The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-08
DESTROYING CHINCH BUGS.

/ BY Prof. +. H. Snow. Of the University Of Kansas
read before the Douglas County Farmers Instl
tute, December II, loH
These experiments have been cOntin-
ued through the two seasons of 1889 and
! 1890, and have been remarkably success
! full. As entOmolOgist to the Kansas state
| board Of agriculture | had prepared al
article for the annual meeting of that
! board in January, 1899, stating what
was known at that time upon the sub
iect and calling attention to the investi-
cations Of Professors Forbes, Burrill and
Lugger. In June, 1890, letter was re-
ceived from Dr. j. T. Curtiss. of Dwight
Morris county, Kan, announcing that
one of the diseases mentioned IN the ar
ticle (entOmOsthers) was raging in vari-
Gus fields in that region and stating that
in many places in fields of oats and
wheat the ground was fairly white with
the dead bugs. Some Of these dead
bugs were at once obtained and
experiments We're begun in the entomo-
logical labOrat ~ of the university.
1t was found that living healthy bugs.
when placed in the same jar with dead
bugs from Morris county, were sIckened
and killed within ten days. 4 Law
renee newspaper reporter learning Of this
fact published the statement that any
farmers who were troubled by chinch
bugs might easily destroy them by send
ing to me for some diseased bugs The
announcement was published all over
the country and in a few days ] received
applications from agricultural expert
ment stations and farmers in nine differ
ent states, praying for few diseased
and decayed' bugs with which to moe
ulate the destroying pests with a fatal
disease. Some fifty packages were sent
out during the season of 1890 and the
results were in the main highly favora-
bic. \ report of my observations and
experiments i'm 1889 have been published
in the transactions of the Kansas acade-
my of science. Vol. NL pages 3i-31, also
in the report of the proceedings Of
the annual meeting Of the Kansas State
Board OF agriculture in January, 1890.
1t was my belief that sick bugs would
prove more serviceable in the dissent
nation Of disease than dead bugs. ] ac-
cordingly sent out a circular with each
package instructlng the receiver to place
the dead bugs in a Jar for fOrtv-eight
hours with from ten TO twenty times as
many live bugs from the field. In this
wav the disease would be communicated
to the live bugs in the jar. These sick
bugs being deposited I'm different por-
tons of the field of experiment would
communicate the disease more thorough
" while moving about the healthy bugs
bv which they would be surrounded.
This belief was Corroborated by the re-
suits. The disease was successfully in
troduced from my laboratory into the
states of Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana
Ohio and Minnesota. and into various
counties Of the state of Kansas.
The next important point TO be gained
was the preservation of the diseases
through the winter in order that they
might be under control and be available
for use in the summer of 1890. To &C
comulish this result. l placed fresh
healthy bugs in the infection jar late in
November. 1889. and was pleased To note
that they contracted the disease and died
in the earlier part of the season. / was
not able TO obtain fresh germs in the
spring of 1890 until the month OF April.
and then only limited supply of live
bugs could be secured. l quote the fol-
lowing from my labratorv notes:
April l0.-Twsntv-tve chluch bugs
that blbernated IN the held were put IN
the infection Jars. They were supplied
with young wheat plants. The bugs ap-
peared lively and healthy.
April 16.-Sone of the bugs were dead
and all appeared stupid.
April s0-Ali Of the bugs were dead.
One week later a new supply Of four
teen bugs was put into the jar; they were
supplied with growing whe L. They ran
substantially the same course as the first
twenty-five. Some had died at the end
OF the first week and all were dead al the
end Of the thirteenth dav.