The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-06-22


spicuous white wings folded over it
back. The young ones are bright re,
and wingless. The old bugs live owe
the winter hidden among clumps o
wild grasses. especially those know
as the broom Sedges," which grow
abundantly In uncultivated places
throughout the greater portion of thu
main wheat belt of the United States
1t Is the usual habit of the cinch bug
first to attack fields of wheat, rye, OF
barley, and its presence often Is I'm
noticed because the injuries inflicted
upon these crops are obscure or of nc
| apparent Importance. About harvest
time the bugs leave the small grains
and crawl over the surface of the
| ground to the nearest fields of corn
where they begin at once to wreak Sc.
we're injury.
Corn fields may be protected and
the migrating bugs trapped about the
time of wheat harvest by blowing a
deep furrow along the edge of the
! field, running the land side of the pillow
toward the field to be protected. In
dry weather the side of the furrow can
be made SO smooth and the sides so
steep that the bugs will find it easier
to crawl along the bottom than to
climb up the sides. Circular holes
from 30 to 40 feet apart, made with
post-hole digger, then may be dug in
the bottom of the trench. Into these
holes the bugs will fall In large num-
bers, and here they may be killed cas-
lily by sprinkling kerosene oil over
them. In wet weather a line Of LIQUID
tar or crude petroleum, which the bugs
will not cross, may be maintained in
the furrow bottom.
Hessian Fly Is Old Foe.
Another notorious insect whose func-
ton 1t Is, in the order of nature, to
take bread out Of our mouths is the
Hessian fly, so called because Hessian
soldiers, hired from their sovereign by
King George III, were believed to have
brought 1t over from Europe during
the revolutionary war. This pest gives
its attention almost wholly to wheat,
upon which it levies an average an
nual tax Of approximately 10 per cent.
Experts figure that sixty million BUSH
els was the shortage in the 1917 wheat
crop Of the country which may be
charged up to this insect. And its
members, increasing year by year, have
deferred many farmers from sowing
wheat, notwithstanding the rapidly
rising market prices.
The Hessian fly is minute mos
Quitolike fly which lays its eggs upon
the leaves Of wheat. These eggs hatch
into little maggots which crawl down |
Into the leaf sheaths. There they live
upon the plants sap which they obtain
by gnawing into the soft portions of
the stem. Usually two, but sometimes
three or more, generations Of the in
sect occur during a year.
After the Hessian fly has once thor
'ughly infested the crop Of wheat there
$ no known means Of saving it, and
he only known means Of preventing
iamage from the fly is to keep it out
# the wheat.
The remedies for the Hessian fly
re, therefore, entirely preventive.
)ne is to plow down the wheat stub
lie Immediately after harvest In or.
Ter to destroy the maggots which re-
nain In it. This is for the protection
I future crops. Another Is to pay
reat attention to the preparation of
he seeded for the wheat by blowing
arly and working and packing the soil
thoroughly In order to eliminate Jumps
nd clods, thus producing a finely pull
erized, compact. and moisture-con-
CRYING bed for the seed. Care should