58 THE CHINCH BUG. 
THE PRACTICAL UTILITY OF FUNGOUS: AND BACTERIAL ENEMIES IN 
FIGHTING THE CHINCH BUG. 
Regarding the practicability of utilizing these entomogenous fungi 
in agriculture, there seems no reason to revise a statement made ten 
years ago, viz, that this can be done only in cases of excessive abun- 
dance and during wet weather, the basis for infection being provided 
by some central propagating station from which farmers can receive 
promptly an abundant supply. The writer believes that for himself 
he could manage to get considerable benefit from their use in destroy- 
ing chinch bugs, provided he were located within the area of the fre- 
quent occurrence. This could be done only by watching the seasons 
carefully, and in case there should occur two years in succession 
wherein the breeding periods were covered by drought, then every 
preventive measure known should be adopted, notably the burning 
of leaves, dead grass, and other rubbish during winter or early spring, 
followed up by sowing small plats of early millet, Hungarian grass, 
or, better yet perhaps, spring wheat, in low damp places in the fields, 
with a view of attracting the females or in fact massing the bugs, 
and then freely applying the fungi in their midst. Whether the 
average farmer, with his somewhat crude ideas of entomology, can do 
this successfully or not is very uncertain. It is almost impossible to 
determine even a few weeks in advance whether a season is to be fa- 
vorable or unfavorable to the development of the chinch bug, which 
would of itself cause occasional false alarm, and the precautionary 
measures rendered entirely unnecessary by a few timely and drench- 
ing rains just at the critical time. Before we can expect to be emi- 
nently successful in this matter, not only the farmer but also the 
entomologist and meteorologist have much to learn. 
THE BOBWHITE OR QUAIL. 
Chinch bugs have few important enemies among the birds of the 
northern United States. To what extent the coast birds feed upon 
them it is impossible to say, but inland the common quail or bobwhite 
(Colinus virginianus) is the only species that can be said to devour 
any considerable number. As this is one of our most highly prized 
game birds, it is slaughtered annually in tremendous numbers. 
The following list will show the degree of protection offered the 
quail by legislative enactment in the States where the chinch bug is 
the most destructive. The close season for quail in the several States, 
during which killing is prohibited by law, is as follows: ¢ 
Maine, all the year. 
New York, December 1 to November 1, except in some counties where it is 
from December 1 to October 16. In Rensselaer County it is from December 1 
to October 1 and in Richmond County all the year until 1908. 
aFarmers’ Bulletin No. 265, pp. 18-25, 1906. 
