The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-26

Matched and have since spread over all parts
of the United States
The potato bug was native of New Mex
leo and Colorado. It. Ike the chinch bug.
formerly lived on grass and wild plants, but
has since adopted more civilized diet. The
potato bug came east to Missouri when the
railroads were built west to Colorado.
Some idea of the rapidly with which
small colony of chinch bugs will spread can
will raise over so children in single sea-
son. When the females emerge from their
winter quarters they begin laying eggs In
two weeks. under favorable weather condi
lions the young are Matched and begin their
life work of eating wheat
=, In the course of time they have grown so
their skins are too small for them. They
split open along the back and crawl out,
leaving the first skin behind. This changes
with pale band, As it grows older it con-
tinues to grow and four times splits its skin
and crawls out. In the last stage II is
equipped with wings, which are seldom
After the wheat begins to ripen the in
seGts migrate In body, to nearby corn
such large numbers that the ground is
hlackened with them. 1t seems strange that
insects with such apparent intelligence and
instinct should attemupt to crawl over
dusty roads, when by using their wings
they could easily span the distance. They
will founder over the dusty roads and a
large number become entangled or suffocat-
ed and die. 1t is at this time that the
farmer gets in his deadly work on the de-
sstr1gictives I've. bug BY surrounding bis wheat
nue. of escape and after the wheat ripens
the bug starves to death. 1t will never at
tack corn field so long as there is plenty
of green wheat.
In the fail the bugs go into winter quar-
tiers, selecting a high. well-draned place
ter. Extreme cold appears to have no eff
feet on them. although sudden changes in
temperature will kill large numbers of
them.
KEROSENE SPRAY IS DEADLY.
Doctor ]. NJ. Stedman, entomologist Of
Missouri University, who has given the de-
testable bug a great deal of study, says
with care It will be possible for the Mis-
souri, farmers to keep the devastations of
the bug within reasonable grounds Clean
farming will do more than anything else.
If there are no rubbish heaps corn shocks
or other suitable winter quarters for the
The burning of dead leaves and grasses
on the farm in the fall will kill many Of
mon coal oil and soap 10 very deadly to
the bugs and will kill any of them in
which il comes in contact Doctor Sted-
as follows:
Dissolve, one-half pound of hard soap or
one pound of soft soap In a gallon Of boil
thoroughly dissolved and stirred through
the water. remove from the fire and add
two gallons Of common kerosene or coal
oil, while the liquid If sill hot. Remove the
spray nozzle from your pump, put the pump
into the liquid and pump the liquid right
back into itself. This will churn it, and
do so more thoroughly than any other
process. This churning should be done Wig
orousy and be kept up for ten minutes.
emulsion will have been formed and the
liquid will have increased about third
in bulk.
After the emulsion has been made add
nineteen gallons of water to it. stir thor
oughly and spray the plants on which the
bugs are found,