Circular N 
 
 Vnvember i 
 
 United States Department of Agriculture, 
 
 BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY, 
 L. O. HOWARD, Entomologist and Chief of Bureau. 
 
 THE CHINCH BUG. 
 
 Blissua U ucopUrw Say. I 
 
 Bj I'. M. \\ i Ban n. 
 In Ckorgt of Cereal and Foragi Trued Tnvettigati 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I''<'\\ insects, and certainly no other Bpecies of the natural order to 
 which this one belongs, have caused such enormous pecuniary losses 
 
 baa the chinch bug {Blissus leucopterus 
 Sa\ | (fig. l i. No other inseel native to the 
 Western Hemisphere has spread its devastat- 
 ing hordes over a wider area of country (see 
 map, fig. 7> with more fatal effects to the 
 staple grains of North America than has this 
 one. But for the extreme susceptibility of 
 the very young to destruction by drenching 
 rains and to the less, though not insignificant, 
 fatal effect during rainy seasons of the para- 
 sitic fungus Sporotrichum globuLiferum Speg., 
 
 On both the adults and young, the practice of 
 
 raising gram year after year on the Bame 
 
 areas, a> i-~ followed in some parts <<( the form, much. vuthor-a 
 
 Li ■ ■ d iii i i illustration.) 
 
 mted Mates, would become altogether un- 
 profitable. Some of this insect's own habits, emphasizing as they do 
 the effects ^i meteorological conditions, are among the most potent 
 influences that serve to hold it within hounds by giving its tendency 
 to excessive increase a decidedly spasmodic character. 
 9917— Cir. Il:i— 09 1 
 
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DIFFERENT STAGES. 
 
 T/k egg (fig. •'!, a, b). — The average length of the egg is three 
 one-hundredths <>f an inch; in shape it is elongate-oval, the diameter 
 being scarcely one-fifth the length. The top is squarely docked and 
 surmounted with four small, rounded tubercles near the center. 
 
 Fig. 2.— Chinch bug: Adults of short-winged form, much enlarged. (Author's illustration.) 
 
 When newly deposited the egg is pale or whitish and translucent, but 
 with age it acquires an amber color, and finally shows the red parts 
 of the embryo within, and especially the eves toward the tubercled 
 end. The size increases somewhat after deposition, and the length 
 will sometimes reach nearly four one-hundredths of an inch. 
 
 Larval stages (fig. 3, c, d, 
 e, f). — The newly hatched 
 larva, or nymph, is pale yel- 
 low, with simply an orange 
 stain on the middle of the 
 three larger abdominal 
 joints. The form scarcely 
 differs from that of the ma- 
 ture bug, being but slightly 
 more elongate; but the 
 tarsi have only two joint-, 
 and the head is relatively 
 broader and more rounded, 
 while the joints of the body 
 are subequal, the prothoracic joint being but slightly longer than any 
 of the rest. The red color soon pervades the whole body, except 
 the first two abdominal joints, which remain yellowish, and the legs 
 and antenna', which remain pale. 
 
 After the fust molt the led becomes bright vermilion, contrasting 
 strongly with the pale band across the middle of the body, the pro- 
 thoracic joint is relatively longer, and the metathoracic shorter. The 
 [Cir. J 13] 
 
 FlG.3.- Chinch bug: a. b, Eggs; c, newly hatched larva, 
 or nymph; </, its tarsus; c. larva after first molt; /. same 
 after second molt; g. last-stage larva; the natural sizes in- 
 dicated at sides; fi, enlarged leg of perfect bug; j, tarsus of 
 same, still more enlarged; t, proboscis or beak, enlarged. 
 (From Riley.) 
 
bead and prothorax are dusk} and coriaceous, and two broad marks 
 on mesothorax, two smaller ones mi metathorax, two on the fourth 
 and fifth abdominal sutures, and one at tip of abdomen are generally 
 visible, but Bometimes obsolete; iln v third and fourth joints <>f 
 intennse are dusky, l>ut the legs are Btill pale. After the second 
 
 nmli the head and thorax are quite dusk} and the abd >n duller 
 
 red, bul the pale transverse band is still distinct; the wing-pads 
 become apparent, the members are more dusky, there is a dark-red 
 shade on the fourth mid fifth abdominal joints, and, centrally, a 
 distincl circular dusk} spot, covering the lasl three joints. 
 
 The lastsiagt larva (fig. '■>. cf). In the last-stage larva, or nymph, 
 Bometimes called the "pupa," all the coriaceous parts an- brown- 
 black, tin- wing-pads extend almost across the two pale abdominal 
 joints, which an- now more dingy, while the general color of the 
 abdomen i> < I i iiltn gray; the body above is slightly pubescent, the 
 members are colored as in the mature bug, the three-jointed tarsus 
 is foreshadowed, ami the dark horny spots al tip of abdomen, both 
 above and lichiu . an- larger. 
 
 Tin adult. There arc two forms <»t" the fully developed insect, but 
 it is not known thai the young of these two forms differ in any respect. 
 One of these forms is known as the long-winged form and i- the only 
 form that occurs over most of the country between the Rocky 
 Mountain- and the Allegheny Mountain-, and i- the one originally 
 described. This form is illustrated in figure l. 
 
 The second form is much like the first, with the exception of the 
 
 wings, which are more or less abbreviated, as shown in figure '-'. 
 This form occurs along the seacoasts and in the Bast extends inland 
 along the lower lakes to northern Illinois. It i- not abundant, 
 however, wesl of a line drawn from Toledo, Ohio, to Pittsburg, Pa. 
 Throughout the territory in which this short-winged form i- found 
 there are also intermingled with them individuals of the long-winged 
 form. Both of 1 1) esc forms may he described a- black, with numerous 
 
 hairs al>o black, and with the under wings while. The upper wings 
 
 are whitish, with a black spot on each. They are about one-fifth of 
 an inch or less in length and may be easily recognized by the accom- 
 panying illustrations (figs. l. 2, -\. I. 
 
 -I \-m\ \i. BttSTORI . 
 
 Over the territory covered by the long-winged form, as previously 
 given, the insect has two generations each year. The young of the 
 first generation appear in May and dune, and those of the second 
 generation in August and perhaps as late as September. The adult 
 insects (figs. I, 2) pa— the winter among matted grass, fallen leaves, 
 and other rubbish, and come forth from their hiding in spring and 
 
 [t/ir. 113] 
 
spread to the grain field, where they deposit their eggs. After the 
 eggs are hatched the old bugs die, and the young hatching from these 
 
 Fig. 4. — Corn plant 2 feet tall infested with chinch bugs. (Author's illustration.) 
 
 eggs cluster upon the plants and begin at once to live upon the juices. 
 Figure 4 illustrates a corn plant with the chinch bugs clustering 
 upon ii. The egg-laying season extends over a considerable period 
 
 [Clr. n:;| 
 
ami chinch bugs of all ages, sizes, and colore are found intermingled. 
 I'. , August the majority "I" the firel generation have reached the adull 
 Btage, ai which time the i ire deposited for the second generation, 
 which hatches and matures I i K » • the previous one, oearlj all indi- 
 viduals reaching their lull development l>\ late fall or earl] winter. 
 
 In i he eastern pint ion of the country, where the short-winged form 
 prevails, it i- doubtful if there i^ more than a single generation annu- 
 ally. This short-winged form differs \rer3 much in it-, habits from the 
 long-winged form, tin- firel passing the winter in the meadows, which 
 it usually attacks in preference to grain crops, while with tin- Long- 
 winged form, during the period known as the [ndian summer, the 
 developed I >hlt-- maj he observed flying about, evidently searching 
 fiii- winter quarters. With the short-winged form these migrations 
 t 1 and from tin 1 places of hibernation air impossible, the insects being 
 totally incapable of flying because of their short wings. A hint of 
 this characteristic maj he witnessed in the case of the exclusively 
 long-winged form, for in migrating from one field in another, even 
 though t'ullv half of the individuals may have I'ulU developed wings, 
 ample for flight, t hey often t ravel on foot with the young, even going 
 considerable distances from one field to another. 
 
