38 Contagious Diseases of the Chinch-bug. 
the results obtained during this journey, for although consider- 
able territory was examined, the fields for the most part were 
seen but once during the season, and their previous and subse- 
quent history could not be definitely known. It is safe to 
assume, however, from the results of these observations, that 
Sporotrichum was very generally distributed over the territory 
examined, and this was not the result of artificial dissemination 
of the disease in 1895. It may, however, have been the result 
of artificial introduction of the disease in preceding years. Fur- 
ther, Empusa was found very generally distributed where 
conditions favored its development. In many of the fields 
examined the bugs seemed to be dying of Empusa far more 
rapidly than from Sporotrichum. In these places the hu- 
midity was great, and in some instances there was evidence 
that there had been a relatively greater epidemic of Sporotrichum 
at some previous time. There seemed to be no necessary rela- 
tion between the prevalence of epidemics and the nature of the 
soil, except in so far as the character of the soil affected the 
humidity of the surroundings. 
Apparently, continued cloudy weather favored epidemics, for 
there was evidence of a relatively greater diminution in the 
number of the bugs after the wet, cloudy period which occurred 
during the journey, and also in those regions where rains had 
been most abundant during some weeks preceding the obser- 
vations. | 
In Bourbon county, for instance, where the weather had been 
moist for some time, there was evidence of a greater reduction 
in the number of the bugs than in the part of Douglas county 
examined during the first day of the journey. It is not easy to 
give a general estimate of the damage to crops, for in many 
cases the crops had been harvested and in others it was not 
always possible to determine whether the damage observed was 
wholly due to chinch-bugs or to other agencies as well. Besides 
the condition of the crop when the invasion of insects occurred 
and for some time subsequently could not be accurately de- 
termined in all cases. Living chinch-bugs were found in dif- 
ferent stages of development in most of the cases examined, but 
black pupz and mature insects were most abundant. 
