The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-04

TO COMBAT
HESSfAN FLY
IN WHEAT
Experiment Station Has Issued
a Bulletin.
AS TO HABITS OF THE FLY
AS TO HABITS OF THE FL
Some Varieties of Grain Are
Not Affected.

saltwater. O. T.. Aug a-The equip
ment station has issued the following
bulletin on methods OF combating the
Hessian fly:
The damage done by the HesSian ny 20
the wheat In somc Of the northern part,
CT Oklahoma during the past season was
sufficiently serious to give rise TO a gen
sral demand for information rs to the
best methods Of combating that insect
lest. The habits OF this fiy are such that
sf'er its ess are once laid on wheat therc
Is practically TO way OF destroying the
insect without Destroying the plants.
1t has been found that some varieties
of wheat are very little. IL at all. dam
aged by the ny. even when grown along
side OF other varieties that are entirely
ruined. Before swoing wheat in the Nv
infested region. the farmer should -
cure seed of such a resistant variety. The
varieties with large. coarse. strong straw
are the ones that are most likely 10 b.
resistant But. as IL has been found that
a variety that is resistant to the attack
Of the fly in one Iecaiity may not he
resistant to It In another. the best wav
to obtain such variety Is securing seed
freH wheat that Is knewHte have ae-
tually known to have made a good WELD
while exposed to the hy under eireuM-
stances that resulted to damage 10 other
varieties. IT Is impossible 10 obtain ,uoh
seed grown in the fly infested neishber-
ha Aac MA rr3H ho %
seed from the same source as that which
is known to have dene well DIN spite Of
the fy. Anyone having secured a goei
crop Of wheat In the fields 30 planted ms
20 be fully exposed to the ~, should nd-
verti.e such wheat for sale as seed.
While seeking 10 secure a variety of
wheat which will resist the attack OF the
ry il IS well TO do what car be done 20
reduce the number of nies that VII be
en- hand 10 lay eggs on the wheat These
insects USUALLY spend the summer and
part of the fall In the 'hsR- seed s,aee
r the stubhle. or as ''fax-seeds' or
nasgets In the ha ses Of the stalks cf the
volunteer wheat. Therefore, in afIe- te
destroy them II f. advisable that the stBb-
hie ard volunteer wheat be thor ,ugh,v
winter wheat Is planted. This Hlowiny
should be done to depth Of six inches
or more. ana n teinser be used the
work should be more thorough. II velun-
teer wheat ana stuhhie are not thorough
" buried by this plowing. so as 10 I'm
prison the flies IN the ground. the sos
should be worked over so as to break
up the Gods ana pack II down.
Whore any attempt Is msAe 20 reduce
the number of flies by blowing them
under. al the unpiewed wheat etuobie
IN the neighborhood should De piowed
about the same time.
The sowing of strips OF wheat TO trap
the fies has been recommended as an
other means OF destroying the insects.
For this purpose strips Of wheat are
sown on one Or more sides Of the fields In
August. Then Immediately before tho
remainder of the field has been sewn
in the fall. these trap strips are 70 be
piowed under.
One Of the practices recommended fur
ther north is sowing late. so that wheat
comes up after the flies which would lay |
their eggs on II have been killed by the |
first frosts. This method OF late seeding |
sometimes fails IN the north. especially |
when late mfider weather brings more |
OF the flies TO the mature egg laying stage |
after early frosts. And II is likely q |
fail mora often as far south az Oklahoma. |
where the weather NAV be mild enough |
for esg-laying files az almost any time |
during the winter.
The Hessisn ny has sts natural enemies. |
- h. Nd
OF these are a species Of four winged nies |
which are parasitic OR the larvae tmas-
gcts) Of the Hessias Hy. And these para
sites serve 10 a great extent ~ keep the
pest IN check. Pit " Is ret advisabie 1
to depend entirely on these parasites 20
reduce the number OF flies when they 1
are very numerous.
Anyone who would Hike 90 know what
the Hessisn fy looks like would wei -
rear a few OF them from the Asx-seeds
which are 70 be found within the shef's.
az the bases of the Injured wheat stalks
II some of the infested stalks are partly
dried and placed in a glass fruit tsr
which Is covered, the adult riss nay
eu-rgs from the "fax-reets' n a we~s
or two. To insure seccess stalks might =
be placed in different Jars At intervals of
bout week, 80 that Il the insects az
TOO Young 70 stand drying az nryt cider
ones may be tried later. TIE stalks sre
dried in order that they may not mod
In the jars.
Bulletins illustrated with draTfnss OF
the Hies IN various stages Of tev~lo7-
unent may be obtsiHsd from The expert
mest station 81 StillsateT.