 Throughout the Middle West . t hen. where this insect doe- its great- 
 est injury, the crops suffer from tun attacks annually, although the 
 later one is seldom not iced. It must he remembered, however, that, 
 although attracting little or no attention, this later attack i- of the 
 utmost importance, for. if there are hut feu of the second generation 
 developing to adults, there can he no serious outbreak the following 
 spring. If. on the other hand, there ai-e enormous numbers of adults 
 developing in t he fall and going into winter quarters, t here i- a proba- 
 bility that, with weather during April and Ma\ favorable for their 
 development, t here will he an excessive abundance t he following year. 
 
 It must he remembered that each female of the species is capable 
 of laying from 1 to 500 eggs, and she will scatter them during a period 
 
 of from two to three week-. The time required for the i'L"^ to hatch 
 
 i- from a hoi it ten days to three weeks, and it requires about fort} days 
 for the young to become fully developed after hatching from the egg. 
 
 IIIBI.KN \ I li )\ 
 
 While the matter of winter quarters has been previously mentioned 
 in a genera] way, the winter habit of the pest i- of such importance 
 
 that this phase of its life history i- deserving of full explanation. 
 Again and again serious and destructive outbreaks of the pesl in wheat 
 fields have been traced directly to the influence of shocks of corn 
 
 fodder allowed to stand ill the fields throughout the winter. The 
 chinch bugs which Hocked to these corn shocks the previous autumn 
 (Or. US] 
 
6 
 
 were protected throughout the winter, migrating from them in the 
 spring and spreading over the wheat field. In .other cases destructive 
 outbreaks have been traced directly to woodlands bordering upon the 
 fields, the chinch bugs beginning their destruction along the margins 
 of the fields nearest to the woodlands, having passed the winter 
 among the fallen leaves. So, too, have destructive outbreaks in the 
 Middle West been traced to the matted grass and fallen leaves border- 
 ing hedges of Osage orange (fig. 5). The farmer must understand 
 that it is to such places as these that the chinch bugs flock in the fall, 
 and whatever measures can be effected to prevent their wintering 
 
 Fig. 5.— A road between two farms, with neglected hedges on either side affording ample protection for 
 destructive insects during winter. (Author's illustration). 
 
 about his fields in this manner will be measures of protection to his 
 crop from attacks of their offspring in the following year. 
 
 In the timothy meadows of New England, New York, and northern 
 Ohio these conditions are of less importance, because there the insects 
 pass the winter largely in the meadows themselves, and do not 
 migrate to or from these places, except to travel on foot. Chinch 
 bugs will stand almost any degree of cold, provided it is continuous 
 and they are fairly well protected from sudden changes. Thus it is 
 that the farmer may be able to take advantage of their hibernation 
 to deal a disastrous blow to their occurrence in his fields during late 
 spring and early summer. 
 
 [Clr. n.'.] 
 
POOD i'i I \ i - 
 
 Over the western country the major portion of the damage Is thai 
 accomplished in fields of wheat, barley, rye, and corn, the outbreak 
 generally originating in wheal or barley fields and the bugs migrating 
 .•it harvest t" the cornfields. In the eastern pari of the country, 
 where the timothj meadows are the most seriously infested, ilii- is 
 
 i i«>t i he case, ami he re the migrations are a- likelj to be t" the i i t h\ 
 
 meadows as to the fields of corn where both ar |ualrj within reach. 
 
 Rye and <>at- are less liable to infestation. The chinch bugs attach 
 BUgar cane in Mexico, according t<> Mr. Aibeii Koebele. Thej arc 
 known to attack the following grasses: Forked beard-grass I Andropo- 
 gon furcatus) , broom beard-grass I .1. scoparius), oat-grass I Arrhena- 
 (herum), bur-grass I Cenchrus tribulaides) , millet, witch grass (Panicum 
 cap/Mare), barnyard grass (Panicum crus-gaUi), Phragmites sp?, sor- 
 ghum, kaffir corn, large crab-grass ( Syntiu risma sanguinalis), t imol li\ , 
 yellow foxtail I Ixophorus glaucus), green foxtail-grass I I. viridis), Ber- 
 muda grass ( Capriola dactylon), and what is locally known in Florida 
 as St. Augustine grass. Prof. Lawrence Bruner has also found it 
 feeding upon so-called buckwheat (Polygonum dumetorum or /'. con- 
 volvulus). 
 
 !t will thus be seen that the inseel ha- an ample food supply outside 
 of the cultivated fields. 
 
 I ikvI'v ( u SKI) MY ( lll\( II BUGS. 
 
 It would appear that this pesl first made its presence known h\ 
 it- ravages in the wheat fields of the North Carolina farmers, for we 
 are told that "in 1785 the fields in this State were SO overrun with 
 them as to threaten a total destruction of the grain. And at length 
 the crops were 90 destroyed in some districts that farmers were obliged 
 to abandon the sowing of w heat. It was four or five years that they 
 continued so numerous at this time 
 
 In the vear Isn't, a- stated by Mr. J. W. Jeffeiys,' the chinch bug 
 again became destructive in North Carolina to such an extent that in 
 Orange County farmer- were obliged to suspend the sowing of wheat 
 for two year-. In 1839* the pe-t again became destructive in the 
 Carolina- and in Virginia, where the bugs migrated from the wheat 
 field- at harvest to the corn, and in 1840 there w a- a similar outbreak, 
 and both w heat and corn were seriously injured. In all of these cases, 
 however, there i- no recorded estimate of the actual financial losses 
 resulting from the attacks of the chinch bug. According to l,c Baron, 
 
 eterom 1' . VoL I, p. 279. Not seen. Quoted from Fitch. 
 
 6 Albany Cultivator, iir>t .-eric.-. Vol. VI, \>. 201. 
 -The Cultivator, VoL VI. p. L03. 
 [fir. 118] 
 
8 
 
 during the years from 1845 to 1850 the insect ravaged Illinois and 
 portions of Indiana and Wisconsin, and in 1854 and 1S55 it again 
 worked .serious injury in northern Illinois. The writer's earliest recol- 
 lection of the chinch bug and its ravages in the grain fields of the 
 settlers on the prairies dates from this last outbreak. Mr. B. D. 
 Walsh estimated the loss to the farmers of Illinois in 1850 at 
 $4,000,000, or $4.70 to every man, woman, and child living in the 
 State. 
 
 In 1863, 186', and 1865 the insect was again destructive in Illinois 
 and other Western States, its ravages heing especially severe in 1864, 
 when we have another attempt at computation of the financial loss. 
 Dr. Henry Shinier, of Mount Carroll, 111., who had carefully studied 
 the chinch hug, estimated that "three-fourths of the wheat and one- 
 half of the corn crop were destroyed by the pest throughout many 
 extensive districts, comprising almost the entire Northwest." In 
 criticizing the doctor regarding another point, Walsh and Riley" 
 admit that the estimate was "a reasonable one," and. taking it as a 
 basis, with the actual cash price per bushel, computed the loss at 
 about 30,000,000 bushels of wheat and 138,000,000 bushels of corn, 
 with a total value of both amounting to over 873,000,000. Of course, 
 all computations of this sort are necessarily only approximately 
 correct, but there is more likelihood of an underestimate than of an 
 overestimate in this case. 
 
