The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-07-02
Has Your Wheat Been Infest-
ed With the Hessian Fly.

Gu WIFI the IleSoldH Ety.
Washington. d. C.-"Has your wheat
been infested by the Hessian fy this
season." is a question that the u. S.
Department OF Agriculture is o ask
ing farmers. The information is de-
sired that there may be general co.
operation between all concerned in re-
ducing 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 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 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 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
this compaign against the Hessian fly
and in some cases the infested straw
will be sent by the farmer to local sta.
tions for examination. The wheat
grower can learn just where his sam
pie of straw is to be sent when he
sends his name to the Department, in
dicating his willingness to send the
sample. The Department encourages
the sender not to be afraid TO forward
too much straw, even though il has to
be sent by parcel post. The upper part
of the straw need not be sent, but
enough above the ground should be in
cluded to get the insect in what is
known as the "naxseed' stage when
the larva Is incased in n hard, brown
skin and somewhat resembles a flax
seed. The insects will remain for a
considerable time in the "laHseed"
state during a drought and will only
emerge after rains have moi5tened the
straw.
Dry weather in the late summer time
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 Um-
tea States than the Hessian fly, al
though there are certain years when
the chinch bug exceeds the fly in its
devastations. During the seasons
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 80 to 20 per cent. The monetary
losses run far up into the millions.
A number of years ago there was in
Kansas general cooperation between
grain dealers, millers and farmers to
restrict the ravages of this dangerous
insect. According to their own esti-
mate, over a million dollars were sav.
ed 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 aud Oklahoma there have been
threatening outbreaks 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 Miller's Fedora
tion are working to secure better con-
troll over the liessian fly. The indi-
vidual wheat grower is asked to send
his samples of infested straw before
the middle Of September, and sooner
If possible, ms after that, the fly will
have Matched and have entered the
wheat.
Late sowing of the seed and burning
OF h stubble when not seeded to
grass or clover are the only measures
known to date that are effective in
controlling the Hessian iiy-that is.
for winter-wheat growing sections. 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 10y 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 enlarg-
ed illustrations OF the fly in its adult