The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-26
NENTTCN DR.. A. E. BUCHANAN
OAAN AN i2-33 When Building.
CROP NEWS ELUCIDATED.
InfOrma ton About the Insects, Etc
That Are RavaEing Wheat Fields.

New York Tribune
Winter wheat is how maturing and spring
wheat IS Just developing. Both are hedged
dispatches from the West, particularly
from the Chicago Board of Trade. Alpha
bstiCally arranged these dangers are: Army
worms, Cinch bugs, cut worms graSshOp-
pers hot winds. Rocky Mountain locusts,
rust, weevils, WIRE worms.
The army worms are so called because
of their thoroughly disciplined movements,
which arc not unlike those of an army in a
campaign. The forces in moving upon
wheat fields are formed into companies,
regiments and battalions, with officers from
the general commanding down to sergeants.
With the aid of microscope the INSIGNIA
of the various grades of official rank may
be deserted on the bugs, from stars and
epaulets to chevrons. The farmers
say the army worms have bands in
their organizations-that is, there is with
each battalion a squad of bugs that emit
musical sounds. The farmers aver that on
starting for wheat field the band plays
I'm This Wheat BY and By On arriving
at the field the order to depioy Is given,
and then follows the order, by bugle notes
distinctly to be heard, to charge. When the
army worms have completed their work in
the field they are reformed and march away
with the band playing The Glri Lett
Behind Me-"
There is supposed to be an photographed
error in the name of the chinch bugs. the
so as to make the word 'cinch,' "Cinch''
is a colloqua.ism chiefly used in sporting
circles. 1t signifies a certainty For in
on a certain horse al a racetrack is cinch,
meaning that the wager VIII surely be won.
Sometimes the expression is amplifed into
'lead-pipe cinoh," which means that by no
possibility whatever can the wager fail TO
be won. There can be no question that the
chinch bugs have cinch when they alight
In wheat field. They ravage it In thor
The cut worms are indeed remarkable
worms They burrow into the stalk upon
which the wheat grows and cut off the
stalk with as much facility as if crosscut
saw were used. The power of the mandi-
bles of these bugs is astonishing One in
stance, well authenticated, will illustrate, A
farmer left crowbar plunged into wheat
field near the City Hall in Chicago. When
he went 10 get it he found it lying on the
ground. On picking II up, great was his
surprise to perceive that foot or 1t was
lacking He investigated and discovered
the missing piece of crowbar IN the soll: IL
had been cut off by cut worm 1t is a
fields of wheat PROSTATE. Cut worms have
cut the stalks, and the wind has done the
The grasshoppers are exceedingly vora-
Cious One will gulp down a head of wheat
and digest it at its leisure, like an ostrich.
The striking popularity of the grasshopper
is its legs which are extremely long and
mighty powerful. Except in the matter of
tail the grasshopper is good deal like
the KANGAROO A Kansas grasshopper is as
hard kicker as a Kentucky mule. A Har-
lem goat than which there is no
better butter was taken a1 To- a
hoboes, Indians. catamounts and other var
minis indigenous 10 the State until he en-
countered a Kansas grasshopper he saw
one basking in he sun and lowered his
head TO smell of it. while his whiskers
mingled with the prairie MOWERS Inc next
instant he was executing double back
somersault The grassnopper had thrown
out a leg and caught him on the Jaw
When that goat recovered eGnsciousness
he was of no earthly use. Ills courage
had been entirely knocked out OF MIN,
From that time he had not the pluck 10
butt a fly.
The Rocky mountain locusts eat growing
wheat with avidity and make more noise
than a boiler shop II there is a rallroad
running. alongside of wheat field in whleh
they are feeding, a freight train drawn by
two mognl engines, with whistles blowing
for crossings, will pass by seemingly as
quietly as shadow. All there is OF 1t the
locusts create a greater din than tns
freight train. When the locusts are around
the farmers have 10 wear eoFks In their
ears to save their eardrums and they steep
In their cyclone cellars with the trapdoors
closed down, otherwise they would not
sleep at ALL
The weeyil. as its name indicates,is
diminutive villain OF the insect order. Ihefe