 There was a serious outbreak of the chinch bug in the West in the 
 year 1868, and again in 1871, but in 1874 the ravages were both wide- 
 spread and enormous. Le Baron computed the loss in 1871 in seven 
 States, viz, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, 
 and Indiana, at $30,000,000. b Riley computed the loss in Missouri 
 alone in the year 1874 at $19,000,000, and added the statement that 
 for the area covered by Le Baron's estimates in 1871 the loss in 1874 
 might safely be put down as double, or upward of $60, 000, 000. c 
 Dr. Cyrus Thomas, however, estimates the loss to the whole country 
 for the same year at upward of $100,000,000/ 
 
 The next serious outbreak of the chinch bug of which we have an 
 estimate of the losses occurred in 1887, and covered more 1 or less 
 territory in the States of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, 
 Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. In this case the damage 
 was estimated by the United States statistician, Mr. J. R. Dodge, at 
 $60,000,000, the heaviest losses occurring in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, 
 and Kansas/ This gives us as the estimated loss in the thirty-eight 
 
 " American Entomologist, Vol. I, p. 197, 1869. 
 '< Second Report Stale Entomologist of Illinois, p, 11!. 
 c Seventh Report State Entomologifll of Missouri, pp. 24-25. 
 'i Bulletin No. 5, U. S. Entomological Commission, p. 7. 
 < Report of U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture for 1887, p. 50. 
 [Or. li:;j 
 
years from 1850 n> i s ^7, both inclusive, the enormous Bum of 
 •7,000,000. 
 
 There was a serious outbreak in Kansas, [owe, Minnesota, and 
 Illinois, having its beginning probably as earl} as 1892, bul reaching 
 its maximum severity, as in Ohio, in 1896. The loss in Ohio during 
 the years 1894, 1895, 1896, and 1897 could no! have fallen far shorl 
 
 12,000,000. If we could have careful estimates of the loss during 
 the last fifteen years if would in all probability Bwell the amounl to 
 considerably in excess of $350,000,000 for the period from 1850 to 
 1909. (See map, fig 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 -Ana In I 
 
 (.Author s illustration.) 
 
 \ \ ii i: \i. i.m mm 9 <>i THE CHINCH B1 <■. 
 
 Chinch bugs have few Datura! enemies, nunc of which, owing, 
 
 perhaps, to their repugnanl odor, appears t«> be of an\ verj great 
 importance when it comes to suppressing a serious invasion. They 
 are far more fortunate than mosl insects in escaping the attack- of 
 natural enemies thai exert a tremendous influence in holding other 
 species in (heck. 
 
 tiik BOBWHRl OB Q1 All 
 
 Inland, the common "quail" or bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) \< 
 the only bird that can he said to devour the chinch bug in considerable 
 numbers. It is said that from .".mi to inn chinch bugs have been 
 found in the crops of bobwhites; inn. however, i- the largest number 
 found so far by the Biological Survey. As the bobwhite is one of 
 
 !>!M7— Cir. I l:i — 09 2 
 
 I 
 
10 
 
 our most highly prized game birds, it is slaughtered annually in 
 tremendous numbers, frequently with no other object in view except- 
 ing for gain. Some also are killed by flying against electric wires, 
 while during severe winters entire coveys are sometimes smothered 
 or frozen under the snow. As a result, the helpfulness of the quail 
 against chinch bugs is greatly diminished. It would seem that as 
 important an enemy of the chinch bug as this bird is known to be 
 would receive protective immunity throughout the agricultural 
 regions and that farmers would see to it that protective laws were 
 not only enacted but also stringently enforced. 
 
 The following list will show the degree of protection offered the 
 quail by legislative enactment in the States where the chinch bug is 
 the most destructive (see map, fig. (>). The close seasons lor quail 
 in the several States, during which killing is prohibited by law, are 
 as follows: 
 
 Maine, all the year. 
 
 New York, December 1 to November 1, except in Dutchess, Putnam. Richmond, 
 Rockland, and Westchester counties, where it is closed until 1910. 
 Pennsylvania, November 15 to October 15. 
 Ohio, December 5 to November L">. 
 Indiana, January 1 to November 10. 
 Illinois, December 10 to November 11. 
 Minnesota, December 1 to October 1. 
 Iowa, December 15 to November 1. 
 Missouri, January 1 to November 1. 
 Nebraska, all the year. 
 Kansas, December 15 to November 15. 
 Oklahoma, February 1 to November 15. 
 Texas, February 1 to November 1 . 
 
 The breeding season from latitude 38° northward to Canada begins 
 in May and continues through July and occasionally into September. 
 
 OTHER BIRD ENEMIES. 
 
 To what extent the birds of the coast region feed upon the chinch 
 bug it is impossible to sa} 7 . However, among the bird enemies 
 of the pest are the prairie chicken, redwing blackbird, catbird, 
 brown thrush or thrasher, meadowlark, house wren, tree swallow, 
 horned lark, Arkansas kingbird, Traill flycatcher, seaside sparrow, 
 savanna sparrow, song sparrow, tree sparrow, and barn swallow. 
 
 THE EROC 
 
 Dr. Cyrus Thomas quotes Ross and others as stating that the 
 common frog is an enemy of the chinch bug. While this is probably 
 true, it is nevertheless well known that comparatively few frogs 
 frequent grain fields, as a rule, and thus the benefit derived from 
 their attacks is of too little importance to merit further notice. 
 
 a From Farmers' Bulletin No. 376, pp. 18-29, 1909. 
 [Cir, 1 1:;| 
 
11 
 
 ISM i I KS'KMIKS 
 
 Of the invertebrate enemies "f the chinch bug the same may be 
 said as of the frog. Thewriter 1 1 a - occasionally found a chinch bug 
 containing a species of Mermis, or "hair Bnake." Occasionally, 
 also, ;i n t -> in;i\ be seen dragging these l>u:_ r - away, while lady-beetles 
 have sometimes been round to devour them, as recorded bj Walsh 
 jiikI Forbes. Perhaps the worst insect enemies of the chinch l>u«, r 
 are to be found among its comparat ivelj near relatives the insidious 
 Bower bug (TripMeps insidiosus Say), (Anthocoris pseudo-chinch of 
 Pitch's Second Report), ;m<l Milyoa ductus Fab., the latter being 
 reported l>.\ Thomas as the most efficient of the insect enemies of 
 this pest, while Rile] found that the former also attacked it. Pro- 
 fessor Forbes ascertained, by examinations of the contents of the 
 stomach of a ground beetle (Agonoderus pattipes Fab.), thai one- 
 fifth of 1 1 u v total food of this species was composed <>f chinch bugs. 
 Shimer and Walsh both claim that lacewing flies (Chrysopa spp.) 
 destroy chinch bugs, and they arc doubtless correct. The writer 
 has also M'!\ often found dead chinch bugs entangled in spider 
 webs, although whether killed Tor food or by accident it has been 
 impossible to determine. 
 
