Half hours with insects . his and the wheat midge should be imported and bredby the quantity, so as to stop their ravages. It would be asimple thing to do. A quantity of stubble from an Englishor French wheat field could be imported and scattered overthe wheat fields of southern New England and the Middle 22 PACKARD.] ESrSECTS OF THE FIELD. 215 States, and in this way the parasites with but slight expensebe had by the quantity. Why have not commissionersbefore this been appointed by the several state authoritiesto attend to this important matter? While the Hessian fly attacks the root, the whe
Half hours with insects . his and the wheat midge should be imported and bredby the quantity, so as to stop their ravages. It would be asimple thing to do. A quantity of stubble from an Englishor French wheat field could be imported and scattered overthe wheat fields of southern New England and the Middle 22 PACKARD.] ESrSECTS OF THE FIELD. 215 States, and in this way the parasites with but slight expensebe had by the quantity. Why have not commissionersbefore this been appointed by the several state authoritiesto attend to this important matter? While the Hessian fly attacks the root, the wheat midgeadopts the ear as its point of attack. When the wheat is inblossom the females lay their eggs in the evening in clustersof from two to twenty, by means of the long, retractile,tube-like extremity of the body, within the chaffy scales ofthe flowers. The orange-colored maggots appear in fromeight to ten days after, and when fully grown are one-eighthof an inch long. They crowd around the germ of the wheat, Fig. Parasite of the Wheat Midge. which by pressure becomes shrivelled and aborted. Aboutthe first of August it casts the skin, either while in the earor after it has descended to the ground. After descendingto the earth it spins an earthen cocoon, smaller than amustard seed, and remains through the winter about an inchunder ground. The midge appears the next June and 169 represents its most deadly parasite. In dealingwith this midge it is obvious that if the wheat field isploughed after the stubble is burnt off, either in the autumnor spring, great numbers will be cut off, for when buried fiveor six inches, the fly is unable to reach the surface of theground. Another method is to sow grain late in the season, 23 216 HALF HOURS WITH INSECTS. [Packard. for example, in New England after the 15th or 20th of early sowing the 3oung wheat will have got the start ofthe flies, and too large and strong for them to kill it. For a third and often still mor
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1881
