8 Contagious Diseases of the Chinch-bug. 
and for the 17 months preceding June 1, 1895, the rainfall was 
11.17 inches below the average. The deficiency of precipitation 
continued through January, February, March, April, and May, 
1895. During the same period the relative humidity was also 
low: For January, 1894, the relative humidity was 3.8 above 
the average; February, 1.2 below; March, 6.3 below; April, 
8.6 below; May, 10.0 below; June, 5.0 below; July, 13.32 be- 
low ; August, 15.06 below; September, 3.6 below ; October, 7.4 
below ; November, 9.2 below ; December, 7.2 below; January, 
1895, 7.0 below ; February, 1.1 above; March, 9.8 below; April, 
11.4 below; May, 8.8 below. 
So that during this period the conditions were apparently 
unusually poor for the development of Sporotrichum, and un- 
usually good for the safe hibernation of the bugs and their sub- 
sequent increase in the spring. The meteorological conditions 
just enumerated also had their effects upon the crops. Winter 
wheat made a spare growth and ripened early, and the bugs 
left the wheat for the corn while the latter was comparatively 
small. The ground was'dry at this time, and the young corn, 
unable to stand even a small loss of water, succumbed to the 
myriads of bugs that swarmed in from the fields of small grain, 
At this time very little Sporotrichum could be found in the 
fields except in specially favorable localities, even where our 
best efforts were made to introduce the disease artificially. This 
could not be due to the fact that virulent infection was not 
present in the fields, for when bugs were taken to the labora- 
tory and put into jars where the conditions for the growth of 
the Sporotrichum were kept constantly good, they died and 
their bodies were covered with an abundant growth of Sporo- 
trichum. 
The bugs entered the corn-fields in this locality about the 
first of June in numbers larger than had been known to us at 
this season in former years. At this time Sporotrichum had 
made only a scanty growth in most fields, and the older bugs of 
the first brood were well along toward maturity. The first ma- 
ture bugs were seen by us 10 days later. On the last day of May 
1.46 inches of rain fell, this being the first copious downpour 
of the season. Earlier rains had occurred, but they were incon- 
siderable and did not suffice to keep the ground moist long 
enough to start Sporotrichum extensively in the fields. Follow- 
