146 INSECTS 



of Kansas and other states of that section loomed up 

 so large and expensive, that it seemed discouraging. 

 In the exhaustive study carried on by a number of 

 entomologists, it was noticed that the species was 

 subject to certain diseases and that at least one of 

 these was often epidemic in character and capable of 

 being propagated. The suggestion was therefore made 

 that this disease furnished the natural method for 

 dealing with the insect, and field experiments seemed 

 to bear out the suggestion. The result was the estab- 

 lishment of laboratories for the propagation and dis- 

 tribution of chinch-bug disease, in almost every state 

 subject to chinch-bug attack, and the introduction of the 

 disease into every section where the insect occurred in 

 sufficient numbers to attract attention. There were 

 some wonderfully successful results reported, and fully 

 as many absolute failures, and this eventuated in the 

 discovery, after much patient observation, that the 

 chinch-bug flourished and delighted in dry weather, 

 being most active and vigorous in droughty times, 

 when the food plants themselves were in the poorest 

 condition to withstand attack. In times of moisture 

 the bugs were sluggish, inert, and low in vitaHty, while 

 the plants, on the other hand, were vigorous and capable 

 of out-growing and resisting injury. The disease, on 

 its part, would not develop nor spread in dry weather 

 when the bugs were most troublesome; but it did 

 spread like wild-fire in a wet season when it was least 

 needed. As a dependence to check the spread of the 

 insects when danger was imminent, the experiment was 

 a failure; but the practice was nevertheless a success, 

 because the disease has now been introduced every- 

 where and is a constant danger to the bugs, reducing 

 them to such small numbers during moist seasons that 

 in dry seasons there are not enough of them living over 



