Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-01-01
DEATH TO cHlncH BUGS.

Prof Snow, OF the State Cniversfty' DIS.
covers Remedy For These Pests-Result |
of His Experiments.
a late issue of the Topeka Capital
says: With the close of the present
season Prof. Snow has gathered to
gether his notes and summed up the re-
suits of his experiments for the artificial
spreading of contagious disease among
chinch bugs.
In June, 1889, a letter was received
by Prof. Snow from DIR. j. Z. 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
This announcement was published all
over the country and in a 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 corroo-
| 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
1 cd fho md ia1i 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 limited supply of
| live bugs could be secured. Thes bugs
were placed in the infection jars and
We're 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
new supply of healthy bugs was put
into the infection jar. They were 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 ac-
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 q
portion of the sick bugs to the sender
The three applicants above noted re-
L IL - FL,
, iment.
Il Letters are published from severa
. parties who have experimental at the
suggestion of Prof. Snow. all giving
most fiattering reports of the success o.
the experiment and going to show thai
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 mile
field and was rewarded by finding
| | millions of dead bugs where he hat
applied the germs sent him. The let
. | tiers of other correspondents showed
i: equally satisfactory results
4 The laboratory experiments have beer
continued through the season, and Prof
y Snow is now endeavoring to repeat hi
? success of last winter in carrying hi
/ infection safely over till next spring
b He will be glad to receive bugs from
t any one who can obtain them.
f The following is summary of tn
d results of the field experiments in tn
= season of 1890.
Number of boxes of diseased bug
Y sent cut, thirty-eght. Seven of thes
! lots were either not received, or receive
f and not used. Reports were receive
l. from twenty-six of the thirty-one Tt
= naming cases. OF these twenty-sM re
d ports, three were unfavora BILE, ninetee
favorable and four doubtful concernin
d the success of the experiment. Thes
Y doubtful cases are not to be looked upo
Y as unfavorable, but more evidence
needed to transfer them to the list c
!. favorable reports. These nineteen on
e of twenty-six reports, or 73 per cent
d were decidedly favorable The exper
l. ments will be continued during the SCI
son of 1891.
e Undesirable Foreigners.
= NEW YORK. Dec. 26.-The 4O6 italian