Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-05-16

raised that will not suffer in the
slightest degree from the fly during
the fall and winter. / know 1t Is
often claimed that to get a heavy yield
it is essential to give the wheat an
early start in the fall. But good
yields can be secured by planting quite
late, better at any rate than can De
secured by very early planting after
the fly has become very abundant IN
a locality. When the fly is not com
mon, early planting may be the better
practice.
At the Experiment farm at Lexing-
ton it has been the custom to plant
wheat about October 9Th, and until the
season of 1900-1901 for wheat no fly
of consequence appeared on the place,
and some exceptionally good haryests
were secured. In the fall of 1900 the
weather favored the fly, so that 1t con
tinued active much later than usual,
and an acre of wheat, and the follow
ing spring another or barley became
badly infested But this is an eXcep-
ton to what has proved the rule
through a long period Of wheat grow
ing in this country. 1t may be said
that late planting is in general a safe
and easy way to avoid Hessian fly in
Jury in the fall All these things have
been said repeatedly before, and still
one meets people who say they are
doubtful about it.
To satisfy such doubters, and to get
definite data with reference to the pc
riod during which the fly is engaged
in placing its eggs during the fall,
had a number of plats of wheat plant
ed in 1901 beginning on September
/ 18th. and continuing until the wealth
er became so cold as to render it eX-
ceedingly unlikely that a stand would
| be secured The result was most
striking, and is a complete justifca-
| ton Of moderately late planting. A
preliminary report on the condition Of
these plats, with reference to fly in
! Jury. was printed in cur Bulletin &C.
| issued in November, 1901, where it
was stated that of the wheat planted
September 26th, 80 per cent was in
tested with fly that the planting Of
October 3D. showed only 1 per cent
of the plants infested; and that no
subsequent planting was infested
rs was stated at the time, this re-
port was not considered final, and
have now to state as the result of a
very thorough examination of plants
from each of the plats, that the per-
centages of injury then obtained are
substantially correct. Indeed l was
surprised to find the result of the sec
ond examination coinciding so closely
with that Of the first The examina-
ton was made March 10, 1902.
Thirty per cent of the plants from
the plat planted September 26th was
/ found infested.
Nine-Uenths of one per cent. Of the
plants from the plat planted October
Sd was infested and one of the insects
found was immature.
No infested plants were found in
any of the later paintings.
But it may be asked, what is the rel
alive condition of the wheat in these
plats now? For it is conceivable that
the plat Of September 26th, might be
badly infested and yet give a better
yield than a later planting that was
not Infested at all.
1t was one of the worst looking lot
of wheat planted The lots planted
October Sd and October 10th are yer,
much finer, are in fact the best Of all
Very late paintings were, some o
them just showing occasional tips o
blades when cold weather closed
down on, us, and, of course, remained
stationary during the winter, They
are now doing pretty well, and We
shall get more from wheat planted
November list than seemed to me pos
sible at the outset.
Now, in considering this experiment
it is necessary to keep in mind our To-
cation in the State Exactly the same
results would probably not have been
secured here. Without having tested
wheats in this region / should expect
the best paintings to be secured later
in October, say October 18th and oath
for the reason that you are several
hundred feet nearer sea level than we
are. and more than a degree Of lati-
tude farther South. I should like t.
see successive paintings such as ours
made next fall in this county on bad
ly infested wheat land. Useful infor-
nation could also be secured from
paintings made in the extreme west
ern end of the State, say in Hickman
county.
Ths question arises, what is the ef-
feet Of late planting on the spring IN
jury from the fly? Our plats are moi
yet ready to give US information Oh
this head. Yet it is well known thai
the adult fly is not an active traveller
and is likely to place its eggs in the
wheat nearest at hand when II
emerges. Infested wheat and wheat
near it. are thus most likely to re-
ceive the greater portion Of the eggs
and the farther wheat is located from
infested fields the more likely it is
therefore to escape the spring vista
ton. 1 am expecting my planting Of
October Sd to be overrun by adult flies
from the planting Of September 26tf
this spring, for they lie side by side
Possibly, even the latest paintings viii
become infested since the plats are
small not occupying altogether ar
acre of ground. But 1 shall be great
ly surprised if a small experimental
planting of wheat on the farm a quar-
ter of a mile away becomes infested
The above statements contain sug-
gestions which hope will not be
missed. The gist of them may be put