The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-08-09

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In fact, small as it is, this pest has
cost the people of these nine states a
sum of money which, few years ago.
would have betrayed the entire eN-
pense Of the national government for
whole year. Fire excepted, there is
probably no other factor that has
caused an enormous financial loss
within the same period over the same
area Of country.
This being the case it is not sur
pIising that the Department Of Agri-
culture has made the most search
ing investigation into means of des-
troying the chinch bug. It's natural
enemies are frequent rains during the
Matching seasons in May and August
certain parasitic fungi, the quail and
to a limited extent certain other
birds and the frog.
The destructive fungi have been the
subject Of much experimenting. One
in particular, the sporotrichum, is
now "raised" artifcially and distri-
buted to farmers. The government
agents visited places where this fun
gus was sent and found that the effect
was unmistakable. Going to the
nlace in a field (generally a wheat
field when the fungus had been in
troduced the track Of the chinch bugs
as they moved in any direction was
in many cases almost literally paved
with the dead bugs more or less en-
veloped in their winding sheets Of
white.
Along ravines, dead burrows or
other depressions the ground would
be nearly white, the dead diminishing
in numbers as the higher grounds
were reached, though these were by
no means free from corpses. In one
instance the bugs had left field of
wheat at harvest, the sporotriehum
having been applied there before the
movement began, and entered an ad-
joining cornfeld.
The way was marked with white,
not only the surface Of the ground,
but on stirring up the mellow soil Of
the edge of the cornfeld it was found
to be literally full of dead chinch
bugs to the depth of two or three in
ches, the white fungus covered bodies
STRONGLY contrasting with the black
color of the rich roam. Not only this,
but under the sheaths of the leaves
and on the leaves themselves hum
dreds of dead were to be found on
the outer rows of corn, on the grass
and weeds, and indeed almost every
where. Millions of chinch bugs were
certainly destroyed in this one field.
The dread which the chinch bug
inspires may be inferred from the ma
ture Of the various schemes for check
ing his mad career. One of these, be-
GINS with the making Of a smooth
path along the margin cf an infested
field where such. a one adjoins the .cne
TO be protected. This can be done
with sharp hoe; and as the margins
of wheat fields usually become COM
pacted, it is but little trouble to clear
off path foot or more in width,
smooth as floor, with the surface
almost as hard. In the midst of this
path post holes are sunk as in the
bottoms of furrows- and a train OF
coal tar is run between them, being
50 al Hanged that it will reach the post
hole near the inner side opposite the
field from which the bugs are migrat-
ing.
In this way as the bugs reach the
train Of coal tar they will follow along
until they reach the post hole, while
those meeting with the posi- noles Will
usually divide and following around
it Join with the flow of bugs moving
along the trains Of coal tar. The re-
suit is that they become congested in
the acute angle where the coal tar
train is intercepted by the post hol-
es Those in the apex Of this angle
can not turn back, and thus are con-
tinually pushed into the holes by
those behind. From these holes there
is no escape, and here the bugs can be
readily killed by sprinkling with kero-
sene.
The, slightest train of coal tar is
sufficient to obstruct the passage Of
the bugs, and light rains will not at
feet its efficiency. In dry weather
these trains of coal tar soon become
covered over with dust and must be
L.