The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-04-13
tHINcH BUGS.
Some Very Valuable Hints ON Their
Habits - How Farmers Can Save
Themselves From These Pests


BEAVER Dam, Wis, March 2S.-To the Ed
tor: The time for spring sowing is almost
here. and means to secure good crops will
be well to consider. The chinch bug ia,
last year did immense damage throughout
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 we'll. 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 day before NY
experience IN dealing with these pests may
be Of interest tn your people. Fourteen
years since tbs chinoh bugs came to US In
inyrtads; and evepysasng seemed destined to
destruction: Ny practice had been. and ID
still; to plank OF smooth ali my land at the
time OF seeding and also to SOW clover seed
on tho land; and, to make the clover seed
catch well, to SOW plaster at the same
time or before. md also salt mixed
with tho plaster; this mixture upon
the opening land of our country, but
upon prairie land ouly salt. us that seemed
the thing needed to make the grain fill well.
In the year 1874 the bugs came in such
the grain was turning yellow and dying al
most My grain seemed all right as COM
pared with my ncighbor's, and the inquiry
was made what makes this differenccY The
conclusion was that It must be the salt sown,
and as o consequence the farmers bought
hfteen cars Of salt in my vicinity and sowed
1t on their land, but almost too late to be of
much service. Ny wheat made good crop,
AMI m hnYVaRk Inn MI <,f f,,%o
wheat there was harvester trial There
were large number of farmers present
fully $50 men. The wheat was q wonderful
growth and well filled. The piece contained
%. IL acresi seven acres In one corner of the
field was winter wheat The machines had
great trouble in cutting the grain, it was so
large. Twas requested to keep an accurate
account Of the amount of wheat on that
field, which 1 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 thcm ;ha j. IN of operation, and read
1t before SIX meetings in our state Since
that time have made more minute study
of the habits and characteristics of these
bugs, and believe they can be prevented. or
very largely so. bv proper management ut
the time Of sowing
First-Then they are bug. and not beetle
A beetle can dig In tho ground. A bug can
not dig, but must crawl, or work down into
and between the Jumps or interstices made
Dy the Jumps until they get down into and
among the young and tender roots, where
they can live, aud at the proper time the
female lays her eggs
second-The mating season comes only
until they have wings, when within few
days tue female Will lay her eggs. as near the
kernel as possible. among the tender roots
ANY person can find them with strong
inagnifying glass, and always very near the
kernel where the srrout 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 hugs is to place the eggs so
when they have life they can most easily get
,Third.-fhe third characteristic is that
lasas iast k Win iae essQa an te.Sssa;s III !lks
ftaku4i vas tender BARK Of roots aud suoe
the Juice or sap, and thus destroy the grain
or greatly weaken its growth. There Will be
~'>@
lain, and young bugs develop and destroy
the grain before reaping. although the old
Dtigs may tnjure 1t somewhat hefOre they
nave 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,
anu the corn offers the most inviting food
and they will be found crawling in the corn
| field.
Here ngain ii the land is seeded wish
clover they will rot crawl, neither will they
live whero there is thick mat Of clover
They will not eat clover or any of tho
leguminous plants of the clover family, such
as beans or psas-consequently the impor-
tancc OF having tho land seeded to clover
II the seeding is poor of clover and tame
grass grows among the clover they will eat
the tame grass. and to many may give tho
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,
II not in tame grass, Hungarian or any of
these congeners. and they become the bugs
that 20 into winter quarters and live
through the winter in dormant state until
the warm weather of spring What then are
the remedies? l said that they were
hug and could not dig. Cover the
grain at as uniform depth as
possble-and then with a stick or plank,
smooth the land, and nash the Jumps. Do
not nuke your stick more than seven or
eight feet long, and then with good team
draw that stick over your newly cultivated
field Get right on the stick and ride DO
nate ,,,fi Ia,
within one hour after the cultivator has
gone over the land 20 with the stick As Il
said, SOW clover seed at the time of sowing
tho grim, and salt AS well which will ho
found to 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, made by the Jumps or seams
l have never been able to determine if tho
alt is poisonous or not / have taken them
and put them in lime. and they would
swim out, and twelve hours after
seem happy and well. The bug has u
sort Of, shell or covering for its body Ii put
on in their pupa state, it might destroy
them My opinion is that the gram takes up
the salt in growth into tho sap, and aS they
suck the sap it IN distastcful or poisonous to
them. Certain it is IL makes II great differ
rncc with them. The salt is most excel
let thing TO ROW on tho wheat to make it till
whether there are bugs or not What are
the prospects Of them doing injury next
season? Well, they are alive now, and un-
less there are heavy rains they will surely be
thick enough to f1ll the air in mating time
und lay eggs in your wheat or any other
gram unless pains are taken to prevent
Lnem l have no patent on this plan, and
hOfM the farmcra NJ M,nnaanta mud n.ln,,