 NATURAL CHECKS OTHEB THAN LNIMALS. 
 There are two natural checks to the increase of the chinch bug 
 
 other than animal enemies. Oneof these is vegetable in nature, being 
 a fungus, the other meteorological, and the interrelation of the two 
 i> go close that the former is almost entirely dependent upon the 
 latter. It will at once he -ecu that the chinch bug, occurring, 
 does, from but little north of the equator to nearly a latitude of 50 
 north and from an elevation of upward of 200 feet above the sea 
 level in the Imperial Valley of southern California to an elevation 
 of upward of 6,000 feet in the mountain regions, must he able to 
 withstand almosl every conceivable variation of climatic conditions. 
 map, fig. 7.) So far as the influence of temperature is con- 
 cerned, it i- only in the most unprotected situations that severe 
 winter weather appears to have much effect in regulating the abun- 
 dance of the pest, although frequenl freezing and thawing is known 
 to he fatal to a large percentage of the adults if these occur in exposed 
 situations. Thus temperature may practically he eliminated from 
 consideration. It is also true that the nearly developed insect will 
 withstand not only the humidity of the Tropic-, hut continuous 
 drenching rams of more northern latitudes. It is at the time of 
 hatching that the species is most susceptible to meteorological con- 
 dition-. Frequent drenching rains during the hatching season are 
 fatal to the pest almost to the extent of extermination, ami it is due 
 
 [Cir. 113] 
 
12 
 
 to this more than to any other influence that the chinch bug is kept 
 within the limits of its present abundance and destructiveness. 
 It matters little how great a number of these insects pass the winter 
 in safety, provided there are sufficiently prolonged, drenching rains 
 
 Fig. 7.— Map of North America showing areas infested by chinch bug. (Author's illustration.) 
 
 during the hatching period. Again, with an excessive abundance 
 of individuals developing from the first generation, if at the time 
 of the hatching of the young of the second generation there are 
 frequent drenching rains, an outbreak the following year is prevented. 
 Thus it is that although an outbreak may seem inevitable as the 
 
 [Cir. 113] 
 
13 
 
 on for the ravages of the chinch bug draw- near, there is often a 
 radical reduction instead of an increase in [lumbers. The forecasl ing 
 of chinch-bug outbreaks is therefore based wholly upon the fore 
 oasting, months in advance, of meteorological conditions thai are 
 likely to occur a! certain periods. II' the fanner would but watch 
 the seasons, he need no! be taken unawares l»\ chinch-bug outbreaks, 
 ns dry weather during the two breeding seasons is usually sufficient 
 to precipitate an invasion the following year, provided that, al the 
 critical period or time of hatching, rain- do uol destroy the young. 
 The general statement ma} be made thai throughout the Middle 
 Wests <lr\ June followed h\ a drj Augusl is favorable for the develop- 
 ment of chinch bugs. These dates will of course vary, and must uol 
 be applied to the more southern or more northern localities. 
 
 PAH \-n II I I S'-l 
 
 The fact that the abundance and consequent influence of fungous 
 enemies of the chinch bug arc almosl entirely dependent upon 
 meteorological conditions is sufficient to place them in a secondary 
 position, even though they ma\ . under favorable weather condition-, 
 act as natural checks. 
 
 Dr. lleni\ Shimer" long ago made the truthful and important 
 ■statement that •'this disease among the chinch bugs was associated 
 with the long-continued wet, cloudy, cool weather that prevailed 
 during a greater portion of the period of their development." These 
 are precisely the conditions under which these fungi have been 
 observed to prove the most fatal to the chinch bug during recent 
 years where their introduction among the host insects was accom- 
 plished bj artificial means. Although Shimer probablj never 
 anticipated the artificial cultivation of his "disease" and the results 
 which have since hen obtained from it- artificial dissemination in 
 the fields, yet his careful and painstaking studies musl ever be asso- 
 ciated with the application of fungous diseases in the destruction 
 
 of insects in America. 
 
 The principal fungus to he artificially employed in destroying 
 chinch bugs has conic to be known as the chinch-bug fungus {Sporo- 
 trichum globuHferum Speg.),and this i- the one used by Doctor Snow 
 in Kansas for artificial introduction into localities where there i- an 
 overabundance of these bugs. 
 
 Doctor- Roland Thaxter and S. A. Forbes devised a method of 
 artificial cultivation, the latter using a basis of sterilized mixture of 
 beef broth and corn meal. As this fungus has man] other host 
 insects, it is probably present to a greater or less degree throughout 
 the country every year. There i< no doubl that during wet weather 
 
 oPr<« Acad. Nat. S< i. Phila., May, LS 
 
 [lir. 1 IS] 
 
14 
 
 considerable benefit may be derived from the artificial cultivation 
 and application of this fungus, but its efficiency is very dependent 
 upon this meterological condition, and, as has already been shown, 
 chinch bugs develop in the greatest abundance in dry seasons. It 
 will thus be seen that only during unusual seasons — that is to say, 
 seasons that have been dry while the chinch bugs were hatching from 
 the eggs but wet afterwards — can satisfactory results be expected 
 from this measure. 
 
 The effects of this fungus have probably been overestimated, 
 although there is no doubt whatever that those who have been most 
 instrumental in popularizing this means of destroying chinch bugs 
 were thoroughly sincere and honest in their statements. One very 
 important element of deception to the ordinary farmer, when 
 assuming the results of the effect of this fungus, lies in the fact that 
 chinch bugs, when molting for the last time and passing from the 
 last-stage larva to the adult, hide away under the sheaths of corn 
 and other grain, and, casting the larval skin, make their escape, 
 leaving this behind. These cast skins will occur in immense num- 
 bers in such places and frequently become covered with a white mold. 
 It is almost impossible for anyone except an expert to distinguish 
 the difference between chinch bugs that have been actually killed 
 by this fungus and the mass of cast skins covered with ordinary 
 mold. The uncertainty as to the effects of this fungus is responsible 
 for its having fallen largely into disuse during recent years. It will 
 thus be seen that this whole matter hinges upon meteorological 
 conditions which are, as has been stated, most powerful factors in 
 holding the chinch bug continually in check, and it is following a 
 succession of dry seasons that the pest commences to become destruc- 
 tive. During seasons of excessive abundance of chinch bugs, this 
 fungus will almost invariably appear among them in the fields, pro- 
 vided that at this time there occurs a considerable period of wet 
 weather. 
 
 REMEDIAL AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 
 
 All remedial and preventive measures that have been found to 
 possess the merit of reasonable efficiency and practicability are 
 discussed in the following pages. These may not all prove appli- 
 cable in all localities or under ever}' variety of circumstance, and the 
 farmer will often have to adapt his protective measures to weather 
 conditions, location of field and its surroundings, and to the thou- 
 sand and one other variations of a similar nature. 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF CHINCH BUGS WHILE IN HIBERNATION. 
 
 The first effort that may be made with a view to warding off an 
 attack of chinch bugs is to destroy them in their winter quarters. 
 
 [fir. 113] 
 
 
L5 
 
 This can be accomplished by burning all dried grass, leaves, or other 
 rubbish during winter or earl} Bpring. The burning of nil Buch 
 9 will destroy thousands of bugs in their winter quarters; but 
 Bometimes the matted bluegrass remains green in winter, or the 
 weather is not sufficiently drj to enable the farmer i>» burn over 
 such places. In such cases a flock of sheep, if given the freedom "l 
 tlu- fields during winter and spring, will eat off all living vegetation 
 and trample the ground with their small feet, so that not onlj is all 
 covering for the bugs removed, but j 1 1 — * » the !>uu r - are crushed to 
 death. So ii i-> with the matted grass along roadsides and fenc 
 
 rown with I tor 
 
 1 u 
 
 especially the Virginia worm rail fence (fig. 8). The ease with which 
 the narrow strip of grass land along a post-and-wire fence can be kepi 
 free of matted grass and leaves, as compared with thai along a hedge 
 or rail fence, indicates thai there may be an entomological factor 
 connected with the modern fence that has been overlooked, giving 
 it. in this respect, an advantage over the more ancienl form. A 
 id illustration of the facl that large numbers of chinch bugs may be 
 in hiding among fallen leaves in woods and other places and escape 
 detection is shown by the facl thai a quantity of dried leaves from 
 about a vineyard located on a narrow neck of land about a quarter of 
 a mile from the Bay of Sandusky on the one side, and about i . 
 
