The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-23

CEETERNILLE, Ind, June 23.-
Chinch bugs were discovered Wednes-
day on a farm three miles northwest
of here. by the tenant, Robert Bow
man. The county agent was notified
and visited the farm at once, to ident-
fly the pest and give information as
to its control
The bugs have been present for
some time evidently, being harbored
in a field of rye which they are leav-
ing now for the superior attractions
OF an adjacent field of corn. They
have progressed about half way across
the corr field. and EFFORTS 10 save the
crop will be useless now.
Warning was sent out by Purdue
university recently to Indiana farm
ers TO be on the lookout for the chinch
bug. as conditions this year have been
ideal for the insect, and already many
counties had reported attacks from
the pest At the time of printing the
Purdue communication, June q, no
evidence could be found of the pres
ence in Wayne county of chinch bugs
in unusual numbers. Many counties
of the state, however, have large num-
bers of the bug in small grain. which
means an early attack on corn crops,
to which the insects migrate as soon
as the small grain begins to ripen.
Slow to Detect Damage.
The chinch bug is a sucking insect,
and therefore damage is not so easily
seen as that from a chewing insect.
II the bugs would eat the leaves, farm
ers would be much more alarmed than
they are when they simply see the
corn mot doing we'll" Corn which is
attacked by the chinch bug will be
slow of growth, lose color, and ap-
pear unthrifty. but farmers often
blame the weather for this and expect
the corn to recover soon. Often be-
fore the owner realizes that there is
anything seriously wrong, the crop is
beyond recovery.
Although the bugs are found first In
the small grains, those grains are
too far along When attacked to be
very badly injured. However. the
bugs harbor in such fields during
the early part of the season, and then
migrate from them to the corn fields,
where the most damage is done. The
chinch bug, about the size of a house
fly, is a crawling insect, and can be
checked by any means that will make
travelling difficult.
Methods of Prevention.
The most commoA means of defense
is to pillow a furrow across the path Of
the insect as il travels in armies,
numbering millions, from one field to
another The furrow should be made
with tine land side of the pillow to-
ward the corn field, so that bugs will
not be able to climb up the side Of
the furrow, but will travel along the
bottom instead, hunting for an easy
place to climb. For better safety, tar
may be run along the furrow also.
Postholes may then be dug every
30 or 40 feet in the bottom of the fur
row, and the bugs growing along the
path will fall into them. where they
may be drowned or killed with kero-
sene
Another way is to make dusty
path by dragging a log along the side
of the corn field, then to drive a
wagon along the path so that one
wheel makes a groove in it. This
track may then be filled with tar or
with heavy road oil The bugs, I'M
dule W CIOSo LHlSi Will JIdNeI dIOA5'
hunting for crossing place, and may
be trapped in postholes as in the other
method
Spraying Not Effective.
Spraying is of little use unless the
bugs have reached only the first few
rows of corn. Anything which will
kill the bugs is likely also to kill
the corn.
A heavy drenching rain is the best
remedy for the bugs, as they willebe
drowned by it. In parts of the coun
ty which have had heavy rain very
recently, or which get one within a
few days, damage from the tugs will
be very slight. Where the weather
continues dry. however. chinch bugs
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