Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-15
A s1oo, BUG
Uncle Sam Investigates the Doin.s Of the
thinch-RuG-The Insect Has Done
$3.50, 900. 900 Worth of Damage In This
Country since 1880.
Country since Is

An insect that is able to do one hun
drcd million dollars worth Of damage to
tho farmers OF the United States in a
single year may We'll b. regarded as the
most dangerous and destructive nj the
many foes against which the agricUl-
tu.iSts ot this country are obliged to light
for a living. That i the high, 81 record
M to date Of the famous ChiuCh-uUs.
which has been such u sorrow in recent
times in Missouri Kansas and rther
States Of the Middle West. Hence il i
u.t surprising that the Government ShCu d
Doe making serious study of the creature
in question. or that an elaborate report
on the subject from tho pen OF Profess y
Wcbstcr the wel-kpown en,Cmo.o-tSt,
should be published by the Depart
mout OF Agriculture.
Professor Webster says that the Chiuch-
bug first made its presence known in this
country ny its rlvages in the wheat fields
lot the North Carolina farmers. in us.
From l\j u N" il attacked Illinois and
portions ot Indiana and Wisconsin Tie
loss which IL caused to the farmers in
Illinois in 1891 was reCkonei at Sicn"o.
.or 81 ~ FOR every man. woman and chilj
living in the State, The earlier outbreaks.
Though the occasion of smaller rlOCey
los. We're even more disastrous; for the
destruction OF the grain crops in these
pioneer days not only took away all cash
profits. bat also deprived the early set
tiers of their very living, and in SOME
eases reduced them 10 starvatiO From
lNS To 1875 the insect WAS again deStrIc-
tive, and IL Was estimated that three
fourths of the wheat and onC-halt Of the
corn crop were wiped out through almost
the cut!r, Northwest. This meant loss
nj 3",wnunu bushels Of wheat and lN,to.'.ttr
10 lSIclS OF corn, representing total
value os more than S73,,"OCo.
There was a serious outbreak OF the
chipch-bug in the IVES, in lS2S. ANA asUu
in ISL, but in 1874 the rdvages We're wij,-
spread and enormous. The loss in l>7l i'll
seven States. via. Iowa.. Missouri l limo :.
KuuspS. Nebraska Wisconsin ami In
diana, was computed AT $9n.Hcto, pr, q.
Y. Riley computed the loss in Missouri
alone in tho year 1874 At N9,o"Eo,o. The
loss To the whole country FOR Ma was
not less than Slooo'A.@6. The next SrsIt
outt rcak occurred n 1874. In tnis ease the
damage WAS estimated AT sS0,,ro.o,o, the
heaviest losses occurring in Illinois, Iowa.
Missouri and Kansas. This gives. as tho
estimated loss in the thirty-eVen years
so 10 1887. the enormous sum ot sSG@t.-
uO Another chinch-buS plague reached
its maximum severity i'm lSS. Careful IS
Inmates Of the loss during the last seven
years would in all probability swell the
amCunt 10 fully s33O. coco for the reriC q
from ISjS 20 lS9S. During the outbreak in
Ohio AT lelsJ TWO farmers becamr dis
couraged and sought relief in suicide,
II should he taken into consideration
that the financial losses above estimated
have not FALLEN upon the entire nation.
but upon the nine States named. In fact.
small as II is the chinch bug has cost
the police Of these nine States sum OF
money sufficient To defray the entire eN-
penses OF the National Government fol- a
whole year. Fire excepted. there IS proc
ably no other thing that has caused 50