 [Or. 113] 
 
16 
 
 miles from tho shore of Lake Eric on the opposite side, was col- 
 lected late in April. At the time of collecting the leaves only an 
 occasional chinch bug was to be observed, but under a warm atmos- 
 phere they began to bestir themselves, and soon demonstrated that 
 there had been a large Dumber ensconced unseen among the dried 
 and curled, dead grape leaves. 
 
 Shocks of fodder corn, left in the fields over winter, certainly 
 afford protection for many chinch bugs, as will also coarse stable 
 manure spread on the fields before the chinch bugs have selected 
 their place of hibernation in the fall. In short, the first protective 
 measure to be carried out is a general cleaning up in winter or early 
 spring either by burning, or pasturing, or both. 
 
 SOWING DECOY PI.ATS OF ATTRACTIVE GRAINS OR GRASSES IN EARLY SPRING. 
 
 Judging from the manner in which the overwintered adults are 
 attracted to hills of young corn, wheat fields, or plats of panic and 
 foxtail grasses, it has always seemed to the writer practicable to 
 take advantage of this habit and sow small patches of millet, Hun- 
 garian grass, spring wheat, or even corn, early in the spring and thus 
 bait the adults as they come forth from their places of hibernation. 
 Their instincts will prompt them to seek out the places likely to 
 afford the most desirable food supply for their progeny, and, if an arti- 
 ficial supply can be offered them that will be more attractive than 
 that furnished by nature, the bugs will certainly not overlook the 
 fact, but will take advantage of it to congregate and deposit their eggs 
 there, whereupon eggs, young, and adults can, a little later, be 
 summarily dealt with by plowing both bugs and their food under 
 and harrowing and rolling the ground to keep the former from 
 crawling to the surface and escaping. The writer has thoroughly 
 tested this method in a case where the bugs, young and old, had 
 taken possession of a plat of neglected ground overrun with panic 
 grass (Panicum crus-galli), which was mown and promptly removed 
 and the ground plowed, harrowed, and rolled before the bugs could 
 escape, thus burying them beneath several inches of soil, out of which 
 they were unable to make their way. As a consequence they were 
 almost totally annihilated, hardly 1 per cent making their escape to 
 an adjoining cornfield. 
 
 WATCHFULNESS DURING FROTRACTED PERIODS OF DROUGHT. 
 
 It has always appeared to the writer as though a little watchfulness 
 on the part of farmers during periods of drought might enable them 
 to determine whether or not chinch bugs were present in any con- 
 siderable numbers in their fields in time to interpose a strip of millet 
 between the wheat and corn, to he utilized later as previously indi- 
 [Clr. 113] 
 
17 
 
 cated. [nstsnces have come under observation where, in wheal fields 
 overgrown with panic grass and meadow foxtail, the bugs transferred 
 their attention to these grasses as Boon ih the wheal was harvested. 
 In such cases a prompl plowing of the ground would have placed the 
 depredators beyond the possibilit) of doing an) Berious injury. If 
 the weather at the time is hoi and dry . ;i mower ma) be run over the 
 Btubble fields or along the borders of them, cutting off grass, weeds, 
 and Btubble, as the « • j i -< * * may be, leaving them t<> dry in the hoi Bun, 
 when, in a few hours, they will burn sufficiently to roasl all bugs 
 among them, and. while nol destroying ever) individual, this will 
 reduce their numbers to BuCh an extenl thai they will be unable to 
 w ork anj Berious injur) , 
 
 l>li I n I I I •» "I REACHING i 111 si II BUGS IN MBADOW8 
 
 There is, however, Borne « l< nil >i in regard to the practicabilit) "f 
 applying these measures in timothy meadows. Meadow hind- can be 
 burned over with perfect safety to either the grass or clover, if done 
 while ilif ground is frozen, bul there is danger of injury if burned 
 over in spring, and it is Bomewhal doubtful if the hibernating chinch 
 bugs would be killed unless the surface of the ground \\ a- heated to a 
 degree thai the grass and clover plants would hardly l>e a hie to with- 
 stand. 
 
 Infested areas of meadow land could be plowed, it is true; hut the 
 work would have to be done very carefully, else the grass and stubble 
 would be left to protrude above ground along each furrow and con- 
 stitute so many ladders by which the chinch bugs could easil) crawl 
 out and make their escape. Where the ground will admit of sub- 
 soiling, Or where a "jointer" plow can he used, this latter difficulty 
 can be easily overcome. Usually, however, the chinch bugs work too 
 irregularly in a field to permit of plow ing under infested areas w ithoul 
 disfiguring the field too much for practical purposes, especially in the 
 case of meadows, unless it be where the bugs have migrated en masse 
 from an adjoining field, when a narrow strip along the border can 
 often he sacrificed to good advantage. In many instances the drastic 
 measure of turning under a few outer rows of corn with the plow would 
 have saved as many acre- from destruction. In the majority of cases it 
 is the fault of t he farmer himself that t hese measures are nol effective, 
 a- he will seldom take the trouble to burn the dead leave-, grass, and 
 trash aboul his premises at the proper time, ami when there occurs an 
 invasion of chinch bugs, instead of resorting to heroic and energetic 
 measures to conquer them on a small area, he USUall) hesitates and 
 delays in order to determine whether or not the attack i- to !„• a 
 Berious one, and by the time he has decided which it i- to he the 
 matter has gone too far. and the chinch bugs have taken possession 
 
 [fir. 113] 
 
18 
 
 of his field. This is especially true in the West, where the bugs breed 
 exclusively in t he fields of \\ heat and remain unobserved until harvest . 
 when they suddenly and without warning precipitate themselves upon 
 the growing corn in adjacent fields. Ju fighting the chinch bug 
 promptness of action is about as necessary as it is in lighting fire. 
 
 ELIMINATING CHINCH BUGS FROM TIMOTHY MEADOWS BY CROP ROTATION. 
 
 Iii several instances where chinch bugs have become especially 
 destructive to timothy meadows over considerable areas of country, 
 it has been found that these outbreaks were attributable to the fact 
 that these sections of country were largely given over to dairying. 
 The dairymen and stockmen found it more desirable to allow timothy 
 pastures and meadows to remain more or less permanent, with the 
 result that the chinch bugs gradually became so excessively abundant 
 as to destroy the grasses on these areas. In a number of instances it 
 was found that where the prevailing agricultural methods were 
 changed and the infested grass lands were broken up and devoted to 
 other crops, the difficulty was eliminated, as the new meadows were 
 not attacked. This shows that throughout the country where the 
 short-winged chinch bug attacks timothy meadows a rotation crop 
 will be found an efficient measure in overcoming the difficulty witli a 
 reasonable degree of permanency. 
 
 UTILITY OF KEROSENE IX FIGHTING CHINCH BUGS. 
 
