Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-06-18
The Chinch Bug Pest.
Prairie Farmer.

OTtstlcI UIlH stlt OtuCl SitlH pColS
is the chinch bug; and to them more
than grasshoppers are due the appeals
for aid in Kansas, and other States
have suffered equally as much. The
damage done to Neosho county is es
timated by Mr.. Dumbauld, of the
Kansas State Grange, at half mil
lion of dollars. Assuming that it il
a quarter of a million, we have in the
sixteen counties comprised in square
of four counties each way from the
southeast corner of the State, sus
tanned a damage of four million OF
dollars.
When we come to consider that
the States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkan
sas, the Indian Territory, and other
portions of the West and Southwest
have been subject to the pests, mum
bers of magnitude will be required to
express the damage sustained in a
single year. Give us back our losses
and we will have fund sufficient to
buy Cuba and reconstruct Mexico
I know that portion Of Illinois con-
trlbuted to relief in Kansas when at
the time they had suffered at least
quarter of a million damage from
this pest in single county.
During last Congress a petition
was presented from the Cherokee
Territory praying for loan from the
Government of several hundred
thousand dollars, asking also that
the privilege of paying from the pro-
ceeds of lands to be sold, giving as a
reason damage from chinch bugs"
This shows that they were aware of
the cause of the failure in the Indian
Territory. The report of the Com
missioner Of Agriculture also shows
the magnitude of the pest and the
area of the territory involved.
Having talked with men from most
of the States known to be interested
in the subject, l find common ex-
perience as to the action of the in
sect, and claim that they invariably
breed in small grain if accessible,
never remaining in grass from choice,
that they hatch out, but only partially
develop in wheat, and require another
crop on which they develop; that
they invariably march from wheat to
corn, piling up on the first rows they
strike to the height of several inches
from the ground around the stalks,
going higher as they mature, until
they are winged, then flying over the
field and depositing eggs on every
stock to produce the crop Of bugs
that do the greatest injury to the corn
crop. The old bug dies when the
young ones come to maturity, each
crop furnishing the eggs for the sue
ceeding crop OF insects; in fine, that
wheat concentrates them when they
leave their winter quarters and no
eggs are laid in the fall to hatch or
that will hatch out in the spring. The
habit of the insect is as clearly de-
fined and as perceptible as the honey
bee. Therefore they have, in some
instances, been prevented from ac-
complishing destruction of crops.
Scalding them on the rows of corn
after the march from wheat, has in
several instances proved successful;
other means have been only partially
successful, but all means hitherto in
use, have been slow, laborious and
uncertain. have remedy to offer,
endorsed and recommended by the
former Master and present Chairman
of the Executive Committee of the
Kansas State Grange. 1t is an i'm
plcment called the chinch bug gath
erer or scoop shears, to be used on a
strip Of close planting. I recon-
mend doubling rows and trebling
the hills of corn in the row for the
purpose of concentrating the insects
on their march from the wheat
Gather by cutting hill at a time,
and burning on sheet iron burner
on hand sled. The shears are SO
made as to gather little dirt in the
operation, also to hold the stalks up
right when cut. The bugs kill the
corn they concentrate upon, or render
it worthless, and cutting is only an
ticipatlng them. Concentrating by
the means proposed loses less land
and the insects can be gathered in a
short time. Z. H. NJ.