fourth Annual Report. 25 



growing crops up to July 4, when the last rain of any consequence fell. The period 

 from June 20 to June 26 was comparatively wet, this county being visited with good 

 showers on the 20th, 21st, 23d, 24th, 25th, and 26th. 



The results of my own experiments, of which I undertook three, were in two 

 cases highly satisfactory ; in the other case doubtful. The first experiment was 

 made in a field of ripening wheat located in a creek bend, and of about eight acres 

 in extent. The following notes from my field book are pertinent : 



June 12. — Visited the wheat field ; greener patches of wheat black with young 

 bugs up as far as the heads of the stalks ; few old bugs to be seen. 



June 16. — Put infection in wheat field along north side, where harvesters had 

 left strip standing ; rest of grain in shock ; morning damp, a sprinkle of rain dur- 

 ing the night having thoroughly laid the dust ; field wet down by heavy shower later 

 in the day. 



June 18. — Most of the bugs had ceased feeding; running about aimlessly and 

 bunching under clods in handfuls ; bunches observed at least 15 rods from in- 

 fection. 



June 20. — Light shower in the afternoon ; put out more infection in other parts 

 of the wheat field ; some bugs still feeding on green patches of stubble and grass ; 

 none observed to feed on north side of field. They could be found massed together 

 among the decaying leaves in the buffalo grass, which formed a mat on the slope 

 at the edge next to the creek ; plenty of cast-off skins among them. Placed more 

 infection along the slope, which ran around all sides of the field except the west. 



June 21. — Light shower ; cool all day. 



June 22. — Examined the wheat shocks, which were damp at base, and found 

 fungus-covered bugs plentifully sprinkled about under some of them; also found a 

 few at roots of stubble. Number of live bugs throughout the field apparently un 

 diminished; stubble, grass along edges and shocks full of them — gathered a clean 

 quart of them from the sheaves in five minutes. All bugs freshly molted or en- 

 gaged in molting. 



June 23. — Good shower of rain. Found white bugs in grass and under shocks 

 and clods in all parts of the field. Live bugs moving about in great numbers. 



June 25. — Violent rain storm during the night. 



June 27. — Visited wheat field. Scarcely a living bug to be seen in or about the 

 field. Matted grass full of fungus bugs; ground under shocks white with them. 

 Went all over field, and found white bugs everywhere. No live bugs were seen in 

 the field on subsequent visits, so I am disposed to regard the destruction in this 

 case as amounting to practical extermination. 



The other two experiments were conducted in fields of corn. Space will not per- 

 mit me to give full details. In the one case, the field in question had been in wheat, 

 which had partially winterkilled. It was listed to oorn late in the season, and long 

 after the spring flight of hibernating bugs usually takes place, so that the young 

 corn was attacked all over the field as it came up by the newly hatched brood. 

 Scarcely a stalk ever reached the top of the furrow. Although the field was several 

 times infected, I never succeeded in finding any fungus-covered bugs, the presence 

 of which is the only positive proof that the disease is in operation. 



The third experiment was made in a field of corn almost high enough to tassel. 

 The bugs were coming in on one side from a field of wheat that had just been cut. 

 The first diseased bugs were distributed June 30, on the hills of the fourth row from 

 the wheat. On July 3, as the bugs were still advancing, the tenth row was also sup- 

 plied with infection. On visiting the field again, July 7, I found that the disease 

 was spreading, as evidenced by the presence of bugs, covered with the characteristic 

 external growth of Sporotrichum, in sheaths of lower leaves and pits of stalks. Bugs 