 In lighting the chinch bug there is at present no more useful sub- 
 stance than kerosene, either in the form of an emulsion or undiluted. 
 From its penetrating nature, prompt action, and fatal effects on the 
 chinch bug, even when applied as an emulsion, it becomes an inex- 
 pensive insecticide, while it has the further advantage of being an 
 article universally found in every farmhouse, and is therefore always 
 at hand for immediate use. The emulsion has the further advantage 
 of being capable of sufficient reduction in strength to preclude injury 
 to the vegetation while still strong enough to be fatal to insect life. 
 Diluted and ready for use, the emulsion is prepared as follows: Dis- 
 solve one-half pound of hard soap in 1 gallon of water, preferably 
 rain water, heated to the boiling point over a brisk fire, and pour this 
 suds while still hot into 2 gallons of kerosene. Churn or otherwise 
 agitate this mixture for a few minutes until it becomes of a cream- 
 like consistency and, on cooling, forms a jellylike mass which adheres 
 to the surface of glass without oiliness. For each gallon of this emul- 
 sion use 15 gallons of water, mixing thoroughly. If applied to growing 
 corn, it will be best to use the emulsion either during the morning or 
 evening, say before 8 a. m. or after 5 p. m., as at these times it will 
 be less likely to affect the plants than if applied in the heat of the day. 
 [Cir. l i.".J 
 
L9 
 
 Where mi invasion "I i In- eliineh I > 1 1 l_t is in progress from a field < f 
 wheat i<> an adjoining field of corn, as an illustration, the marginal 
 rows of corn can l>e frequently Baved, even niter the l>u'_ r - have 
 massed upon the plants, l>\ spraying or sprinkling them freerj with 
 kerosene emulsion, being careful n< >t to L, r et much of it directly into 
 the crown of the plains and using a sufficient quantity so that the 
 emulsion will run down the outside and reach such bugs as are about 
 the base of the plants. This treatment will kill the bugs clustered 
 upon the corn, and in case of those on the waj to the field, while it 
 will not keep them out. it will cause a hall in the invasion, and thus 
 "jive the farmer an opportunity to put other measures in operation, 
 one of which will include the use of kerosene in another manner. If 
 
 a deep furrow i> plowed along the edge of the field, running the land 
 side oi t he plow tow aid the field to he protected, I he furrow w ill form 
 a temporary harrier to the incoming hordes. 
 
 1 III 1 1' \ nr DBBFL1 PLOWED FURROWS SUPPLEMENTED n no i -I 01 KEROSENE 
 
 nil i BION 
 
 In dry weather the sides of the furrow can he made SO steep and 
 
 the soil bo finely pulverized that when the chinch bugs attempt to 
 
 crawl up out of the furrow the\ will continually i"ll hack to the bot- 
 tom, where they can he sprinkled with either kerosene alone or with 
 the much less expensive emulsion and killed. In case of showery 
 weather, which prevents the side- of the furrow from remaining loose 
 
 and dr\ . the bottom can he cleared out with a shovel, making it more 
 
 smooth and the sides more perpendicular, thus rendering it so much 
 easier for the hu<Xs to follow along the bottom than t • attempt to 
 climb the sides. If holes are dug across the bottom at distances of, 
 say, 30 or 10 feet, the bugs will fall into them and can he .-till more 
 easily disposed of by the use of kerosene. That both of these meas- 
 ures are thoroughly practicable the writer can attest by ample per- 
 sonal experience, and he knows that under most conditions that are 
 likely to obtain prompt and efficient application is all that i- neces- 
 sary. During a few days this work will demand the closest watching 
 and application, hut fields of grain can he protected thoroughly and 
 
 effectually if these measures are faithfully carried out. and the 
 expense of time and money will he found to hi' less than in almost 
 any other plan that has been discovered up to tin- lime. In 110 case 
 has a field attacked 1>\ a migrating army of chinch bugs come under 
 the writer's observation hut that might have been saved from very 
 serious injury by the prompt use of either of these measures, though 
 under some conditions the farmer might find it advantageous to 
 apply some of the other methods of protection here given. In all of 
 the following methods crude petroleum may he substituted for coal 
 
 tar if the former is more easily obtainable. 
 
 [Ctr. 118] 
 
20 
 
 THE SURFACE AND COAL-TAR METHOD. 
 
 The objections made by farmers to the use of most of these bar- 
 riers is that the finest pulverized soil soon becomes incrusted by even 
 the slightest rainfall and the bugs then pass over it without difficulty, 
 while harriers of boards are expensive. It is feasible to eliminate 
 both by simply smoothing off a path along the margin of an 
 infested field where such an one adjoins the one to be protected. 
 This can be done with a sharp hoe, and as the margins of wheat 
 fields usually become compacted, it is but little trouble to thus 
 clear off a path a foot or more in width, smooth as a floor, with 
 the surface almost as hard. Along this path circular post holes 
 are sunk, as in the bottom of furrows, and a train of coal tar is run 
 between them, being so arranged that it will reach the post hole 
 at the edge farthest from the field from which the bugs are migrat- 
 ing. The bugs, on reaching the train of coal tar, will follow along 
 until they reach the post hole, while those meeting with the post 
 hole will usually divide and, following around it, join with the 
 flow of bugs moving along the train of coal tar. The result is that 
 they become congested in the acute angle where the coal-tar train 
 is intercepted by the post holes. Those in the apex of this angle 
 can not turn back, and thus are continually pushed into the post 
 holes by those behind. As the bugs, varying from the red larvae 
 of the younger stages to the almost black ones of the last stage, 
 mass along the line of coal tar, they have much the appearance of 
 a reddish-brown stream running into the holes. From these holes 
 there is no escape and here the bugs can readily be killed b} T sprinkling 
 with kerosene. The slightest train of coal tar is sufficient to obstruct 
 the passage of the bugs, and light rains will not affect its efficiency. 
 In dry weather these trains of coal tar soon become covered over wit li 
 dust and must be renewed; but in showery weather there is no dust, 
 and if the coal tar is renewed daily or, at most, twice each day, it will 
 accomplish its work and nothing further will be needed than to kill 
 the bugs that have collected in the post holes. This measure is inex- 
 pensive and can be promptly put into operation if the coal tar is at 
 hand. The writer has been able in this way to effectively protect a 
 field of corn bordered on two sides by a wheat field literally overrun 
 with chinch bugs at harvest and during a time when light showers 
 were occurring, frequently several times each day. 
 
 THE RIDGE AND COAL-TAR METHOD. 
 
 Differing quite materially from the preceding are the various com- 
 binations of coal tar and ridges of earth, smoothed and packed along 
 the apex, or, instead of the ridge of earth, 6-inch boards, such as are 
 ordinarily used for fencing, placed on edge and the upper edge coated 
 
 [CIr. 113] 
 
frith tar. Forbes has reported excellent results from the application 
 of a line of coal tar put directlj upon the bare ground where the surf ace 
 has been rendered compact l>\ a recenl fall of rain. Even in this 
 series of protective measures kerosene can be used t" great ad\ ante 
 In the experiment recorded bj Professor Forbes the coal tar was put 
 upon the ground between a wheat field and a cornfield from an ordi- 
 nate garden sprinkling pot from which the Bprinkler had been re- 
 moved and the orifice of the spout reduced in size with a plug of wood 
 until the tar came out in a Btream about the size of the little finger and 
 made a line on the surface of the ground about three-fourths of an 
 inch in width. Post holes wen- sunk along the line from in to 20 feet 
 apart <»n the side next bo the wheat field, thus practically completing 
 the barrier, and the chinch I>ult^. being unable to cross the line <>f tar, 
 accumulated in the post holes in \ ast numbers, where they were 
 killed, and those bugs thai had already entered the cornfield before the 
 barrier was constructed were prevented from spreading farther l>\ 
 tar lines between the rows of corn, the infested corn itself being 
 cleared of bugs by the application of kerosene emulsion. The same 
 writer Btates" that several farmers in Vermilion County, III., pre- 
 pared for the coal-tar line by bitching B team bo a heavy plank and 
 r unning thi-, weighted down with three or four men, over the ground 
 once or twice until a smooth, hard surface had thus been made to re- 
 ceive tlie tar. If the barrier was to be made in sod, a furrow was 
 plowed and the bottom <>f this made smooth by dragging the plank 
 along the bottom. In both cases post holes were sunk along the tar 
 lines, and in these were placed can- or jars into which the bugs fell in 
 myriads and were destroyed. 
 
