The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-08-04
CHINCH BUG VIRUS.
Prof. Lugger Prepared to Distribute
Diseased Bugs.

to Kansas, the details OF winch Une
FREE PRESS readers are already
familiar, some further particulars OF
the working of the disease and the
manner in which it is spread, are
given, which will be of interest to our
readers:
The disease seems to be sort of lep-
rosy and more contagious than any
malady known to atfiict the human
family. Directly healthy bug comes
in contract with diseased bug, white
spores begin to form upon it's body,
and within forty-eight hours it is an
inauimate mass of white spores. The
power of ravaging corn fields has been
destroyed, and the body Of the de-
funct bug becomes new source Of in
lection TO healthy survivors. The
disease spreads very rapidly IN wet
weather, when the little creatures be-
come predisposed to the disease.
Prof. Snow of the University OF
Kansas, has kept the disease in exls-
tence for some years, as 1t Is generally
regarded as the most etficacious
method of dealing with the chinch
bugs known to science, and When
Prof. Lugger left Gov. Nelson
the end of last week he at
once proceeded to Lawrence and
obtained supply OF diseased Bugs
from Prof. Snow. He returned on
Wednesday, and yesterday the i'm
ported lepers were exchanging cour-
tesies with healthy Minnesota
chinch bugs in large boxes in the
basement of the university building.
81 have had these boxes made on
purpose, and shall have ten or dozen
more in day or two, said Prof. Lug
ger to a Pioneer Press reporter
yesterday. "The atmosphere is
made moist by wetting the sides of
the boxes and putting damp sheets of
blotUing paper at the bottom. The
bottom is then covered with green
corn leaves and a quart of healthy
bugs scattered over them. When
they have become more or less
weakened by the moisture, diseased
and dead bugs are thrown in and in
forty eight hours there are not many
healthy bugs among the whole lot.
Any farmer in the state can get a
supply of these diseased bugs by send
ing me a quantity of healthy bugs in
an air-tight tin box with nothing in
side but some green corn leaves.
If holes are made in the box to give
the bugs air, they die. II earth is
put in the box 1T kills them. Moth
ing should be put in the box except
some grean corn leaves. l return
the diseased bugs in the same
package.
"Are the chinch bugs doing much
damage now in the state?" asked the
reporter.
swell, the small grains are almost
out of danger now in the infested re-
gion, because they are nearly ripe.
The chinch bug has no mouth, but
proboscis with which it sucks the
juice out of the plant. The foliage of
the small grains is getting very dry,
and they will consequently leave for
corn fields this week or next. do
not know how they discover where
the corn fields are, but they do it, in
stinctively suppose.
There is very strange thing
about the chinch bug. Although it
has wings and can fly it will not fly at
this season of the year, This, which
arises, l think, from constitutional
laZineSS, enables US to deal with his
bugship much more successfully than
if he used his power of flight when
ever he wanted to migrate. When
they start for corn field plank
fence foot high, with the top tarred,
will usually intercept the march. Rut
not always | have seen them pile up
against two-foot fence until they
were two feet deep, and those on top
tumbled over into the corn field. An
other way to stop their march is to
pillow a ditch couple of feet deep,
aud when the ditch is nearly full
throw in straw and fire it.
THE best way Of discriminating
them, however, is by artifcally dis
tributing this contagious disease.
Five years ago, when | made my first
there was a good deal
of moisture, and we succeeded in COM
pletely wiping the pests out of exist
ence altogether.
The disease spreads very rapidly
when the conditions are favorable.
but this year it is too dry. Still,
there is this in our favor: The corn
is very strong and the foliage very
thick, so the earth underneath should
be damp. If this be so our task will
be easier. If wet season only sets
in we shall experience no diffiulty in
getting rid of the insects.
"This disease is analogous to the
disease that carries off 95 per cent. Of
our house flies when the nights begin
to get cold. The house fly turns
white, too, after death, but it is
not the same disease, although they
are indentical in their action. Since
we have known of the disease we have
had more or less control over the
chinch bugs, but there is one thing
that we cannot control, and that is
the weather. To spread the disease
rapidly we must have moisture. At
present we cannot eXpecti Immediate
results, as the disease spreads slowly
in dry weather. But even if it should
remain dry we gain this point by in
PRODUCING this disease now. Some
time between now and next year the
conditions will favor the dis
ease SO that next year we shall have
the disease under control atany rate.
If we only had rain maker there
would be no trouble now"