Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-09-06
From the American Farmer.
The Chinch Bug

The ravages of the chinch bug. described
by our esteemed correspondent, MIR. JET.
freys, is one of tho most awful calamItIes
with which Provi ence has visited the agrI-
cultural communiry-suficiently severe one
would think to chastise nation even OF
iders and drunkards, and worthy to engage
legislative attention, if it be possible bv re-
wards or otherwise to discover some means
ofextirpating this most odions and -de'''uS--
live enemy of the husbandman.
Red House, Ala. July I'd ls39-Ine
crops in this part of the state are very prom.
ising. have never seen more promising
crop Of Tobacco and Corn. think there
will be an average crop of wheat made here.
Some parts of The counties OF Orange and
Person have suffered greatly by the ravages
of the chinch bug. | have been Informed
by persons of undoubted veracity, that there
are some farms in Orange and Person that
will not make as much wheat as was-se7doe'
Entire fields of wheat are ruined beyond re'
covery. The history Of the chinch bug 10
somewhat remarkable, differing from q"
others of the insect tribe. This iusect made
its appearance in this section OF the State
two or three years since; and the increase
is truly wonderful-they made their ap-.
pearance 10 the county Of Orange about
IS years ago, and have been informed
that the farmers had to abandon the seeding
of whea, until they disappeared. The
march and ravages of this insect IS truly
alarming; If their increase should be as
great in The next twelve months to come as
Il has been for the last, it will be folly to
seed wheat again this fall. The failure last
year in the crop of corn in this part OF the
state is attributed to the ravages Of this ln-
sect, combined with the dry spell, winch
lasted near two months. lfa drought should
now take place, the chinch bug would nearly
ruin our corn, as their ravages are more
efiectual and they are more destructive IN
their opera ions in dry than in wet weather.
Their movements are confined 10 the heat
Of the day-they commence their opera
tons about nine in the morning, and cease
about four in the afternoon. The increase
of their number is truly astonishing TO those
who have never taken the trouble TO exam'
inc into the history ofthis insect-thero is
gentleman in this county who caught SIX
of Them, which he confined in vial, ana 10
,wcnty.four hours they had increased 10
seventy. There have been repeated exPer',
ments made to test their increase, ana oil
resulted in the same proportion.
There have also been frequent attempts
made by some ofour most intelligent tar'n'
ers to find out some remedy to sop the raw. :
ages and destruction oflhis truly form'daoIe
enemy, but all their experiments nave
proved abortive. They first make 1he',
attack at the vital part of the stalk a'I
number from one to one thousand on eac"
stalk of corn, adhcring to it until they oe'
stroy the milk. When they make the'i
attack upon field Of corn they go a"eaI ~
and dastroy the entire 6eld-noh'ns VII WI,
arrest their course; not even Storm WI.
impede their movements. The farmer:
of this section Of the state have used every
remedy which their ingenuity could dev'ss
or inven, 10 des'roy this pest; some NAYS
used train oil, hogs lard, burning and tar
ring the coru but to no purpose, tor 1t aP
pears that nothing will arrest them or oe
stroy them. have been Informed tina
Thomas Jefferson predicted that ii eve
there was famine in this country 1t wouI'
be caused by the chinch-bug. | have eS
: amined the records of the Agricultural so
cieties Of New York and Pennsylvania 10