Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-07-01
HAS THE HESSIAN FLY
INFESTED YOUR WHEAT?
Farmers Invited &c Cooperate in
Destruction of This Enemy
of the Fall Crop.

Tie 1SSSldH ny lHlS season is d
question that the U. S. Department
of Agriculture is now asking farmers.
The information is desired that there
may be general cooperation between
all concerned in reducing the devas ia
tions of the fly. There is every in
dication that the pest will be un-
usually troublesome to the crop this
fall.
Every wheat grower in the country
who suspects that his crop has been
infested is requested to send his name
to the Departments Bureau of Ento-
mology at Washington, D. c., with
a request for question blank. The
questions to be answered are merely
as to whethers.the wheat growers crop
was infested at certain seasons. The
farmer will then be asked to forward
some of the infested wheat plants
for examination, postage to be paid
by the government. He will also be
asked to give his name, address, and
the nearest railway station.
The department is cooperating with
various State Experiment Stations
in its campaign against the Hessian
fly, and in some cases the infested
straw will be sent by the farmer 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 de-
parment, indicating his willingness to
send the sample. The Department
encourages the sender not to be
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, but
enough above the ground should be
included to get the insect in what is
known as the "faxseed" stage when
the larvae is incased in a hard, brown
skin and somewhat resembles a flax
seed. The insects will remain for a
considerable time in the fiaxseed"
state during drought and will only
emerge after rains have moistened
the soil. JIry weather in the late
summer tends to keep the insect in
that stage, which is a fact of special
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 in
the United States than the Hessian
fly, although there are certain years
when the chinch bug exceeds the fly
in its devastations. During the sea-
sons when the fly is especially
abundant hundreds of thousands of
acres of wheat may be either totally
destroyed or so badly injured as to
reduce the yield so to rs per cent.
The monetary losses run far up into
the millions.
A number of years ago there was
in Kansas general cooperation be-
tween grain dealers, millers and
farmers to restrict the ravages of
this dangerous insect. According to
their own estimate, over a million
dollars were saved by prompt action
and thorough measures. This year
the department hopes to secure
general cooperation throughout the
country in combating the pest. There
are indications that its ravages may
be severe. Already in Iowa and
Oklahoma there have been threaten
ing outbreaks of the insect.
Not only are Federal and state
organizations of the government CO.
operating in this campaign but others
such as the National Miller's Fedora
tion are working to secure better
control over the Hessian fly. The
Individual 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 entered
into the wheat.
Late sowing OF the seed and burn
ing of the stubble when not seeded
to grass or clover are the only measures
known to date that are effective in
controlling the Hessian fy-that is,
for winter wheat growing sections.
In the spring wheat sections, late
seeding will not apply. On the con-
trary, 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 a subsequent article. The present
article is merely an invitation to the
wheat grower to help the department
in its campaign. The post card to
be forwarded the farmer, contains
enlarged illustrations of the fly in it's
adult and also it's "fiaxseed" state.