Wichita eagle., 1889-10-04

tons: Mix these bugs with ten or TWEEN
ty times as many healthy bugs and keep
them together for thirty-six or forty
eight hours. Then tnrn them loose, both
dead and living ones, on the field select
ed for experiment. Watch closely for the
result. A similar lot sent to Ottawa
county Kansas, two weeks ago and dis
| tributed according to above directions,
soon communicated the disease to that
region, The bugs began to die in
five days after the infected material had
been planted. Please make careful
record Of your proceedings and report to
me, as l am very anxious to discover the
best possible method of speaking this
disease among our farmer most destruc-
tive enemies. Yours, truly,
These fifty lots of bugs went to eight
different states. Reports soon began to
come in, of which the following are fair
samples and speak for themselves. FL. j.
| Waters, assistant agriculturalist of the
college of agriculture, University of Mis-
souri,. having kept close watch in the
state and being assured that there was
none of the fungus in it, sent for some
of the bugs and reports as follows:
| Dear Sir-I have yours of the Sth and
desire to further say that in the field first
infected it is very hard to find a live
chinch bug. Two weeks ago they
were there by the million.
The most practicable way of deter
mining whether or not disease can
be artificially introduced into healthy
broods, in my mind, is to send out to
every section having any number of
bugs box of diseased ones from here,
requesting them to notice closely before
| their fields are infected for dead bugs.
| This am now dong. A notice of the
disease was published il most of the
| county papers of the state, together with
my offer to furnish any one desiring
them number of diseased bugs free of
cost to make the test. Calls are coming
in, and I look for big run. Some good
think will come out of it. Of course it
is too late to make a thorough test this
season. A very intelligent farmer whom
personally know to be thoroughly re-
liable writes me that he noticed the
chinch bugs in his oats.. stubble in 1882
dying by the million with something
similar to the disease we are now spread
ing. This gentleman has made care
full study of the bugs, and I have no
reason to doubt his statement.
[Signed H. j. WATERS"
From Francis NJ. Webster, etomologist
of the agricultural experimental station
at Purdue university, Lafayette, Ind,
the following report has been received:
Dear Sir: The germs of the Ento-
mopthora received July 20 have had the
effect of destroying enough chinch bugs
to warrant the statement that they COM
municated the disease and established it
in the field. What the ultimate result
will be and whether it will be of service
to the farmer in dry weather when he
most needs 1t are questions yet TO be
settled.
[Signed '.F. NJ. WEBSTER.
a Kansas farmer writes as follows:
Dear Sir: In regard to those diseased
chinch bugs you sent me did as directed
with them and am pleased to say that
the disease has been communicated to
bugs on my farm and they are dying in
great Numbers. think if had received
the diseased bugs thirty days before |
should have been thirty acres of corn
better off today. But l am thankful for
the good we expect in the future.
lSigned W. II. DIBBER,
Wakefield, Kan"
A fair and impartial observer writes:
Dear Sir: Your letter of the 18th,
with small box of chinch bugs, received.
In my experiments with the bugs
your directions were carefully fol-
lowed. After the diseased ones
had been with the healthy ones
for forty-two hours l took all of
them to my farm expecting to plant
them, but found l had been anticipated
in the work of destruction by heavy
rains. l then brought them back and
put them in field Of nlilIet where there
were tew bugs. They seemed to per-
form the work wherever they were sent,
the bugs in the small portion of the field
being infected, being, as far as l could
observe, killed. The millet, however,
was out before had gathered many of
the diseased bugs and wind storm COW
cred them with dust. But l got a few
of them and took them TO an adjoining
farm where the bugs had made their APP
pearance. OF one thing | am
well satisfied, and that is the disease can
be communicated.
(Signed) SAMUEL HoUSToS.
''Larned Kan.
The county treasurer Of Worth county,
Iowa, writes:
Dear Sir-I can now report as TO the
work the dead chlnch bugs did You sent
me. | did as directed and In about eight
days put them In a fifty-acre corn field;
the bugs began to die and now (Septerl-
Der . about two-thirds OF them are dead.
1t viii take some time to get them scat
tered over the county. The weather has
been very dry since I began the expert
ment, only one shower since.
(Signed) sc. \. HAUGoS,
'-Northwood, la"
4 grateful farmer writes:
Dear Sir:-I received your diseased
chinch bugs three weeks ago. followed
the directions except had perhaps % or
100 times as many as you sent. put
them IN can for forty-eight hours,
afterwards scattering them over the
sorghum patch and II the cornfield. In
three days found some dead osses: in 2
week afterwards found half Of the bugs
in the field dead. A week afterward IN
passing through the field could scarcely
find any live ones and what few there
were were sick and could hardly move
Some of the neighbors are coming after
the sick ones. / certainly feel grateful
10 you for sending me the bugs As be-
lieve II viii be blessing 10 the country
If we can destroy the pests
loigued. j. II. LoSHEET,
Abilene, kas'
Other letters of like character attest