 On one farm of 250 acres a coal-tar line !•() rods in length was r< - 
 Dewed once each day and killed about S gallons of chinch bugs. In 
 the case of another farmer there were 300 rods of tar lines with post 
 boles, cans, etc., which resulted in destroying about L0 bushels of 
 chinch bugs. A 6-gallon jarful was destroyed in less than half a 
 day at one point on the line. In this last instance the lines of tar 
 Were renewed three times a day, but even then less than a hand of 
 tar was used. Still another farmer, with 120 rods of tar line, used 
 about a third of a barrel of tar and did not lose a lull of corn: he 
 caught chinch bugs by the bushel. In some of the cases cited the 
 tar line was run in a zigzag course, the post holes being situated at 
 the angles, and in others leader tar lines were run obliquely to the 
 main tar line, one end terminating at the traphole, hut both of tb 
 plans were afterwards regarded as unnecessary, a single straight line 
 being entirely sufficient and Ic^s expensive. The numerous 
 where these methods were put into execution with entire success and 
 
 "Twentieth Report State Entomologist of Illin i-.p. 39, 1898. 
 [Or. 113] 
 
22 
 
 at small expense afford the best possible proof of their practical utility. 
 If ii farmer is situated near town, where refuse tin eans are dumped 
 iu any locality where they ran he got out of the way, be can select 
 the larger of these, set them in the post holes and partly fill them 
 with kerosene and water. The water, being heavier than the kero- 
 sene, will sink to the bottom, leaving a stratum of kerosene on the 
 surface. The chinch bugs falling into this will be forced down by the 
 weight of those coming after, and thus all will be passed through the 
 kerosene into the water below. This will obviate the necessity of fre- 
 quently emptying the cans or treating their contents. It may also 
 he stated that where the post holes are quite deep and enlarged at 
 the bottom the hugs falling into them will perish without further 
 attention. 
 
 OTHER BARRIER METHODS. 
 
 The late Professor Snow, working in Kansas, followed a somewhat 
 different method, and one that, under certain conditions, might be 
 found superior to that used b} r Professor Forbes, or the furrow and 
 kerosene method applied by the writer in Ohio. This modification 
 consists in throwing up a double furrow, known among farmers as 
 "back furrowing,'' and thus forming a ridge, the top of which is 
 smoothed and packed with a drag having a concave bottom of the 
 form of the ridge to be made. If the bottom of this drag is covered 
 with zinc, it will be found to keep bright and polished, and by this 
 means make a smoother ridge. Along the top of this ridge is run a 
 train of coal tar as it came from the gas works, or crude petroleum as 
 taken from the oil wells. The former is more easily obtained, except 
 in certain localities, and will probably be found the more practical, 
 as it stands on the surface better and is not so readily washed away 
 by rains. Both of these substances are, however, offensive to the 
 hugs, and the}' will seldom attempt to cross them or even come close 
 enough to touch them, but on approaching will turn and run along 
 the ridge in the evident hope of finding a gap through which they can 
 pass. Post holes were dug on the outside of the line, but close up to 
 it, so that the bugs in passing along beside the tar line would crowd 
 each other into them. Professor Snow suggested that it will be better 
 to construct this barrier several w r eeks prior to the time when it A\i!l 
 be needed, as then the tar line has but to be run along the ridge, and 
 the post holes dug, when the whole system is complete, and the 
 chinch bugs can be thus shut out from the first. 
 
 With these barriers of either ridge or furrow and the use of coal 
 tar or crude petroleum, supplemented by kerosene emulsion, a very 
 Large percentage of the injury from chinch bugs may he obviated, 
 
 a Fifth Annual Repent of t lie Director of the Experimental Suit ion of the University 
 of Kansas, for the year 1895 (1896), pp. 45-17. 
 [Cir. L13] 
 
ami, in fact, with a reasonable degren <>f watchfulness and prompt 
 action, all injury from migrating hordps ma\ be prevented. The 
 
 of tarred boards Bel ou edge or slightly reclining might, und< r - 
 
 circumstances, take the place of tin* ridge or furrow, bul these cases 
 will l»' exct | > t i < » 1 1 : » ! . and i lie use of kerosene emulsion will probably 
 be found equally practicable here, as also will the posl holes for col 
 lecting t he chinch bugs. This method is merely cited in order to call 
 attention to its possible use where the others are round impracticable. 
 
 imi D81 "i FURROW fl WITHOin PETROLEUM OB COAJ PAR. 
 
 'The plowing of furrows has been in vogue since the first wril 
 of l.c Baron and the second report of Fitch, and maj be utilized in 
 other ways than those previously mentioned. V heavj log dragged 
 back and forth in this furrow will pulverize the 9oil in dry weather, 
 and Doctor Forbes has recorded the fact that where this furrow has 
 a temperat ure of 110° to l lt'>° F. ii is fatal to the young bugs that 
 fall into the furrow, even if they arc not killed by the log. As 120° 
 is not uncommon in an exposed furrow on a hot summer day. it will 
 be observed that there may be cases where this method will be found 
 very serviceable, and especially is this likelj to prove true in a sandy 
 soil with a sou! hern exposure. In sections of the country where irri- 
 gation is practiced, these furrows may be flooded and in this w,-.\ ren- 
 dered still more effective without the expenditure of cither time or 
 money to keep them in constant repair. Riley lorn: ago laid consid- 
 erable stress on this measure, believing it of much value, especially 
 in the arid regions of the far West. The same writer advised the 
 flooding of infested Gelds, wherever it could be done, for a da} or so 
 occasionally during the month of May. It is hardly probable, how- 
 ever, that this will often l>c found feasible except in rice Gelds, where 
 it is somet imes pract iced. 
 
 BSSm POH PREVENTING CHINCH BUGS PROM BECOMING ESTABLISHED IN FIELDS 
 
 111. \ r LND QBA8S. 
 
 In the foregoing it will be observed that prevention "i migration 
 has been the chic! cud in \ iew . eith >r b\ destroy ing the chinch l>m_'- in 
 their hibernating quarters, and thus preventing the spring migrat ion 
 to the breeding place-, or by \ arious traps and obstructions to prevent 
 them from migrating from such place- to others not already infested. 
 Tin' great problem remaining to be solved is to prevent their breeding 
 in wheat fields at all. As has been shown, it is absolutely impos- 
 sible, with our present inability to forecast the weather months in 
 advance, to be able to foretell whether or not an outbreak of chinch 
 bugs is likely to take place. There may be an abundance of bugs in 
 the fall enough to cause an outbreak over a wide section of count ry 
 and these may overwinter in sullicient numliei ise some injury 
 
 [Or. 118] 
 
24 
 
 in spring, yet a few timely, drenching rains will outbalance all of these 
 factors, and our wisest prognostications fail of proving true. It is 
 this very factor of uncertainty that renders unlikely the successful 
 carrying out, over any large area of country, of any protective meas- 
 ures, where, as in this case, the benefit to be derived will only lie real- 
 ized nearly a year afterwards, if at all. The average farmer, when 
 smarting under a heavy loss, will often take such long-range precau- 
 tions as to sow belts of flax, hemp, clover, or buckwheat around his 
 wheat fields once; hut if the chinch bugs do not appear, and he sees 
 the useless investment of time, labor, and seed, he will be likely to 
 conclude next year to take the risk and do nothing. For the present, 
 then, we have no method whereby we can prevent the chinch hugs 
 from taking up their abode in wheat fields or timothy meadows and 
 raising their enormous families there, except to destroy the adults in 
 their winter quarters. 
 
