24 STATE UNIVERSITY EXPERIMENTAL STATION. 



or gave proof that the bugs actually died as the result of their infection, while a 

 number reported bugs dying in other fields where infection was not used; a number 

 more simply based the report on the fact that bugs were less numerous or had dis- 

 appeared, and several who sent in what they supposed to be bugs that had died of 

 the disease sent for the most part only the molted skins of bugs which had been 

 mistaken for dead bugs. With these facts in view, it would be unsafe to claim that 

 more than 10 per cent, of the attempts were really successful. Considering the ex- 

 treme dry weather that prevailed for the period of trial, great success could not be 

 expected. If all would report results, the conclusions would be of greater value. 



J. H. Sawtell, Salina. — I shall say for those who secured bugs from me, that but 

 very few will have any report to make at all, for many, after getting them, were so 

 discouraged by the excessively dry and hot weather that they neglected doing any- 

 thing at all with them. However, there are a few who will have a favorable report 

 to make. 



T. H. Scheffer, Minneapolis. — The destruction of chinch bugs in Ottawa county 

 the past season by the artificial dissemination of the white muscardine disease was 

 attended with one great difficulty — the total lack of anything like recognized favor- 

 able meteorological conditions after the first three weeks after the station was 

 started. After July 10, the condition of the weather was dead against the devel- 

 opment of the disease, as well as against the growing of crops, while the same con- 

 dition was extremely favorable to the rapid multiplication of the bugs. Excessive 

 heat and a prolonged drought in the months of July and August killed the corn and 

 forage crops, so that one cannot safely say what the final results would have been 

 in cases where the earlier experiments had promised success. The station was es- 

 tablished on June 11, and the first diseased bugs were given out about a week later. 

 By this time all the wheat had ripened, so that only one experiment (detailed 

 below) was made in this crop. At the time the station was established, the bugs 

 had not appeared in numbers sufficient to attract attention of farmers, many claim- 

 ing to have seen none at all, and predicting comparative immunity for the season. 

 It was with difficulty that bugs enough to start the infecting cases could be found, 

 the first lot, in fact, being obtained from Dickinson county. A little later, the 

 hordes of young bugs marching from the fields of ripened wheat evidenced the 

 presence of the enemy in full force, and caused a run on the station for infection. 

 A little over 500 packages were given out during the season, 352 farmers being sup- 

 plied. Distributing points were established at nine of the smaller towns in the 

 county, each of which was visited by myself, and arrangements were made with 

 some local merchant to receive and distribute the packages of diseased bugs, and 

 make reports at intervals. 



After two months the station was closed, the drought having left no green orops 

 in which to experiment. A little later, printed blanks for reports were sent out to 

 all who had received infection. Only 40 of these were returned, the other farmers 

 being either too careless or too despondent to attend to the matter. In fact, it is 

 not likely that many of them would have had anything worth reporting, for those 

 reports received covered the earlier part of the season. 



The following is a summary of these reports: Crop in whioh experiment was 

 made was, in every case, corn or forage; weather, as reported by experimenter, was> 

 in every case, dry and hot; number of cases in which experiment was attended with 

 greater or less success, 19; number of oases in whioh experiment was a failure, 16; 

 number of oases in which result was doubtful, 3; no trial, 2. Total, 40. With two 

 exceptions, the infection had, in every case, been procured at the station between 

 June 20 and July 10. The conditions of the weather were very favorable for the 



