, ¥ 
56 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
had never before been ravaged; in many others the scourge was 
claimed to be more sweeping than ever before. 
*“The insect was present in injurious numbers in nearly every 
eounty in Kansas. Correspondents in Leavenworth, in the extreme 
east, and Hamilton, on the Colorado border, gave the only negative 
replies. The worst damage was done in this State. 
‘*The infliction was general in Missouri except in a belt in the 
central part of the State, not very regular nor wholly untouched, 
trending northeasterly and connecting with a similar belt in Illinois. 
‘* Further north, no portion of lowa was exempt except the northwest 
corner of the State, in proximity to areas of exemption from central 
Minnesota westwardly through Dakota, and near to a similar area 
in northern Nebraska. In eastern Minnesota and southern Wiscon- 
sin, however, the scourge was general and severe. In Hlinois com- 
parative exemption was enjoyed in a central belt running in a north- 
easterly direction from Christian to Champaign, and from Adams 
to Bureau, fifteen to twenty counties, in which correspondents re- 
sponded in the negative as to their destructive presence. Elsewhere 
the pest was nearly universal. | 
‘<The southwestern corner of Indiana was alive with Chinch-bugs; 
elsewhere, though present in much of the area, only about a dozen 
counties estimated any material losses. They were still scarcer in 
Michigan. Only ten counties in Ohio reported their injurious pres- 
ence; and a few only in Kentucky indicated material damage. 
‘*'These insects are reported as more or less injurious in every sea- 
son of drought and searce or absent in all wet areas. They have 
attacked almost every crop, though giving their preference to the 
cereals. In the area of their depredations, the crops have an annual 
value of more than a fourth of the entire agricultural production of 
the United States, and a value nearly four times as great as that of 
the cotton crop. It will readily be seen that the losses must be 
heavy, undoubtedly greater than those of all other insects together, 
as no such values are involved in other crops subject to insect depre- 
dations the past year. 
“The following table has been prepared from data severely scru- 
tinized, revised, and accurately consolidated. It makes a largesum, 
and yet does not comprise all the damage done to barley and rye, 
millet, etc., all of which might be approximately stated in round 
numbers as $60,000,000. The record by States is as follows: 
Corn. Wheat. Oats. . 
States ; 
Bushe!ls | Value. | Bushels. Value. Bushels. | Value. 
Reaeei | 
| | | ae 
ME NTUIG ley ets eats ote rola oe 983,280 | $521, 138 } 66, 678 $48, 675 |. : 0 ek ae eee eee 
(OL OCCUR DS Satie ANC 4.5 gees Gaara per | ke 564 | 425,071 | 215, 370 | 161,528 60,196 | $19,263 
ANION eh BOP soericee crete es | | 803,250 | 458, 956 | 326, $34 167, 658 | 48, 621 
TEINS oe chin sexes soeeee | 6,941,186 | 5,529,150 | 3,870,405 | 3,810,310 | 1,628,784 
WWASCOMSINS Sepp eee eee eens | 757.785 3,004,490 | 1,922,874 1,742, 750 487, 970 
THINNESOLA) Ss. Secs ee wets | £02,786 | 9,074,750 | 5,354,103 | 2,438,160 633, 922 
LOW oS e's. ESL hae eee | 2 7, 707, 084 6,977,620 | 4,256,348 | 4,462,920 | 1,071,101 
NEISSOUERs tcie teenies ee eeee 5,736,624 | 1,664,640 | 1,082,077 795, 869 206, 924 
Weansas?s aiid): jaca eos | 6,230,926 | 2,282,100} 1,392,081 | 6,406,560 | 2, 438, 497 
Rotate: tre eee 78, 922, 384 | 29,925, 810 | 29,268, 734 | 18,364, 925 | 19,884,414 | 5,935, 062 
| 
Accompanying these statement of Mr. Dodge were nine State maps 
indicating the counties reporting to the Department damage from 
