The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-09-05
Sent From Ohio Experl-
ment Station.
FARMERS WARNED
To be on Their Guard Against
the Hessian Fly. How
to invent the
Little Pest.
(Staf Specially

wooster, Sept. 4.--CharleS h.
Thorne, director of the Wooster ex-
pertinent station, has issued several
September bulletins. He tells in one
how to circumvent the ravages of the
Hessian fly. Following are the two
bulletins:
So little complaint of the Hessian
fly has been heard at the Ohio Ex-
pertinent station this season that there
Is ground for the hope that there will
be no more trouble from it for few
years to come, but it will he wiser for
farmers to be on their guard lest 1t
may reappear suddenly as it did in
1899.
1t is possible for every farmer to
determine for himself whether the fly
is likely to appear in destructive num-
bers in his wheat each season. To ac-
complish this, let small strip of
wheat be sown along one side of the
intended wheat field about two weeks
before the time when the main crop
is usually sown in that particular To-
cality. AS soon as the wheat comes
above the ground examine the young
shoots carefully each day with a mag
nifying glass. A cheap lens, magni-
flying about three diameters, which can
be bought of any optician or depart
ment store for a dollar or less, is
sufficient. If the fly is present its
miHute, reddish eggs one-fiftieth of an
inch long, will be found in the creases
of the young wheat blades. Once
seen under a glass these eggs can
easily be seen by the unaided eye as
red specks. Often two or more are
found together, lying end by end.
Usually egg laying occupies abou,
a week, and If the fly, on her appear
ance, finds a little wheat ready for her,
she will soon deposit all her eggs, at
ter which the main crop nay safely
be sown in the assurance that by the
time it appears above the ground the
eggs will all have been laid on the
earlier sown wheat.
Many farmers suppose that the So
called "faX-seeds," which are found
in October and November at the base
fly, but this is a mistake; these "fax
seeds" are the full grown larvae of
the fly, which undergo their trans
formation into the winged insect with
IN the brown cases called "1ax-seeds."
Thirty-four differently named sorts
of wheat have been grown in compare
tive test at the Ohio Experiment sta
ton for ten years past. One of these
Penquite's Velvet Chaff--is used as a
standard of comparison, and for this
purpose is grown on every third plot
of the series, and the other sorts are
valued as their yields rise above or
fall below those of the velvet chaff
plots between which they lie
In the 10-year average the mealy
heads the list with an average yield of
Is bushels per acre more than that
of the velvet chaff Poole and red
which are synonyms of the
same variety, come next, with yields
from 1-3 to ga bushels per
acre above that of velvet chaff. (Har-
vest king Is also Poole wheat, recent
ly introduced under a new name.)
Gypsy has yielded ga bushels, and
early ripe 1-2 bushels per acre more
than velvet chaff.
Varieties averaging between two
and three bushels more than velvet
chaff are Niger, fultz, mediterranean
and currell's prolific; while new mon
arch and valley and its synonym,
egyptian, nearly reach the two bushel
mark, and democrat has averaged {
more than one bushel in excess of the
standard. {
Jones square head has averaged
two and one-half bushels less than
velvet chaff, and Jones' winter fife
nearly two bushels less, while early
white leader, early red clawson, new
ongberry, martins amber and royal
synonym of clawson,
nave yielded nearly bushel per acre
ess than velvet chaff
American bronze, bearded monarch,
1eitz, fulcaster, hickman. hindostan, ]
lebanon, lehigh, missouri blue stem, |
rudy sibley's new golden, silver I
chaff and yellow gypsy have given !
yields varying but little either way 7
from that of velvet 'chaff
CHAS. e. THORNE, Director.
.aHH /