OUTBREAKS IN KANSAS. 



Prof. E. A. Popenoe, of Manhattan, Ivans., called the writer's atten- 

 tion to two reportsjdiat he had received of serious ravages from the 

 southeastern part of his State, both accompanied by specimens of the 

 depredators; but before this information was received from him the 

 attention of the writer had been called to some fields about Lawrence, 

 same State, where farmers had found it impossible to get corn to ger- 

 minate. These fields were all of them low and swampy, and while in 

 some the crop had been an almost total loss, there was nothing in the 

 fields at that time upon whieh to convict the depredator except the 

 similarity to other fields known to have been ravaged by this pest. 

 The owners assured the writer that they knew nothing of the cause, 

 only that corn simply would not come up on this ground this year, 

 where before they had not experienced any such trouble. 



PREVENTIVE OR REMEDIAL MEASURES. 



Remedial measures, that is, such as will stop these depredations in 

 the midst of the insect's work, hardly seem practicable. As to pre- 

 ventives, there has been too little opportunity to observe and experi- 

 ment. That the beetle will depredate on underdrained lands seems 

 probable, tho perhaps not so severely except during wet seasons. So 

 far as information has been obtainable, hilled or check-rowed has 

 suffered more than drilled corn ; but this point needs to be substan- 

 tiated by more and exact information based upon field observations. 

 Clearly there is no help to be anticipated from late planting. As the 

 beetle does not attack the seed after it has sprouted, shallow planting 

 in cold, backward seasons would in a measure ward off injuries, 

 because the kernels would sprout sooner than if planted deeply. 



Professor Pettit has suggested" that if seed be soaked and then 

 rolled in dry slaked lime or plaster mixt with Paris green or some 

 similar poison it would render the seed so treated immune. The 

 trouble here is that seed thus treated could not be planted with the 

 ordinal planters, but would have to be planted by hand. This 

 would, of course, prevent its being applied at the time of the first 

 planting, and thus offer no protection at the time when it is most 

 needed. The seed used in replanting might be so treated, as this 

 work is ordinarily done either with the hoe or a small hand planter. 



Experiment has shown that while soaking for a few hours in kero- 

 sene may render the seed distasteful, this treatment is likely to be as 

 uncertain in its effects as is petroleum used as an insecticide in the 

 orchard ; therefore its use in this case is not recommended. It is to 



a Loc. cit. 

 [Circ 78] 