 The writer once tried to destroy the young in a wheat field by 
 spraying with kerosene emulsion the small areas of whitening grain 
 that indicated where the pests were massed in greatest abundance. 
 The result was unsatisfactory, and it is very doubtful if it is possible 
 to apply this measure with any degree of success, and we are forced 
 to the conclusion that, for the present at least, we shall be obliged 
 to rely upon the measures previously given. It therefore becomes 
 of the utmost importance to clean up the roadsides, and the ground 
 along fences and patches of woodland, as well as any other places 
 likely to afford protection for the hibernating chinch hugs. There 
 are, of course, obstacles in the way of carrying out this plan generally 
 over any large area of country, and especially in sections where the 
 rail fence predominates. But as the country gets older it will be 
 found that it is not chinch bugs alone that seek these places in which 
 to pass the winter, but myriads of the other insect foes of the farmer 
 as well, and that careful attention to the condition of roadsides, 
 lanes, hedgerows, and waste places about the farms, during the 
 season when insects seek out these places wherein to pass the winter, 
 will pay well for the time expended in that direction. It may come 
 about that some phase of the street-cleaning reform may invade 
 the country, and it is certain that if such were to occur it would, 
 in time, save the country enough to go far toward reducing the 
 expense of securing good roads. In fact, the term "good roads" 
 ought to include the proper care of the roadsides, as well as the 
 grading and macadamizing of the roadbeds themselves. 
 
 There are at present so-called "weed laws - ' in many States, and, 
 though more or less of a dead letter in most cases, these laws are 
 steps in the proper direction. The time when insect pests will be 
 looked upon in the eye of the law as so many public nuisances, and 
 
 [CIr. 113] 
 
the harboring of them a corresponding crime, ma} be a long waj off, 
 bul as it gradually draws nearer we Bhall come to learn thai aftei 
 nil it is the rational \iru to take and will go far toward solving nol 
 onlj the chinch-bug problem I >■ 1 1 man} others of a similar nature 
 So far as the chinch I>ul; i^ concerned, when we burn over the waste 
 lands and accumulated rubbish about our farms in autumn or 
 winter, we are Bimplj applying the Bame check thai the dusk} 
 Bavage did when he lighted the prairie fires, though unwittingly and 
 for an entirely differenl purpose. In the timoth} meadows of the 
 northeastern portion of the country, where, for lack of wings fitting 
 it for locomotion, the chinch bug does not bo largely migrate to the 
 waste lands in autumn, the problem is somewhat different, and it 
 will require Borne careful experiments to determine the exact effects 
 both on the hibernating chinch bugs and on the grass roots of 
 burning over the meadow lands in winter. There can he little 
 doubt, however, thai a rapid rotation of crops, so as nol to allow 
 the short- winged form t * > become thoroughly established in a meadow, 
 and tin* burning over of waste places, thus destroying such rubbish 
 and dt'dnis as will serve t»> offer hibernating places for the long-winged 
 form, will go far toward settling the chinch-bug problem in grass 
 lands. 
 
 As previously stated, the chief drawback in putting preventive 
 measures in force is the difficulty of foretelling an invasion. In 
 northeastern Ohio in 1897 hundreds of acres of timothy meadow 
 were destroyed after the hay crop had been removed, bul so late 
 
 that the farmers did not BUSped the true condition of their meadows 
 until the sprint: of 1898, when the young grass failed to put forth 
 and an examination revealed the fact that the root-, had Keen killed, 
 the abundance of chinch bugs pointing unerringly to the cause of the 
 
 trouble, though in many cases a heavy crop of hay had Keen removed 
 the previous year where now the ground was entirely bare. While 
 in the case just cited a previous knowledge of the presence of chinch 
 l>ii<:s in these meadows mighl not have enabled the owners to have 
 saved them in the fall of 1897, yet the fall plowing of the land, possibly 
 
 (■arly enough to have sown the ground to fall wheat, would have 
 hit tied the majority of t he bugs BO deeply in t he soil as to have killed 
 
 vast numbers of them and thus prevented their migrating to other 
 
 lands in the Spring of 1898. A rotation of crops that would have 
 
 included grass for not to exceed two successive years, followed by 
 wheat, would have amounted to precisely the same remedial measure 
 as the one suggested. 
 A ease in northeastern Ohio has come to t he writer's notice w here 
 
 an infested timothy meadow was plowed late in the fall of Iso;. 
 Late in April of L898 this ground was cultivated, rolled, and harrowed 
 [Cir. US] 
 
26 
 
 several times and most carefully and completely prepared for corn, 
 which was planted, hut with the result that a portion of the field was 
 attacked and destroyed by chinch bugs, largely of the short-winged 
 form. An examination about June 10 revealed the bugs in consider- 
 able numbers about the plants still remaining, but scattered over the 
 field were more or less numerous clumps of timothy, in some ca 
 apparently killed by the chinch bugs, while in others the bugs were 
 literally swarming about the dying but still green clumps of gi 
 thus showing that they had either not been buried by the plowing and 
 cultivation of the ground or else the grass had not been thoroughly 
 covered, and thus ladders had been left whereby the bugs were enabled 
 to climb to the surface. 
 
 SUMMARY OF REMEDIAL AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 
 
 In summing up the matter of remedial and preventive measures for 
 the control of the chinch bug, it may be stated that the insects can be 
 destroyed in their places of hibernation by the use of fire. They can, 
 under favorable meteorological conditions, be destroyed in the fields. 
 if present in sufficient abundance during the breeding season, by the 
 use of the fungus Sporotrichum globuliferum, if promptly and carefully 
 applied. They can be destroyed while in the act of migrating from 
 one field to another by tarred barriers or deep furrows supplemented 
 by post holes and by burying them under the surface of the ground 
 with the plow and harrow, or the latter method may be applied after 
 the bugs have been massed upon plats of some kind of vegetation for 
 which the bugs are known to have a special fondness, these decoy 
 plats being so arranged as either to attract the females and induce 
 them to oviposit therein or to intercept an invasion from wheat fields 
 into cornfields. When these decoys have been turned under with a 
 plow and the surface immediately smoothed and packed by harrow 
 and roller the bugs will be destroyed, while in the cornfields they 
 can be destroyed on the plants by the application of kerosene emulsion. 
 Without vigilance and prompt action, however, only indifferent results 
 are to be expected from any of these measures. 
 
 PROSPECTS OF A FUTURE OUTBREAK. 
 
 The past history of the chinch bug in America indicates a series of 
 years of the insects' abundance and destructiveness, followed by peri- 
 ods of comparative immunity from its attacks. For a number of 
 years there have been no serious ravages and, in fact, until within the 
 past two years the pest has hardly been noticed by farmers; but 
 within the last year (1908) there have come a number of complaints 
 of serious injury, and, while these outbreaks have so far been of a 
 rather localized character, they seem nevertheless to betoken the 
 
 [Clr. 113] 
 
27 
 
 drawing t" an <'n<l of the period of immunity and the beginning "f a 
 ■x'lii'^ of years of abundance and destruction. These somewhat |><>i- 
 tentous reports have come from the farmers of Ohio, [ndiana, 1 1 ! i n< >i- . 
 Kansas, and Texas. Strangely enough, the citj man bas n- >i been 
 allowed t" resl unmolested and reports of serious ravages l>\ chinch 
 bugs on lawns have come from the widely separated points, Brooklyn, 
 V ^ .. and Palm Beach, Fla. li is because of these ominous reports 
 th.ii tlu-~ publication bas been prepared ;it this time with the li<>|><' 
 not only of sounding a note of warning, 1 >u t also, if possible, of impres- 
 sing upon the farmer the uecessitj of watchfulness and the prompt 
 application of preventive measures where the insect is found t" occur 
 in any considerable numbers. The Bureau of Entomology has the 
 present summer (1909) been carrying out much experimental and 
 demonstrative work in the West, notably in Kansas. 
 Approved : 
 •i \mi s Wilson, 
 
 N< (Vi tan/ of Agrit ultun . 
 
 \\ isHiNOTON, D. C, September in, 19 
 
 [CIr. 1 13] 
 
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 3 1262 05252 3510 
 
 MARSTON SCIENCE LIBRARY 
 
 
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