﻿38 
  

  

  soaking 
  the 
  earth 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  depth. 
  Except 
  as 
  the 
  temi^era- 
  

   ture 
  was 
  reduced 
  by 
  these 
  rains 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  cool 
  weather 
  during 
  

   the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  experiment. 
  

  

  The 
  measures 
  used 
  in 
  these 
  fields 
  were 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  determine 
  quite 
  

   fully, 
  under 
  these 
  conditions 
  of 
  season, 
  weather, 
  and 
  situation, 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  farmers' 
  practice 
  of 
  hauling 
  a 
  log 
  back 
  and 
  

   forth 
  in 
  the 
  dusty 
  earth, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  simple 
  dusty 
  furrow 
  exposed 
  

   to 
  the 
  sun 
  as 
  a 
  protective 
  and 
  destructive 
  agency, 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   under 
  which 
  post-holes 
  must 
  be 
  used 
  with 
  such 
  a 
  barrier, 
  the 
  useful- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  coal-tar 
  and 
  post-hole 
  barrier 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  forbids 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  cheaper 
  expedients, 
  and 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  field 
  work 
  with 
  kero- 
  

   sene 
  emulsion 
  applied 
  to 
  infested 
  hills 
  of 
  corn 
  along 
  the 
  edges 
  Oi 
  a 
  

   field. 
  All 
  these 
  methods, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  had 
  been 
  provisionally 
  tested 
  by 
  

   my 
  experiments 
  of 
  ISV)-!, 
  already 
  referred 
  to, 
  but 
  this 
  work 
  of 
  1895 
  

   served 
  to 
  verify 
  the 
  results 
  then 
  reached 
  by 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  with 
  

   methods 
  and 
  expedients 
  available 
  in 
  ordinary 
  farm 
  practice. 
  

  

  Experimenial 
  Details. 
  — 
  The 
  following 
  details 
  of 
  experimental 
  

   work 
  and 
  results 
  are 
  abstracted 
  from 
  the 
  field 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  Assistant 
  

   in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Effingham 
  county 
  experiment. 
  

  

  By 
  June 
  5 
  the 
  bugs 
  had 
  begun 
  to 
  move 
  on 
  foot 
  from 
  the 
  infested 
  

   wheat 
  across 
  the 
  fallow 
  strip 
  between 
  that 
  aiid 
  the 
  corn, 
  and 
  had 
  

   already 
  penetrated 
  the 
  latter 
  in 
  one 
  place 
  oi)]josite 
  a 
  deadened 
  patch 
  

   of 
  wheat, 
  completely 
  covering 
  the 
  young 
  corn 
  plants 
  over 
  a 
  space 
  

   four 
  or 
  five 
  rods 
  long 
  and 
  three 
  corn 
  rows 
  deep. 
  To 
  arrest 
  this 
  

   movement 
  the 
  fallow 
  strip 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  harrowed 
  and 
  rolled, 
  and 
  

   a 
  furrow 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  it 
  by 
  dragging 
  a 
  log, 
  six 
  inches 
  through 
  and 
  

   six 
  feet 
  long, 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  the 
  whole 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  field, 
  a 
  distance 
  

   of 
  forty-eight 
  rods. 
  The 
  dusty 
  furrow 
  thus 
  made 
  was 
  kept 
  in 
  good 
  

   condition 
  by 
  repeating 
  this 
  jjrocess 
  once 
  in 
  four 
  hours 
  during 
  the 
  

   day, 
  a 
  single 
  horse 
  ridden 
  by 
  a 
  boy 
  furnishing 
  the 
  motive 
  power. 
  

   This 
  method 
  was' 
  tested 
  by 
  three 
  days' 
  use 
  with 
  very 
  good 
  results, 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  bugs 
  crossing 
  the 
  barrier 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  killed. 
  

  

  June 
  8 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  more 
  thoroughly 
  pulverized 
  b}' 
  hauling 
  

   over 
  it 
  a 
  wooden 
  sled 
  turned 
  bottom 
  upward, 
  and 
  a 
  more 
  dusty 
  fur- 
  

   row 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  inches 
  deep 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  using 
  a 
  block 
  fourteen 
  

   inches 
  through. 
  In 
  this 
  the 
  now 
  highly 
  active 
  young 
  bugs 
  rapidly 
  

   collected 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers, 
  completely 
  reddening 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  and 
  sides 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  after 
  the 
  furrow 
  was 
  

   made. 
  The 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  on 
  this 
  dusty 
  earth 
  (116" 
  Fahr.) 
  was 
  

   deadly 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  bugs, 
  killing 
  them 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  minutes' 
  exposure, 
  

   and 
  not 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  myriads 
  tumbling 
  into 
  the 
  furrow 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  

   escape 
  from 
  this 
  deadly 
  trap. 
  They 
  began 
  to 
  die, 
  in 
  fact, 
  when 
  the 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  the 
  dust 
  reached 
  110" 
  Fahr., 
  an 
  observation 
  agreeing 
  

   V(^ry 
  closely 
  with 
  my 
  own 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  preceding, 
  when 
  108 
  was 
  re- 
  

   corded 
  as 
  a 
  fatal 
  heat. 
  This 
  surface 
  temperature 
  was 
  reached 
  with 
  

   the 
  thermometer 
  at 
  87?> 
  ' 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  (See 
  Nineteenth 
  Report, 
  page 
  

   10.) 
  At 
  119 
  surface 
  heat 
  young 
  bugs 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  molts 
  

   lived 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  seconds. 
  

  

  