The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-06-03


culture Tor the Frisco lines. sends out (
the following suggestions Ia regard TO
dealing With the ehinch bug
From almost every section Of Okla
homa comes complaint about the dam
IKE being done 10 the small grain
crops BY cnlnch bugs. It II too late
now to do anything that VII protect
the wheat and oats. After field has
once become thoroughly infested II is
impossible to apply any remedy If
greater attention had been paid last
fall to the governors proclamation
calling upon the fanAers Of the state
to destroy the alternating places Of
the chinch bug, we would not have
been confronted with such serious
situation at this time Our attention
from now on should be turned alto
gether toward saving the corn, milo
aud other sorghums.
In the spring the adult ehlnch bugs
that have hibernated during the win
ter fly to their food plants Most Of
the danger 10 the corn and kafir corn
viii come, however, frora the Young
bngu that crawl from the grain fields
about the time they begin to ripen.
An effort should be made BY all farm
ers TO check this invasion In some
badly infested districts there is dan
ger OF an almost entire loss Of corn
and sorghum crops unless some effor;
Is made to hold the insects in sheck.
Several methods are to b. recon-
mended, but an Of them require work,
and none Of them are really effective
II they are not followed up persist
emily
A strip Of land a rod or more wide
may be plowed between the corn or
kaflr field and the point Of invasion.
This viii serve 10 check the crawling
chlnch bugs, il it is narrowed fre-
quentIy so that a dry dust mulch is
maintained The narrowing should be
done during the hottest portion OF
the day Young chInch bugs cannot
crawl in hot dry dust.
Where crude oil or tar Is available
good barrier could be made by run
ming a line Of this material around
the field to be protected, or by using
it in conjunction with the dust mulch
mentioned above. The oil or tar must
be renewed frequently. however, dur
Ing rainy or windy weather.
Some farmers give their crops good
protection by running lister furrow
along the outside Of the field, and
keeping the bottom and sides Of the
furrow in fine dust mulch state by
dragging a log or brush in the furrow
once or twice a day. The crude oil
may be made use of in connection
with the lister furrow, by putting a
line Of II on the furrow ridge next to
the field, from which the chinch bugs
are migrating.
Perhaps the most effective way to
guard against an invasion Of the
chinch bug is to SOW a barrier crop Of
sorghum around the field to be pro
tected This should be sown early
enough in the season to assure a good
heavy growth before the ehiuch bugs
are expected. 1t is too late now to
make use Of this kind Of barrier.
A large measure Of protection may
be secured by cnttlng corn or sorghum
and laying It down in piles where bugs
are at work. During the hot portion Of
the day they viii collect under these
piles, and If the chineh bug disease
is present It will soon communicate it.
self to the insects sheltering under
the mass Of green vegetation. il
seems IN this way an dideal condition
for the spread Of the chinch bug dis
ease may be secured when climatic
conditions are not favorable.
When the outer section Of a field Of
corn or kafir corn becomes badly in
tested It should be plowed up imme
dlately; stalks should all be carefully
turned under, and the harrow used il
such a way as to destroy all the in
sects possible No advantage what
ever Is to be gained In letting CHI
field stand once it has become badll
infested with chinch bugs. II is ven
seldom that a plant recovers from
their attack, and If the bugs on It ar,
not destroyed they soon pass to othe
plants.
The results secured from the intro
duction Of artliicially diseased chincl
bugs into an infested field have no
given satisfaction It seems that th
disease does nos spread with suIfieien
rapldlty when the weather is hot AM
dry When the weather condition
becomes unfayorable for the bugs tn
disease generally appears Of its owl
accord, and the bugs seem to die jus
as rapidly in those fields where no at