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  grain 
  or 
  corn 
  fields. 
  But 
  this 
  disadvantage 
  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." 
  

  

  EXPERIMENT 
  WITH 
  KEROSENE 
  AND 
  SALT, 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  REPELLANTS. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Kansas 
  report 
  above 
  quoted, 
  and 
  in 
  letters 
  likewise 
  from 
  my 
  

   correspondents, 
  recommendations 
  have 
  b^>en 
  made 
  of 
  common 
  salt 
  sat- 
  

   urated 
  with 
  kerosene 
  and 
  of 
  crude 
  petroleum 
  as 
  materials 
  suitable 
  for 
  

   use 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  coal-tar 
  in 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  barriers 
  against 
  the 
  move- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  chinch-bugs. 
  Desirous 
  to 
  test 
  these 
  recommendations 
  ex- 
  

   perimentally, 
  I 
  made 
  arrangements 
  in 
  June, 
  1895, 
  for 
  a 
  field 
  experi- 
  

   ment 
  with 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  Station 
  farm 
  at 
  the 
  

   I'niversity 
  of 
  Illinois. 
  June 
  27, 
  twelve 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  pounds 
  of 
  salt 
  were 
  

   saturated 
  with 
  a 
  quart 
  of 
  kerosene, 
  and 
  the 
  mixture 
  was 
  scattered 
  

   along 
  the 
  ground 
  between 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  corn 
  immediately 
  

   adjacent 
  just 
  after 
  the 
  wheat 
  was 
  cut. 
  About 
  four 
  pounds 
  of 
  salt 
  

   were 
  used 
  to 
  the 
  rod, 
  making 
  a 
  ridge 
  two 
  inches 
  wide 
  at 
  the 
  base. 
  

   The 
  same 
  quantity 
  of 
  salt 
  without 
  kerosene 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   manner, 
  and 
  crude 
  petroleui^i 
  was 
  put 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  

   on 
  another 
  place, 
  making 
  a 
  line 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  wide. 
  On 
  still 
  an- 
  

   other 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  boundary 
  line 
  between 
  these 
  fields 
  coal 
  ashes 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  dry 
  earth 
  were 
  saturated 
  with 
  crude 
  petroleum 
  

   and 
  used 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  ridge 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  wide 
  and 
  three 
  rods 
  long 
  

   at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  wheat 
  field. 
  The 
  chinch-bugs 
  passing 
  from 
  the 
  

   wheat 
  to 
  the 
  corn 
  paid 
  not 
  the 
  slightest 
  attention 
  to 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  

   barriers 
  except 
  the 
  kerosene 
  and 
  salt, 
  running 
  across 
  them 
  without 
  

   hesitation 
  and 
  without 
  injury. 
  Concerning 
  the 
  salt 
  and 
  kerosene 
  

   mixture 
  the 
  assistant 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  (Mr. 
  Johnson) 
  says: 
  

   "The 
  chinch-bugs 
  were 
  running 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  and 
  the 
  salt 
  and 
  

   kerosene 
  at 
  first 
  seemed 
  to 
  check 
  them. 
  l)ut 
  they 
  ran 
  into 
  it 
  and 
  over 
  

   it. 
  some 
  seeking 
  shelter 
  under 
  lumps 
  that 
  were 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  

   I 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  any 
  more 
  of 
  a 
  barrier 
  than 
  a 
  similar 
  ridge 
  

   of 
  hard 
  earth. 
  The 
  kerosene, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  is 
  not 
  altogether 
  agreea))le 
  

   to 
  them, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  form 
  a 
  barrier 
  that 
  will 
  check 
  their 
  advance.'" 
  

  

  