Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-04-12
CHINcH BUGS.
Some Very Valuable Hints on Their
Habits = How Farmers Can Save
Themselves From These Pests.

here, and means to secure good crops will
be well to consider. The chinch bug the
last year did immense damage throughput
the Northwest, amounting to many millions
of dollars How to prevent them will be,
or ought to be. of great Importance to the
farmers of the great territory overrun last
year, and to the whole country as well, for
they will not be confined TO the country now
occupied by them. When they have wings
they drift with the wind. and may be miles
away from their place the gay before. My
experience In dealing with these pests may
be of interest to your people. Fourteen
years since the chlnch bugs came to US in
myriads, and everything seemed destined TO
destruction. Ny practice had been, and is
still, to plank or smooth all my land at the
time of seeding and also TO SOW clover seed
on the land, and, 20 make the clover seed
catch well, to sow plaster at the same
time or before, and also salt mixed
with the plaster, this mixture upon
the opening land of our country, but
upon prairie land only salt, as that seemed
the thing needed TO make the grain I'LL we'll
In the year 1874 tho bugs came in such
quantities that the air was full of them and
the grain was turning yellow and dying al
most My grain seemed all right as com.
pared with my neighbours, and the inquiry
was made what makes this difference? The
conclusion was that II must be the salt sewn,
and as n consequence the farmers bought
fifteen cars of salt in my vicinity and sowed
1t on their land, but almost too late to be of
much service Ny wheat made q good crop,
and at harvest time on piece of winter
wheat there was a harvester trial There
were large number of farmers present
ffrlIp he t.rsaa dor ful
growth and well filed The piece contained
90 IL acres; seven acres in one corner of the
field was winter wheat The machines had
great trouble in cutting the grain, it was SO
large I was requested to keep an accurate
account of the amount of wheat on that
field, which did, and my memorandum
shows me that tho yield was 33.4 bushels
per acre, and that, too, when the grain was
nearly all spoiled in the vicinity. The re-
suit was, the grangers then In active opera
ton, wanted me to tell how / raised that
wheat / prepared an address, or paper,
telling them the plan OF operation, and read
1t before six meetings in our state. Since
that time have made a more minute study
of the habits anu characteristics OF these
bugs, and believe they can be prevented, or
very largely so, by proper management at
the time of sowing
First-Then they are bug. and not beetle
beetle can dig in the ground. A bug can
not dig, but must crawl, or work down into
and between the Jumps or interstices made
by the Jumps until they get down into and
among the young and tender roots, where
they can live, and at the proper time the
female lays her eggs
Second-The mating season comes only
until they have wings, when within few
days the female Will lay her eggs, as near the
kernel as possible. among the tender roots
Any person can find them with strong
magnifytng glass, and always very near the
kernel where the sprout comes out The
bunch, or nest, Will be about as large as the
head OF pin. but If CLOSELY examined will
contain great number of eggs After the
female lays her eggs the old bugs die They
give no further paternal care to their young
than simply to lay the eggs. Thus the in
stinct of the bugs is TO place the eggs SO
when they have life they can most easily get
their living.
Third The third characteristic is that
they are suckers and not chewers. That is
they draw their food through bill like a
Fly or mosquito. They thrust their bill
through the tender bark of roots and suck
the juice or sap, and thus destroy the grain
or greatly weaken It's growth There will be
no old bugs In ten days after the eggs are
lain, and young bugs develop aud destroy
the grain before reapiug although the old
bugs may injure It somewhat before they
have young or come TO their mating time.
Fourth-The fourth characteristic is that
there are two broods in year The young
bugs develop, and when the grain is ripe
they can find no further food in the grain,
and the corn offers the most inviting Iood,
and they will be found crawling in the corn
field
Here again If the land is seeded with
clover they will not crawl, neither will they
live where there is thick mat of clover
They will not eat clover or any of the
legnminous plants of the clover family, such
rs beans or peas-consequently the impor-
lance of having the land seeded 10 clover
II the seeding is poor of clover and tame
grass grows among the clover they win eat
the tame grass, and to many may give the
impression that they live in the clover and
feed upon it; such is not the case Usually
In about ten days after the grain is harvested
the bugs that have grown in the grain will
develop and have wings, and will now breed
again and lay ogys in corn If they can find it,
II not in tame grass, Hungarian, or any of
these congeners, and they become the bugs
that go into winter quarters and live
through the winter in dormant state until
the warm weather Of spring. What then are
the remedies? / said that they were q
bug and could not dig. Cover the
grain at as uniform depth as
pOSSlDe-anu JDcD WITH u SUCK OF plank,
smooth the land, and mash the Jumps DO
not make your stick more than seven or
eight feet long, and then with a good team
draw that stick over your newly cultivated
field Get right on the stick and ride Do
not wait until the Jumps become hard, but
within one hour after the cultivstor has
gone over the land go with the stick. As /
said, SOW clover seed at the time of sowing
fha In md aalf oil inh will hs.
found 10 still be great preventative to in
jury by the bugs, The salt acts as solvent
to dissolve the Jumps and to still further fill
up the cracks, maize by the Jumps or seams
/ have never been able to determine It the
alt il poisonous or not have taken them
and put them in lime, and they would
swia out, and twelve hours after
seem happy and well The bug has n
sort Of, shell or covering for its body. II put
on in their pupa state, ir might destroy
them. My opinion is that the grain takes up
the salt in growth into the sap, and as they
suck the sap it ia distasteful or poisonous to
them. Certain it is IL makes a great differ
ence with them The salt is most excel
let thing to SOW on the wheat TO make il MI
whether there are bugs or not What are
the prospects of them doing injury next
season? Well, they are alive now, and IN
less there are heavy rains they will surely be
thick enough to fill the air in mating time
and lay eggs in your wheat or any other
grain unless pains are taken to prevent
them. / have no patent on this plan, and
hope the farmers of Minnesota and Dakota,
or anywhere else, will try it and be rid OF
the nuisance n E ALLEN.
Fire broke out in the stable adjoining
he Al IN TIa h..f al
ado lining fortunately had but few guests.
Most OF these and the servants were stu.
pefed by the smoke, and it was only by
the or eatest efforts on the part OF the fire.
men and police that all were saved.
Thr ty-three horses were ated in the
stables.
1t is stated that Claus Spreckels has de.
cided to build sugar re finery in Philadel-
phia. 1t is understood that $50, 600, 900
capital viii be put into the enterprise, all
TO be supplied by Mr.. Spreckels. The ca
pacity OF the proposed refinery is put at
1000 barrels per day. The cost of the
plant has been stated as 81. 900, 900 and
the annual output at SO >, 000,000
In regard to the congressional investiga-
tion in the Burlington strike at Chicago,
Chief Arthur said "We will be very glad
to have the committee inquire into the
matter. 1t will tend to bring the poll cy of
tile raltroau coHlpahy 70 Ihs ligub OF Tue
public scrutiny. | cannot tell what the
effect will be, but ,lieve that the inquiry
will be productive OF much good"
A most dastardly murder was commit
ted at Norway, Mich. Mrs. Peter Burke.
a respectable widow, was shot and in
stantly killed by Pat Wade OF Waucedah,
Mich. Wade was infatuated with the wom-
an. She was to have been married to
Norway man soon. Wade. il is claim
ed, threatened to kill her before he would
submit to her marriage. Wade went to her
house and procuring an interview, inn