The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1914-07-03
HAS YOUR WHEAT BEEN INFEST-
ED WITH THE HESSIAN FLY.

ED WITH HE HLSSAAN LLAa
Farmers Invited to Cooperate In De-
struction of Pest That is Liable to
Cause Considerable Damage NM
Crops This Fall.
Washington, D. c., July Has
vonr wheat been infected by the Hes
aian NV this season." H. question
that the U. :. Department OF Agrlcul-
ture ID now asking farmers. The In
formation is desired that there may
be general cooperation between all
concerned i'm reducing the deyasta-
tons W the fly There IL every ln-
dication that the pest will be unusual
" troublesome to the crop this Tail.
Every wheat grower in the country
who suspects that his crop has Deen
infested il requested to send hls name
w the Departments Bureau or Etomol-
ogy at Washington, ID. C., with the re-
quest for a question blank. The ques-
lions to be answered are merely as 70
whether the wheat growers crop vas
infested at certain seasons. lne
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 tive hi name, address, ana CO.
nearest railway station
The Department is cooperating
with various State Experiment Sta
lions in this campaign against the
Hessian nv, and in some cases the
infested straw will ~ sent by the
government to local stations for eX-
animation. The wheat grower can
learn Just where his sample OF straw
L. to be sent when he sends his name
tO the Department, indicating hls
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 pc
sent by parcel post The upper part
of the straw need not be sent, put
enough above the ground should De
included to get the insect in what is
known as the ''fiaxseed" stage when
the larva Is incased in a hard, brown
skin ana somewhat resembles fax
seed. The insects will remain for
considerable time in the ''tiaxseed"
state during a drought and will only
emerge after rains have moistened
the soil. DRY weather in thu late
summer tends to keep the insect in
that stage, which is 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, al
though there are certain years when
the chinch bug exceeds the fly in it.
devastatiOnS During the seasons
when the fly is especially abundant
hundreds Of thousands of acres OF
wheat may be either totally destroyed
or % badly injured as to reduce the
yield do to T5 per cent. The none
tary losses run far up into the mil
lions
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 III
controlling the Hessian fly-that is,
for winter-wheat growing sections.
In the spring-wheat sections, late
seeding will not apply. On the con
trary, the earlier 1t il sown i'm 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 b. given
I'LL 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 en-
larged illustrations Of the fly In it,
adult and also its ''fiaxseed" state. -
U. S. Department of Agriculture.