16 State University experimental station 



many as we had hoped for. The weather was extremely dry daring the latter part 

 of the summer, so that it was not the most favorable for the development of the 

 fungus. The reports that we have been able to obtain are conflicting, but the ma- 

 jority either report a partial success or a complete failure. We distributed the in- 

 fection in several fields of our own, with only poor results, which we attributed to 

 the unfavorable weather. 



Bixby & McDowell, Hardy, Neb. — We inoculated bugs at our place of business 

 and gave them to farmers whose crops were being destroyed. From their reports, 

 about 75 per cent, of the bugs reoeived from us infected fields of bugs and almost 

 completely destroyed them. A few failed to infect at all, and others only partially. 

 Weather was dry; no dampness at all. From our observations, we believe the inoc- 

 ulation successful, although not without continued attention to details. We saved 

 possibly 800 acres of corn and 200 of wheat. The bushels we saved we cannot de- 

 termine, as the season developed an almost complete failure of both crops experi- 

 mented upon. Allowing 10 bushels of wheat and 15 of corn, it would make 2,000 

 bushels of wheat and 12,000 of corn saved. 



L. T., Bradbury, Paola. — The station here was closed the 14th day of July; up 

 to that date 262 orders have been sent out from the station; out of this number 

 only 89 reported to me in any way. Out of this number 70 were successful in full 

 or in part; 10 were decidedly unsuccessful and the parties would not try it again; 

 nine were doubtful, but expressed a willingness to work with it. It seems a small 

 per cent, to report, but these were all I could get to report; yet every farmer who 

 received the infection here got explicit instructions in regard to reporting. This 

 demonstrates, however, to the farmers of our county, that the disease is a success 

 if used properly. I think it will cause more of them to try it next year. I have 

 found that some farmers, after finding that there was some work connected with 

 the infection, took it home and did not try to use it at all. The weather I believe 

 has as a general thing been favorable for the infection all the spring and summer, 

 being slightly damp all the time except early in the spring. If the value of the in- 

 fection could be estimated in any way, it would, I think, amount to thousands of 

 dollars in this county alone. 



F. C. Brooks, La Crosse. — The infection box worked nicely. All my expectations 

 and hopes were realized, so far as infecting the bugs in the box was concerned. 

 The weather being very dry during the time or season of infection, it is impossible 

 for me to give satisfactory information. Station established July 10, and contin- 

 ued for three months. Quite a number were supplied with infected bugs during 

 that time, but I have not received any authentic reports from anyone supplied as 

 to the success of the efforts put forth. In different parts of the county, especially 

 where bugs were to be found in large quantities, the infection was used successfully 

 — at least this is the idea of many individuals; and further, there is some evidence 

 that in one locality the bugs were destroyed by the same disease, yet no one in the 

 immediate neighborhood had put forth any effort to infect them. We have con- 

 siderable faith in the destruction of the bug by the infection, but here in the west, 

 where the atmosphere is so dry and conditions are naturally unfavorable to the de- 

 velopment of the disease, it will be necessary for us to take advantage of the season, 

 and commence early and try to infect the bugs in the spring, while the wheat plant 

 is growing, and thereby improve the advantage of a damp or wet season, whioh is 

 considered quite necessary to success. I give this last idea as to beginning in the 

 early spring as the most important. 



