Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-07-01

Last Winter
States Of Agriculture

prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)
Although there is no remedy for the
Hessian fly when once it takes posses
sion Of crop of wheat, great deal
can be done toward keeping the fly out
of the wheat.
Since the Hessian fly is the most de-
structive insect enemy Of wheat In the
United States, control measures pay.
There have been at least seven general
outbreaks east of TIE Mississippi river
in the past 81 years, and another Is re-
garded as imminent by specialists Of
the bureau of entomology. The aver
age annual damage to wheat through
out the United States from this insect
is estimated at S50.00O,OO0
How to Stop Losses.
The means of preventing loss, as
summarized by the department, are
these:
Practice crop rotation. Do not SOW
wheat on stubble if it is possible to
avoid doing so.
Plow under all infested stubble,
where practicable, soon after harvest.
Plow ruined wheat as soon as possible
after it has been determined that the
crop will be q failure
Destroy all volunteer wheat by har-
rowing, disking, blowing, or some other
method.
| Pillow all land to be sown to wheat
us early and deeply as existing condi-
lions permit, and prepare thoroughly
! pulverized and compacted seed bed.
Conserve moisture against period
\ Of drought at seeding time.
Use good seed.
| Fertilize.
Sow wheat during the fy-free period
MS advised by your farm adviser or
state experiment station.
4 Adhere to these practices every year
whether the fly is abundant or scarce.
They will l:elp to keep 1t scarce.
Community cooperation is essential
! if success is to be attained because one
infested field may furnish enough tyes
! to damage the wheat for several miles
/ around.
/ When to Sow Wheat.
1 Sowing wheat during the fly-free
period means moderately late sowing.
Experiments conducted over great
unny years have shown that, in most To-
calities, the safe date for sowing wheat
10 escape Hessian fly injury usually
/, comedies with the proper time for SOW
ing in order to obtain the largest
yields independently of Hessian fly in
jury. These dates have been deter
mined for certain localities as follows {:
In northern Michigan, soon after the
list of September.
In southern Michigan and northern
Ohio, about September 20.
In southern Ohio, after the first
week in October.
In extreme northern Illinois the safe
period usually occurs from September
q to 2S.
In central Illinois a1d Indiana, from
September 81 to 30.
In extreme southern Illinois, from
September 80 to October 5.
In central Kentucky, from October
5 to 49,
In central Tennessee, from Octobe,
Is to %.
In Georgia and South Carolina, from
October % to November 25.
Ii northeastern Kansas the safe pc
Rod is from October / to 10.
. In east-central Kansas, usually from
October ] to 20.
In extreme southern Kansas anG
northern Oklahoma wheat should moi
be sown until the second week in DC
, tOber.
This is true also Of Virginia near see
level.
October-sow1 wheat always enjoys
the greatest freedom from the fly II
Maryland. except in the mountainous
regions where earlier planting is nee
essary.
In southeastern Pennsylvania the
safe period is during the last week o.
J. September. and practically the same
corresponding delay in wheat sowing
in tire fall should be followed to thu
southwark.
. These dates are only approximate
and serve to show in general wa.
, about the time when the fall brood o
the fly disappears. All are dependen