The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-02-18
FARM BUREAU NOTES
Last CAN to Fight Chinch Bug,

Last Call to Fight Chinch Bugs
1t is not yet too late to fight chinch
bugs. But action should be taken at
once. The only hope to save an enor-
nous loss to the corn crop, the sor-
ghums, and millets, is to kill the bugs
by fire, or by blowing them under be-
fore the bugs begin to4fiy.
The above sissthe opinion of A. C.
Burrill, Extension Entomologist, of
Columbia, Mo-. who was in the county
Friday and Saturday of last week,
working on the control and eradication
CT this pest which caused millions of
dollars of loss in the state last year
and which destroyed approximately
one-fourth of the corn crop of st.
Francois county.
At the two demonstrations held
Friday and Saturday, men were heard
to say that they had no idea of the
bugs being where they were found.
AS there has been SO little cold wealth
er this winter and so much unusually
warm weather, the bugs have had an
excellent chance to come through the
winter SO far, in large numbers and
in an active state.
On the Beatty farm, north of town,
Friday, a search was made to find
where the bugs We're located. Prac-
tically none were found in the corn
fields. None were found any place
where there was no green grass. The
chinch bugs, during a severe season,
can go into dormant stage and stay
thus for two or three months, but
this winter the weather has been such
that they have required food. Con-
sequently they were found in clumps
of broom sedge and swamp grass,
where there was a protection by the
dead grass and yet plenty of green
growth at the base to furnish food.
Although the grass was so damp from
the rain the proceeding night that it
would not burn readily, yet a tea
spoonful of kerosene dropped in the
tufts and then a fire applied, destroy
ed many of the bugs. At first thought
one is apt to think that such a prac-
tice is expensive and slow. However,
after thorough search is made to
find where the bugs are, this task is
not so enormous as 1t appears.
On Mr.. G. w. Hinkle's farm, Sat
urday, quite search was made be-
fore any chinch bugs were found. FL
nally they were discovered in clumps
of orchard grass. In some clumps
more than a dozen were found; also,
some were discovered in the center of
timothy clumps. The only hope of
killing these bugs, is by close burning
OF these clumps or blowing them un-
der. 1t may be necessary to drop
little coal oil in these tufts of grass
to get enough heat far enough down
to kill them. After burning a few of
these tufts, an examination should be
made to discover if the bugs are kill
ed. 1t should be remembered that
fifty tufts of grass burned close
enough to kill the bugs will do great
deal more good than burning twice
that many tufts and only few of
the bugs killed. One man, in a DAVIS
time, with two or three gallons of
kerosene, can burn many tufts of
grass where the bugs harbor. 1t
should be remembered that every fe-
male bug killed now, will mean per-
haps more than 10000 less bugs to
destroy the crops in July and August.
An excellent instrument to carry
fire to apply to the tufts of grass is
a piece Of gas pipe four feet long,
with an elbow and piece of pipe one
inch in length at one end. This end
should be filled with something suit
able to make wick. Then kerosene
should be poured in the pipe and
cork put in the other end.
OF course, whenever practical,
blowing can be practiced to turn un-
der these tufts of grass. This should
be done before the bugs begin to fly.
By blowing the ground and enough
narrowing to cover the bugs, much
good can be done.