The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1918-05-31


inch In length, and usually bears con.
splcuous white wings folded over It's
back. The young ones are bright red
and wingless. The old bugs live over
the winter hidden among clumps OF
wild grasses. especially those known
MS the Broom sedges," which grow
abundontly In unctltiyated places
throughout the greater portion Of the
main wheat belt OF the United States.
II Is the usual habit Of the clnch bug
first To attack fields OF wheat. rye, or
barley, and la presence often Is un.
noticed because the injuries inflicted
upon these crops are obscure or OF no
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 nc once to wrcak Sc
YER injury.
Corn fields may be protected and
the migrating bugs trapped about the
time OF wheat harvest by blowing n
deep furrow along the edge OF the
field. running the land side OF the pillow
toward the field 10 be protected. In
dry weather the side Of the furrow eau
be made - smooth and the sides 30
steep that the bugs viii ind IL easter
to crawl along the bottom than 10
climb up the sides. Circular holes
from 30 10 40 feet npart. made with a
pOst-hoie digger. then may be dug In
the bottom OF The trench. Into these
holes the bugs will fall In large mum.
bers, and here they may be killed cas-.
lily by s%prinkllng kerosene oil over
them. In wet weather n line Of liquid
tar ar crude petroleum, which the bugs
will not cross, may be maintained In
the furrow bottom.
Hesslan Fly 10 Old Foe.
Another noto. nus Insect whose func.
ilOn Il l.. IN the order Of MIXTURE. to
take bread out OF our mouths Is the
HessiHn fiy. NJ called because Hessian
soldiers, hired from their sovereign by
King George III. were believed to have
brought IL over from Europe during
the revolutionary This pest gives
is attention almost holly 10 wheat.
upon which II leyies an average n.
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 20 this Insect. And It's
members, Increasing year by year, have
deferred many farmers from sowing
wheat, Notwithstanding the rapidly
rising market prices.
The Hesslan fly Is a minute mos.
quitollke fly which lays lts 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 gnawlng into the soft portions OF
the stem. Usually two, but sometimes
three OF more, generations OF the In.
sect occur during "a year.
After the Hesslan ny has once thor.
oughly infested the crop OF wheat there
Is no known means OF saving Il, ana
the only known. means OF preventing
damage from the fy Is to keep Il out
OF the wheat.
The remedies for the Hesslan ny
are. therefore, entirely preventive.
One Is TO pillow down the wheat stub.
bile Immediately after harvest In or,
der TO destroy the maggots which re-.
mGin In L.. This Is for the protection
Of future crops. Another II 10 pn,
great attention to the preparation Of
the seedbed for the wheat by plowlng
early and working and packing the soil
Thoroughly In order TO eliminate lump,
and clods, thus producing a finely pul
verified, compact. and moisture-con
serving bed for the seed. Care should