Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-05-16

In print that the ny gets each year in
this country 10 per cent. Of the crop,
which seems to me a reasonably low
estimate, and that farmers thus lose
from it's depredations annually some
thing like 100000 bushels of wheat
Is not this a reasonable estimate, look
ing at the matter from the standpoint
of your own experience and observa-
ton?
THE CHINCH-BUG IN KENTUCKY.
The Hessian fly attacks only wheat,
barley and rye The chinch-bug at
tacks all Of the small grains, and also
grasses and corn. Its distribution in
the country is not so general as that Of
the fly, but its excessive abundance in
the great wheat and corn growing
States Of the Northwest makes it
rather more destructive than the Hes
sian fly. In Kentucky it is not a very
common insect, but, as some of you
remember, in 1897 il did a good deal
Of mischief in the State and was re
ported to me as injurious in thirty
one Kentucky counties. 1t then occur
red on both sides of Christian county
in Caldwell and Butler counties. Very
probably it was here in small num-
bers, also, but l received no complaints
of injury from Christian county farm
ers at that time
Itgenerally proves most troublesome
in counties along the Ohio river but
the records show that no part of Ken
lucky, except possibly the extreme
Eastern mountain counties, can be con-
sidered safe from outbreaks Of this
pest.
Why the State as a whole is COM
paratively free from the insect we do
no know positively, but / suspect that
our open winters and early spring
months by the encouragement which
they afford to its parasitic fungus en-
envy keeps its numbers reduced. It
thrives I'm dry periods The Hessian
fly, on the contrary, suffers from
drought, and may be almost complete
| ly extermn3ted in a locality by eX-
cessive dry weather
wish every farmer i'm the State
knew the insect so that he would recog-
nize it unerringly. such a knowledge
would do more than anything else TO
/ keep it in subsection. EntomOlogists
who have lived in the upper Mississippi
Valley can predict some time ahead
when it will prove seriously trouble
/ some, and could, l have no doubt, at
| times point out particular localities
/ where the injury would prove most
severe. Farmers should be able to dc
! this for themselves. The insect gathers
head on neglected pieces Of grass land
/ in odd corners on farms, and while
there is not dificult to destroy by the
use of fire. Let alone in these situa-
tions, and at length they become cen
tiers from which an army emerges that
may destroy most of the grain on a
farm The farmer should know this
little insect so that he will never mis-
take it for anything else. And right
here is where many of the State Col
leges are doing useful work. They are
spreading abroad among the people in
formation~concerning these things.
The chinch-bug is not difficult OF
recognition. 1t has first of all a very
decided buggy OdOr, and any one who
has pulled away the husks of roasting
ears and found these little fellows be
meath, will not forget this popularity
They are SMALL only about three-slX
teenths of an inch long, black in gen
eral when adult, with white wing
touched with black at the outer mar
GIN and laid fiat on the bacA.
Every year we get at the Static
. some applications for the chinch-bu
fungus, with which to rid Kentuck
fields of the pest, and | wish to sa
that we do not keep the living fungus
on hand at all times, since it is diff
/ orr1f n
close attention. Wen -5 insects be
come abundant enough in the State tC
warrant us doing it, we shall en-
oeayor to have enough to supply those
who wish to try it.
We have supplied farmers with many
packages Of it, and have had some en-
thusiastic reports Of its value as
means of DISCRIMINATING the bugs, and
also some reports of its failure.
1t is a very uncertain agent, and
do not want any one to get the ldea
because we sometimes grow it and send
il to those who apply, that we Youch
for it's effectiveness under any and al
circumstances. If any Of you have en-
deavored to grow mushrooms. you will
have a very mild conception Of the
uncertainties attending the growing Of
the chinch-bug fungus and its dissem
nation among the bugs on farm
When everything happens just right
it may take hold and spread rapidly
If the weather is very dry it is likel!
to do no good Immediately, since it doe
not spread without the aid of moisture
and right here we have the explanation
of the abundance of the chinch-bug dur
ing very dry periods.
These two, the Hessian fly and tn
chinch-bug, are the important insec
enemies of small grains, but other
are to be found in our fields every sum
mer, and now and then one or another
of them attracts attention because o
injury it is doing.
Examples of these are the grain louise
which becomes conspicuous on tn
heads Of wheat at times; the whea
bulb-worm, a small fly that works il
the stems as a slender greenish worm
Attention is most often drawn to tn
latter by the dead heads of wheat scat
tered among the others shortly befor
harvest.
The wheat nudge, which works as
small orange yellow maggoL on tn