CHINCH BUG WEST OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 45 
secured some Sporotrichum from outside sources and introduced it 
into their fields. These attempts were made independently and, as 
far as could be learned, no satisfactory results followed. 
In the neighboring counties of Harper and Cowley, Kans., and 
Kay County, Okla., farmers united in spreading the fungus over their 
fields, after having grown plenty of it in boxes on their farms. This 
experiment was tried very thoroughly and on a very large scale in 
Cowley County, Kans., where the farmers secured the fungus from 
boxes of chinch bugs at two central stations, and after having grown 
more of the fungus in boxes on their own farms spread the whole 
over their fields where the bugs were thickest. The distributing 
points were Arkansas City and Winfield, Kans., and about 700 farmers 
secured fungus from the two boxes at these points. This was done 
in early June, and was followed by rainy weather just after the fun- 
gus was placed in the fields. The precipitation record at Wellington 
showed an. aggregate rainfall of 0.82 inch on June 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11. 
When Cowley County was visited on June 21 it had been dry for a 
week preceding. The central distributing points were visited, and it 
was learned that a large quantity of Sporotrichum globuliferum had 
been distributed from these boxes. No satisfactory results were 
reported to the central station. Many of the farmers were inter- 
viewed, and in almost every instance the lack of success was attrib- 
uted to the dry weather, which prevailed between June 12 and 21. 
In some localities every farmer had used some of the fungus. Upon 
visiting the exact spots where the fungus had been placed in the 
fields many bugs were found covered with white fungus; however, 
the fungus was as easily located in places remote from any artificial 
importation. The fungus was always put out in places where the 
chinch bugs were massed together. In consequence of this massing 
more fungus would normally occur in these places than elsewhere, 
regardless of the source of infection. The damage caused by the 
chinch bugs was fully as great where the fungus was introduced as it 
was in places remote from these, and also fully as great in this locality 
as it was in Sumner County, where no fungus had been introduced. 
The parties who carried on this experiment were so united in their 
work, and extended it over such a wide area, that it constitutes one 
of the most satisfactory field experiments ever carried out with this 
fungus. From the results obtained we arrive a step nearer the actual 
position this method should occupy. There can be hardly a doubt 
that Sporotrichum was present before the experiment was tried, and 
that, too, in sufficient quantity to inoculate the healthy bugs. Since 
this failed to hold the bugs in check, no artificial introduction could 
accomplish what nature failed in doing. 
Sporotrichum has appeared during the past three years in this 
part of the Southwest, and has not been effective as ‘a natural enemy, 
