Sixth Annual Report. 29 
The following is from Mr. Marcy’s notes on an experiment 
with the barrier : 
June 6. On the farm of Mr. Eberhardt, eight miles north of Lawrence, was 
selected a field for experiment with the barrier method described above. This 
field was chosen because it showed evidence of being able to give the method a 
' severe test. The field was located on a small creek, and is not far from the rocky 
hills where the bugs had hibernated. The soil was rather light and sandy, and 
the field broken or rolling, with deep washes in places. The field contained about 
ten acres. The wheat was thin, owing to the poor soil, rust, and the bugs. At 
this date the bugs were quite thick and hatching very fast, some of the young 
ones being about a week old. 
June 8. Found two pup. Bugs are much thicker on the sides next to the 
corn and a few have already- crossed the road and are on the corn. 
June 10. With a common walking plow we turned up a double furrow be- 
tween the corn and wheat, letting it extend some distance beyond the corn into 
the wheat and grass, so that the bugs could not get around into the corn. Then 
with the ridge-former we proceeded to make it ready for the salt and kerosene 
oil. We went over the ridge twice, going out and back, and using about 600 
pounds’ weight for bearing down the implement. In places where the horses had 
knocked down the ridge, as at the corners and ends, the ridge was repaired witha 
shovel before using the last time. One hundred and ninety pounds of coarse salt 
was used with two and a half gallons of kerosene oil. The salt was by no means 
saturated. The salt and oil were mixed in a wooden box witha shovel by sprink- 
ling on a little oil and then a layer of salt, etc. Then an attachment was fastened 
on to the implement for distributing this mixture, which consisted of a round 
hopper suspended at the rear end of the implement over the center of the ridge. 
The bottom of this hopper was funnel-shaped, running down to an opening of 
one and one-half inch diameter. In the center of this was a spiral which was re- 
volved by gears and a chain fastened to a driving wheel which followed behind 
the implement. It took nearly all of the 190 pounds of salt to go around the field, 
a distance of about seventy-five rods. Post-holes were then dug with post-hole 
auger to a depth of twenty to thirty inches and at a distance of about twenty 
paces. The time required to dig each hole was from two to four minutes. The 
total time consumed in plowing and forming the ridge, distributing salt and oil, 
digging post-holes, etc., was three hours and twenty minutes, which required the 
work of two men and a team. The ridge was a very good one considering the 
number of great weeds which were plowed under. The weeds were in some 
places so large that they would not allow the ridge to pack down. It would have 
been much better if they had been mowed off with ascythe, for a ridge that is defect- 
iveinany part is little better than none. By this time the wheat was still standing 
and quite green, and the kernel was in the milk. The bugs were not crossing into 
the corn enough to do any particular damage, but the ridge was ready in case 
they moved toward the corn. At this time the pup were fast increasing in 
number and eggs were still hatching. 
June 14. A few bugs have crossed the line in the southwest corner, where 
they are massed in large numbers. Renewed with fresh salt and oil at the 
corner, and a few other places where rabbits had broken down the line and bugs 
were escaping. In other places the salt is cracked or spread apart, and here the 
bugs are crawling through. 
June 15. Ground very dry on the surface, especially on the ridge, where the 
sides are so steep and dusty that it is almost impossible for the bugs to get over. 
