State univebsity expebimental station. 



agree with Professor Forbes's statement. There are certain phenomena, 

 however, in our laboratory and field experiments that warrant us in pursuing 

 the inquiry still further. 



III.— REPORT OF FIELD AGENT. 



To the Director of the Experiment Station : 



Having served you another year in the capacity of your special agent, I 

 present my report. 



During the present season I have visited 15 counties, three less than the 

 number visited by me during the season of '91. They are: Osage, Lyon, 

 Shawnee, Chase, Marion, McPherson, Harvey, Reno, Sumner, Elk, Coffey, 

 Labette, Franklin, Allen, and Wabaunsee. In these counties I found that 

 the ravages of the chinch-bugs were inconsiderable, with the exception of 

 Lyon county, in the central and northern parts of which corn fields had been 

 in a few instances almost completely destroyed, and in many cases partially 

 damaged. Elk county, where last year bugs had been the cause of much in- 

 jury to growing crops, I found relatively free from the pests. It is interest- 

 ing to note that, where successful experiments were conducted last year, the 

 farms are almost universally free from the presence of the injurious insects 

 this seasiin. 



Of the crops damaged this year, the wheat fields have suffered least. 



Sporotrichum, the white fungus, made its appearance early in the spring. 

 As late as the first week in August, I had an opportunity to observe the re- 

 sults of white fungus in the corn field of Mel. H. Calbeck, near Peabody, 

 Marion county. In Mr. Calbeck's field, the results were entirely satisfactory. 

 The appearance of this disease in the field was subject to the same general 

 conditions heretofore observed. The field lay alongside a field of wheat stub- 

 ble, from which the bugs had gone in upon the corn from 20 to 30 rows deep. 

 The lower blades of the stalks in these rows were seared and dead, and while 

 the bugs were not present in suflficient numbers to inflict any great injury, 

 their destructive operations were suddenly and entirely checked. 



Before dying, the bugs had secreted themselves in crevices in the earth, 

 beneath bunches of grass, and under clods. The dead ones were enshrouded 

 in the characteristic white fungus. The behavior of this disease wherever I 

 have observed it has been in no wise different from that of last year. Also, 

 as far as I have been able to learn, wherever it has manifested itself, it gave 

 the utmost satisfaction to the experimenter. 



The gray fungus, Empusa aphidis, I have been unable to find in any fields, 

 although throughout the entire season's observations I have kept a most vigi- 

 lant watch for its presence. 



As to bunching bugs : I have observed that the bugs moulted at irregular 

 intervals during the season. The first bunches to which ray attention was 



