Fifth Annual Report. ca Os 
scattered through the small-grain or corn-fields. But this dis- 
advantage is largely done away with if the farmer is provided 
with the necessary material, and watches his fields so as to be 
able to make the barrier at the critical time. The wisdom of | 
using the barrier hardly needs argument. When the farmer 
has worked two or three months on his corn-field, he would 
hardly grudge two or three days’ labor to save the profits of his 
season’s work from being wiped out by chinch-bugs. 
Notwithstanding the success reported in former years by a 
large percentage of the farmers using the white-fungus infec- 
tion, there have been enough failures to teach us not to put 
entire dependence in this, but to supplement the infection by a 
method that will succeed where the infection fails. The barrier 
method just described has succeeded admirably in our experi- 
ence. The infection requires time to become established in the 
field; but when the bugs are swarming into the corn-fields 
there must be no delay, for in a very few days the bugs may 
destroy many acres of corn. The place to use the infection is 
in the small-grain fields and in the corn-fields if the barrier 
has not been used in time, or if bugs fly into the corn later in 
the season, as often happens. 
A PLAN OF DEFENCE AGAINST THE CHINCH- BUG. 
1. Assoon as the season opens in the spring, search for chinch- 
bugs at the roots of grasses and small grain, and under sticks, 
stones and all sorts of debris that might give shelter to bugs. 
2. If bugs are found and Sporotrichum is not present among 
them, it should be introduced into the field as soon as possible. 
Infection-boxes may be started with bugs taken from the field 
as soon as they can be obtained. If Sporotrichum is found 
already in the field, it is probable that its artificial introduction 
would be unnecessary. The spread of Sporotrichum among 
the bugs is not to be anticipated if the weather continues dry. 
The fields should be visited frequently, both to watch the prog- 
ress of disease and the movement of the bugs. 
3. Do not let the bugs enter the corn-fields. As the small 
grain ripens the bugs begin to suffer for food, and may migrate 
to the corn-fields at any time. Frequently, however, the mi- 
gration does not take place until the small grain is harvested. 
