THE HESSIAN FLY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1674, 28 September 1887, Page 3

THE HESSIAN FLY.

Barely a year haa elapsed since the first" appearance of the Hessian fly m England At that time it wbb hoped that it wonld Bot establish itself, hut come BDd go, like other periodical pests, without leaving any mischief m its train. That hope has proved altogether illußory. Scarcely a ireek" elapses without hearing of the unwelcome presence of the pest i& widely separated localities, and there can be no longer, unfortunately, any doubt that the Hessian fly has become naturalised m these islands; The question for farmers now is, kow beat to minimise the evil. The most competent judges, Miss Ormerod and Mr Whitehead among the number, cannot suggest any remedy, with the exception of the introduction of certain parasites, which are -its natural enemies. Moßt of the varieties of wheat, barley and rye are the prey of the fly, but, strange to aay, there is no record of oats having beefl attacked m any conntry. Poor land, it Eeems, is Always the first to suffer from tho insect, And dry seasons are rather prejudicial to it than otherwise. Soils well drepsed with manure have been known to check the ravages of the Hessian fly, but the remedy Is costly and troublesome, ai,d might m this country prove ineffectual. Cacada, formerly one of the chief habitats of the scourge, ia now almost free from its ravages, and the same may be Baid of many portions of the United States. The Hessian fly has, however, made a home for itself m England, and only extreme precautions will prevent this insect Bcourgo from extending itself to the celonies of Australasia.