The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-07-09
Has Your Wheat Been Infested With
The Hessian Fly?

the Hessian hy?' is a question that
the department is now asking farm
ers. The information is desired that
there may be general cooperation
between all concerned in reducing
the devastations of the fly There is
every indication that the pest will be
unusually troublesome to the crop
this fall.
Every wheat grower in the coun-
try who suspects that his crop has
been infested in requested to send
his name II the departments Bureau
of Entomology at Washington, D. G.,
with request for a question blank.
The questions to be answered are
merely as to whether the wheat
growers crop was infested at certain
seasons, The farmer will then be
asked to forward some of the infest-
ed wheat plants for examination,
postage to be paid by the govern
ment. He will also be asked to give
! his name, address, and the nearest
railway station.
The department is cooperating
with various state experiment sta
tions in this campaign against the
Hessian fly, and in some cases the IN
tested straw will be sent by the farm
err to local stations for examination.
The wheat grower can learn just
where his sample of straw is to be
sent when he sends his name to the
department, indicating his willing
ness to send the sample. The depart
ment encourages the sender not to De
afraid to forward too much OF the
straw, even though it has to be sent
by parcel post. The upper part OF
the straw need not be sent, out
enough above the ground should pc
included to get the insect in what is
known as the "flaxseed' stage, when
the larva is incased in hard, brown
skin and somewhat resembles max
seed, The insects will remain for a
considerable time in the "faxseed'
state during a drought and will only
emerge after rains have molstened
the soil. Dry weather in the late
summer tends to keep the insect IN
that stage, which is fact OF speclai
Importance in the north, where the
wheat must be sown early enough to
enable the plants to stand the winter.
Probably no other insect causes
more damage to the wheat crop OF
the United States than the Hesslan
fly, although there are certain years
when the chinch bug exceeds the ny
in it's devastations During the sea-
sons when the fly is especially album
dant hundreds of thousands OF acres
of wheat may be totally destroyed or
so badly injured as to reduce the
Weld so to IS per cent. The none
tary losses run far up into the mil
lions.
A number of years ago there was
in Kansas general cooperation oe-
tween grain dealers, millers ana
farmers to restrict the ravages OF TINS
dangerous insect. According to their
own estimate, over million dollars
were saved by prompt action ana
thorough measures. This year the
department hopes to secure general
cooperation throughout the country
in combating the pest. There are IN
dications that it's ravages may be Sc
we're. Already in Iowa and Oklaho-
ma there have been threatening out
breaks of the insect.
~ Not only are~federal and state or
carnations of the government COOP
Grating in this campaign. but others
such as the National Millers' Fedora
ton, are working to secure better
control over the Hessian Hy The IN
dividual wheat grower is asked to
send his samples of infested straw
before the middle of September, and
sooner if possible. as after that the
fly will have Matched and have enter
ed into the wheat.
Late sowing of the seed and burn
ing of the stubble when not seeded
to grass or clover are the only meas
ures known to date that ere effective
in controlling the Hessian fiy-that
is. for winter wheat growing sec
tons. In the spring wheat sections
late seeding will not apply. On the
contrary, the earlier it is sown in the
spring the less it seems to suffer
from this pest.
A more detailed explanation of late
sowing for winter wheat to avoid at
tack by the Hessian fly will be given
in subsequent article. The present
article is merely an invitation to the
wheat growers to help the depart
ment in it's campaign. The post card
to be forwarded to the farmer con-
tains illustrations of the fly in it's
adult and also it's "flaxseed' state.
Weather Crop Bulletin.