Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-29

fessor Headlee says: "Many RESPONSE
Bile millers and grain men have ex-
pressed to us their firm conviction that
the green bug was responsible for
thousands of dollars damage to oats
and wheat; that it swept the oats and
large proportion of the wheat Of Ok
lahoml no one conversant with the sit
uation will deny. Yet on the advent of
summer 1t so completely disappeared
that there seemed to be hardly green
bug throughout the length and breadth
| OF Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Doubtless they disappeared through the
attacks of their parasitic and pre-
daceous foes and through flying away
from the hardening grain to seek food
more to their liking. During this time
OF scarcity the government agents were
finding them in the Dakotas' on the VOL
untecr wheat growing about elevators,
and, as later examinations clearly
showed, they were passing the summer
in some parts Of Kansas on volunteer
oats and bluegrass.
This insect is pale green. with a.
dark, irregular line running down the
middle of its back. The eyes are very
black and show conspicuously against
the pale green of the body; the feelers.
except for small portion at the base.
are also black, while the horns at the
rear of the body are only tipped with
black. Many persons have confused
with this green bug the dark green
corn-leaf louise of corn and Kaftir
corn, or the rosy louise on the roots
and stems of wheat, or the larger green
louise so generally distributed over the
| nf
guished by having the horns at the rear
of the body completely blackened from
up 10 base, or green lice on rose
bushes, hop plants and box-eIder trees
and as result we have heard con-
stantiy through the press of green
bugs sprirging up here and there
lirousn the state. Although this mis-
conception caused a great manv false
siarins' 1t showed that the people were
watching, and it was such watchfuI-
ness that brought to light the presence
| or the real green bug in some of orr
wheat Helds this fall They are now
WORKING in at least three wheat fields
IN tnis state in sufficient numbers to
kiR the wheat in spots. The bugs have
peen round scatteringly in other fields
or The same and in some few cases of
|
mat lay near volunteer oats or blue-
BRASS lhoeed, in some instances they
were round on the bluegrass in the all
sence of wheat.
IN each of the fields where the
green hugs were abundant enough TO
XIII me wheat their parasitic foes had
! aiready been at work, and the large
leaves Of the volunteer oats and the
small leaves of the young wheat plants
were alike dotted with the swollen and
| Dlackcned bodies of their victims From,
the time the bugs were discovered the
parasites worked more and more slow
~, until with the advent of December
they apparently became almost if not
entirely inactive. The green bugs on
the other hand, went forward and in
| creased, slowly pushing the edge of the
INFESTED spot out into the healthy
wheat A matter of still greater sig,
nlficance than this increase is TO ho
found in the fact that the latter ARC
constantly producing small numbers Of
winged females, which, flying M are
| caught by the wind and carried INFO
other parts of the same field or even
INTO other fields. During each exar
NATION made of these spots in from
Two 10 three week intervals. RANGING
from late fall until Jan. 81, 1905 winged
forms nave been seen. The insects are
known to occur in Injurious numbers
IN three places in this state, but scat
teringiy in many others, and it is not
Impossible that they might be found in
any part of the wheat belt.
THESE being the conditions. what
may we expect next spring and s,,n,-
mer! This is question to which no
one can give definite reply because
% we DO not know whether they can