New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-04-04
Mr.. N. p. Allen. a practical farma,

:
of Beaver Dam, Wis, who has closely
studied the matter of chinch bug devas-
tation, and arrived at satisfactory re-
suits as regards the means of combating
their damages, gives his experience in
the columns of the Pioneer Press. AS
the subject is one of eminent impor-
tance to our farmers, and is treated of
in practical and interesting manner,
we here present some main extracts for
the consideration of all those interested.
''My 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 to make the
clover seed catch well, to SOW plaster
at the same time or before, and also
salt mixed with the plaster; this mia-
ture upon the opening land of our coun-
try. but upon prairie land only salt. as
that seemed the thing needed to make
the grain fill well. In the year 1874
the bugs came in such quantities that
the air was full of them and the grain
was turning yellow and dying almost.
My grain seemed all right as compared
with my neighbours, and the inquiry
was made what makes this diferencep
The conclusion was that it must be the
salt sown, and as consequence the
farmers bought fifteen cars of salt in
my vicinity and sowed it on their land
but almost too late to be of much service.
My wheat made good crop, and at
harvest time on a piece of winter wheat
there was a harvester trial. There was
large number of farmers present.
fully $50 men. The wheat was won
derful growth and well filled. The
piece contained 52.12 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 ac-
count Of the amount of wheat on that
field, which did, and my memoran-
dunn shows me that the yield was 1874
bushels per acre, and that, too, when
the grain was nearly all spoiled in the
vicinity. The result was, the grangers
then in active operation, wanted me to tell
how raised that wheat. l prepared
an address, or paper, telling them the
plan of operation, and read it before
six meetings in our state. Since that
time have made a more minute study
of the habits and characteristics of
these bugs, and believe they can be pre-.
vented, or very largely so, by proper
management at the time Of sowing
Commenting on their history and de.
| velopment Mr.. Allen presents these
| statements.
First. The chinch bug is not beetle.
A beetle can dig in the ground. A bug
cannot 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 laws
| her eggs.
Second. The mating season comes
only until they have wings, when with
in few days the female will lay her
eggs, as near the kernel as possible,
among the tender roots. ANY person
can find them with q strong magnifying
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 ex-
amined will contain a great number of
eggs. After the female lays her eggs
the old bugs die. They give no further
paternal care to their young than sim
| ply to lay the eggs. Thus the instinct
Of the bugs is to place the eggs SO that
when they have life they can most easily
get their living.
| Third.-The third characteristic is
that they are suckers and not che wers.
That is, they draw their food through
a bill like q 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 weak
en- its growth. There will be no old
bugs in ten days after the eggs are lain,
and young bugs develop and destroy
the grain before reaping, although the
old bugs may injure it some what before
| they have young or come to their ma
ting time.
| Fourth. fourth characteristic
is that there are two broods in a 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 food, 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 a thick mat of
{ clover. They will not eat clover or any
of the leguminous plants of the clover
family, such as beans or peas-conse
quently the Importance of having the
land seeded to clover.
If the seeding is poor of clover and
tame grass grows among the clover
they will 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 eggs in corn
if they can find it, if not in tame grass,
Hungarian, or any of these congeners.
and they become the bugs that 90 into
winter quarters and live through the
winter in a dormant state until the
warm weather of spring. What then
are the remediesP I said that they
were a hI1p and con1d NOT dir Covar