The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-07-25
CA ITCHING CHINCH BUGS.

CATCHING CHINCH BUGS.
Burlington tKansas) Correspondence OF the
Kansas City journal.
To-day l went out with Mr.. Kent
to witness a method of destroying |
chiuch bugs in practice on one of
his farms, three miles east of town. |
His tenant, Leo Apologize, has saved
sixty-five acres Of splendid corn
from the ravages of the chinch bug
by a very simple and inexpensive
expedient, which, although not new,
ia certainly a success when done in
the thorough and watchful ms amer
in which he is doing it.
On the eat of this ~cornfield and
separated from it by a sixteen foot
ano, was a wheat field of forty six
acres, cut ten days ago. Two or
three days before cutting he mixed
salt and coal oil in a vessel, putting
rom one-half to one pint of coal oil
o one-half bushel of salt. lie then
made a line with this salt the whole
width of the cornfield (~ninety rods),
through the centre of the sixteen
loot lane. This line of salt is rbout
-hrCe inches wide at the base. He
hen bored holes with a post auger
about three rods apart--holes about
eight inches to a foot deep. He
trimmed the top Of each hole with a
knife, leaving the mouth of the hole
unnel shaped and smooth. AS soon
as the wheat was cut he poured
about one quart Of water in each
hole and a small quantity of coal oil
on it. The holes are on the side next
the wheat field and close to the salt
line.
The battle had been Going or
about ton days. We arrived on the
field about 2 p. m. and walked dowr
the line. All was quiet and only {
J CIV chiuch bugs to be seen neal the
. line, but he said they would probably
move on his works soon. By tn,
side of each hole was a large pile o
t dead bugs that looked like huge pile
of ground coffee. These he haC
dipped out from time to time with
tin cup. | believe | under estimat,
| he amount when l say there are tel
heapirg bushels of dead chinch bug
{ on that ne to-day.
, In half an hour from our arriva
, they commenced to come in iron
+ the weeds AMI stubble, and in fiv'
! minutes the whole line was aliv
, wi h millions. AS soon as they reac
, the salt line they follow it each wa
D until they come to the holes, whe,
b they tumble in by the thousands
They dome crawl in the hole, but a
soon as they strike the smooth sur
q face at the top they lose their frs
hold and roll over and, as there is
: constant pre- 3sure by the enormou
4 line toward the hole, they look lik
" wheat going into a hopper as the
are poured over the brink.
This run lasted only about twent
minutes, when they disappeared 9
suddenly as they came, all goin
back to the weeds and stubble.
is certainly a remarkable sight, an
one has only to witness it to becon
u convinced that it is an absolute pre-
u v%entive, if properly attended to.
), done in a "slipshod" manner, (
III many will do it, it wi ! be a partia
S' if not total failure. After the line
made a boy or man should be thel
it all the time, occasionally a little &C
y oil should be poured on the lin
8. probably once a day, and the liz
I'll remade after each rain. The mout
m Of the hole should be kept smootl
II dry and cracked, sprinkle a HAND
tx full of dust around the edge occas
w ionally-they can't cling to the dus
st and tumble in as soon as they toue
to it. The holes should be stirre
b. occasionally with a stick and rubbe
around the sides. See that IL
ne water and oil in the hole is repler
Vt, ished, il necessary, and dip out IL
Id dead bugs before it is too full, al
he set your trap again. All this requir,
he watchfulness, but very little wor
he as these runs are not continuous, al
VI there are frequently many hou
n between runs. A small boy m,
ce manage it all after it is started.