Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-05-21
KANSAS PROFESSOR
FIGHTS GREEN BUG
TELLS GOVERNMENT OF WAR.
FARE ON ENEMY OF THE
WHEAT CROP.
SENDS PARASITE
BEES TO FARMERS
Unable to Fill All Orders Because Of
Limited Means-Government Says
That Pest Has Been Nearly Elk.
terminated.


Lawrence, Kan, May 15.-Prof. s.
j. Hunter, of the chronological depart
ment of the state university, who, for
the past month has been collecting
and sending free to the farmers Of the
southwest parasite bees to kill the
green bugs that have been destroying
wheat, received a telegram Tuesday
from Secretary of Agriculture Wilson
at Washington asking for full particu.
lars of his work. Prof. Hunter re.
Piled that he had distributed 1000
boxes containing the parasites to Kan
sas farmers with uniform good results,
but that larger fund was needed to
make the work comprehensive and de.
cisive.
Prof. Hunter said that he is still
unable to fill all orders for the bees,
but is sending out boxes as fast as
possible with the limited means at his
command. Whatever delay the farm.
ers have in receiving the boxes has
been caused by lack of funds to
push the work, which is being done
gratis by Prof. Hunter and the stu.
dents in his department of the uni.
versity.
A report received from Hutchinson,
central Kansas, stated that the green
bugs have begun to attack the newly
sprouted corn.
Green Bug Practically Exterminated.
Washington, May 15.-It was an.
nounced by the agricultural depart.
ment Tuesday that the green bug, OF
spring grain aphis, which has done Sc
much damage to wheat and other
small grains in Texas, Oklahoma and
In few of the southern counties OF
Kansas, already is practically exter.
minated by it's natural parasite,
very minute black fly. In Texas and
Oklahoma the bug practically has dis.
appeared through the action of the
parasite and report from southern
Kansas received by the department
Tuesday stated that at least SO per
cent. of the bugs now are parasitized
in all the infested fields in that sec.
ton. The report adds that if the ia.
vorable weather continues through the
absolutely exterminated
Millions of parasites" continues
the report, "are coming out in every
wheat field, and the green bug has
been overtaken and controlled by its
natural enemy, and there seems to be
little, If any, fear of further damage
The bureau of entomology, of the
agricultural department, has aided
the work by sending hundreds of thou.
sands of the parasites from Oklahoma
and Texas into Kansas. Three agents
of the bureau now are in the field di.
recting the onslaught on the bug. The
weather conditions this spring have
been favorable to the multiplication OF
the bug, which becomes serious pest
only under such conditions. The para.
sites, too, multiply only under favor.
able weather conditions, but they soon
exterminate their enemy.
"The green bug was noticed first in
this country in 1884 While more OF
less common every year, the condi.
tons which favor it's destructive
abundance only occur at compare.
lively long intervals. 1t caused great
damage in 1890 and again in 1900
ten years later, and third outbreak
is now coming to close. Every year
however, few of the bugs are pres
ent in wheat fields, especially in the
southern wheat districts, but not suf
fcient to cause damage.