
the fly produced a fair crop. 4 Intelh-s
gent, observing farmers quite general
ly3agree that the / Fly" is the chief
cause Of failure. Can the farmers con-
troll this pest. or must they give up
beaten" 4 by an insect smaller than 9
mosquito? VIA s5s$ :. - 49,. 5s. =$s
Individual Effort Futile. While the
individual farmer may do something to-
hold the fly in check his efforts alone
are practically futile when the fly Is
very prevalent. I'm this latitude there
are two broods, each year, of the He's
sian fly, which propagates rapidly and
migrates with ease in the direction OF
the prevailing winds. 1t follows, there
fore, that: one farmer cannot, BY good
methods, barricade his farm. against
both fall and spring attacks Of these
insects, which are produced in count
less numbers by his negligent neigh
bor to the windward. But can nothing
be done? Is there no hope. Yes, there
is hope-aye, victory! If the farmers
will only unite, Unite, UNITE, to com
bat this pest of the wheat field.
The Remedy. If the farmers will all
employ the following measures they
will outwit and largely destroy the hy,
and barring hard winter, secure a
fair crop of wheat. .->s*
1. Prepare the ground for wheat,
early and thoroughly. f.:
2. Promptly destroy all volunteer
wheat in the plowed fields. H.. i"
3. Sow decoy strips of wheat, about
one rod wide, around each field de-.
signed for wheat. ~ a..,:;> +.
4. Carefully turn under these strips,
using jointer:and roll to bury all the
larvae and 'haxseed'' Of the fly, just
| before sowing the main CROP. ! r.
5. Begin seeding as soon as the fly
has, ceased to be active, and drill in,
with the wheat some good complete
fertilizer, unless the land is already
sufficiently fertile. 49,. u.
These measures, if adopted by all
wheat growers, would a. destroy my
riads of the fly; (2) avoid almost
wholly the fall attack Of the insect;
I##(3) BY greatly reducing the number Of
/ the pests, prevent a serious attack in
spring. o., 4 ..s$ III. ,... y. I
The times Of sowing the border and
the main crop would vary with the lat,
itude. They are approximately as fol-
lows: North third of the state, bor-
der, Sept. 1, crop Sept. TO- to 80; cen
trail third. borders:sept. TO- crop Oct l
to 10; south third, border Sept. 20,
crop Oct. 20 to 30, : - >s:z
| A Word to the skeptical. If you
have no faith in the above measures,
don't SOW any wheat-sow rye instead.
Then you will not hinder your neigh
Dor who is willing to t'.try the remedy"
The writer desires to hear from
wheat growers who will undertake ito
enlist their neighbors in combined
attack on the despised foreigners,
the Hessian hy.-W. C. Latta, Agricul-
turist, Indiana Agricultural College.
Lafayette. Indiana. . *-&: