The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-01-02
DEATH TO cHINcH BUGS.
Prof. Snow, of the State University, Dis
covers a Remedy For These Pests-Result
of His Experiments.

season Prof. Snow has gathered to-
gether his notes and summed up the re-
suits ofhis experiments for the artificial
spreading of a contagious disease among
chinch bugs.
In June, 1899, a letter was received
by Prof. Snow from DIR. J. I. Curtiss,
of Dwight, Morris County, Kan, an
nouncing that one of the diseases men,
toned in the article was raging in vari-
Gus fields in that region; stating that in
many places in fields of oats and
| wheat the ground was fairly white
with dead bugs. Some of these
dead bugs were at once obtained
and experiments were begun in
the chronological laboratory of the
University. 1t was found that living
healthful bugs when placed in the same
jar with the dead bugs from Morris
County were sickened and killed within
ten days. A Lawrence newspaper re-
porter learning of this fact published
the statement that any farmer troubled
by chinch-bugs, might easily destroy
them from their entire farm by sending
to Prof. Snow for some diseased bugs.
This announcement was published all
over the country and in few days he
received applications from agricultural
experiment stations and farmers in nine
different States, praying for few dis
seased and deceased" bugs with which to
inoculate the destroying pests with a
fatal disease. Some fifty packages were
sent out during the seasan of 1889. and
the results were in the main highly
favorable. 1t was Prof. Shows belief
that sick bugs would prove more SER
viceable in the dissemination of disease
than dead bugs. He accordingly sent
out circular letter with each package,
instructing the receiver to place the
dead bugs in jar for forty-eight hours
with from ten to twenty times as many
live bugs from the field. In this way
the disease would be communicated to
the live bugs in the jar. These sick
bugs being deposited in different por-
tons of the field of experiment would
communicate the disease more thor
oughly while moving about among the
healthy bugs by which they would be
surrounded. This belief was corrob-
Grated by the result. The disease was
successfully introduced from his labora
tory into the States of Missouri, Ne
braska, Indiana, Ohio and Minnesota,
and into various counties of the State
of Kansas.
The next point to be attained was the
preservation of the disease through the
winter in order that it might be under
his control and be available for use in
1890. To accomplish this result, fresh
healthy bugs were placed in the infec-
ton jar late in November, 1889. These
bugs contracted the disease and died in
the same way as in the earliest part of
the season. Prof. Snow was not able to
obtain fresh material for the purpose of
testing the vitality of the disease germs
in the spring of 1890 until the month of
April, and then only a limited supply of
live bugs could be secured. Thes bugs
were placed in the infection jars and
were supplied with young wheat plants.
In six days some of the bugs were dead,
and all appeared stupid. In ten days
all the bugs were dead. A week later
a new supply of healthy bugs was put
into the infection jar. They We're sup
piled with growing wheat. They ran
substantially the same course as the
first lot. and all were dead at the end of
the thirteenth day.
The chinch bugs seem to have been
very generally exterminated in Kansas
in 1889, and only three applications for
diseased bugs were received in 1890
up to the middles of July. On &C
count of the limited amount of infec-
ton material on hand Prof. Snow re-
quired each applicant to send him box
of live bugs, which he placed in the in
lection jars, returning in a few days a
portion of the sick bugs to the sender.
The three applicants above noted re-
port the complete success of the exper-
iment.
Letters are published from several
parties who have experimental at the
suggestion of Prof. Snow, all giving
most flattering reports of the success of
the experiment and going to show that
a remedy has at last been discovered
and that the chinch bugs can be ulti-
mately exterminated. One writer de-
clared that he experimental on a millet
field and was rewarded by finding
millions of dead bugs where he had
applied the germs sent him. The let
tiers of other correspondents showed
equally satisfactory results.
The laboratory experiments have been
continued through the season, and Prof.
Snow is now endeavoring to repeat his
success of last winter in carrying his
infection safely over till next spring.
He will be glad to receive bugs from
any one who can obtain them.
The following is summary of the
results of the field experiments in the
season of 1890.
Number Of boxes of diseased bugs
sent out, thirty-eght. Seven of these
lots were either not received, or received
and not used. Reports were received
from twenty-siN of the thirty-one re-
manning cases. OF these twenty-six re-
ports, three were unfavorable, nineteen
favorable and four doubtful concerning
the success of the experiment. These
doubtful cases are not to be looked upon
as unfavorable, but more evidence is
needed to transfer them to the list of
favorable reports. These nineteen out
of twenty-siX reports, or 73 per cent,
were decidedly favorable. The expert
ments will be continued during the sea-
son of 1891.
Undesirable Foreigners.
NFw NnpE Dap 06 The iO6 Italians