The Portland daily press., 1898-12-24
THE cRINcH BUG.
The Best Means of Fighting This In
sect and Checking Its Invasions.


sect and Checking Its Inyasions.
No other insect native to the westesl
hemisphere has spread its devastating
hordes over a wider area of country
with more fatal effects to the staple
grains of North America than has the
chinch bug. In the United States it
may be said to be generally distributed
from Texas to Manitoba and eastward
to the Atlantic coast, along which it is
known to occur almost continuously
| from Cape Breton to Cape Florida, and
| it is probable that its occurrence along
the Pacific coast is more extended than
is at present known.
In fighting the chinch bug there is at
present no more useful substance en-
ployed than kerosene, either in the form
of an emulsion or undiluted. From it's
penetrating nature prompt action and
fatal effects on the bug, even when APP
piled as an emulsion, it becomes an in
expensive insecticide, while it has the
further advantage Of being an article OF
use in every farmhouse, and is there
fore always at hand.
Diluted and ready for use the emul-
sion is prepared as follows: Dissolve
one. half pound of hard soap in one gall
Ion of water, heated to the boiling point
over a brisk fire, and pour this suds
while still hot into two gallons of kero-
sene. Churn or otherwise agitate this
mixture for few minutes until it be-
comes of creamlike consistency which
on cooling will form jellylike mass
which adheres to the surface of glass
without oiliness. For each gallon of
this emulsion use 10 gallons of water,
mixing thoroughly, and If applied to
growing corn it will be best to use it
either during the morning or evening,
say before s a. m. or after 5 p. M, as
it will be less likely to affect the plants
than if applied in the heat of the day.
Where an invasion of the chinch bug
is in progress from field of wheat to
an adjoining field Of corn, as an illus
tration, the marginal rows OF corn can
frequently be saved, even after the bugs
have massed upon the plants, by spray
ing or sprinkling them freely with kero-
sene emulsion, using sufficient guam
tity so that the emulsion will run down
and reach such bugs as are about the
bases of the plants. This treatment will
kill the bugs clustered upon the corn,
and in case of those on the way to the
field, while it will not keep them out,
it will cause a halt in the invasion and
thus give the farmer an opportunity to
put other measures in operation, and
one of these measures will include the
use of kerosene in another manner. Ii
deep furrow is pIowed along the edge OF
the field, running the land side OF the
pillow toward the field to be protected,
the furrow will form a temporary bar
rier to the incoming hordes.
In dry weather the sides of this fur
row can be made SO steep and the soil
so finely pulyerized that when the
chineh bugs attempt to crawl up out OF
the furrow they will continually roll
back to the bottom, where they can be
sprinkled with either kerosene alone or
with the much less expensive emulsion
and killed. In case of showery weather,
which prevents the sides of the furrow
from remaining loose and dry, the bot
tom can be cleared out with a shovel.
making it more smooth and the sides
more perpendicular, thus rendering it
so much easier to follow along the bot
tom than to attempt to climb the sides.
If holes are dug across the bottom at
distances of, say, 30 or 40 feet, the
bugs will fall into them and can be still
more easily disposed of by the use of
kerosene. That both of these measures
are thoroughly practical l have ample
personal experience in evidence and
know that under most conditions that
are likely to obtain prompt and efficient
application is all that is necessary.
During few days this work will de-
inand the closest Watching and applica-
ton, but fields of grain can be protected
thoroughly and effectually if these
measures are faithfully carried out, and
the expense Of time and money will be
found to be less than in almost any
other plan that has been up to this time
discovered.
The foregoing facts about this de-
structive bug and methods Of fighting
it OCCUR in bulletin No. Is, division Of
entomology, of the department. of agri-
culture. This bulletin ON the chinch
bug contains full and up to date ac-
count Of the insect, concerning which
many new facts have been learned in
the last thrse or four years and plainly
describes the practical methods of ham
ding it,