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  CONTAGIOUS 
  DISEASES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHINCH-BUG. 
  

  

  DISEASE 
  EFFECTIVE 
  IN 
  HOT 
  AND 
  DRY 
  WEATHER. 
  

  

  Some 
  doubt 
  has 
  been 
  expressed 
  by 
  economic 
  entomologists 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  

   the 
  infectious 
  diseases 
  of 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  would 
  prove 
  destructive 
  in 
  seasons 
  

   when 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  dry 
  and 
  hot, 
  when 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  

   favorable 
  for 
  the 
  rapid 
  multiplication 
  and 
  most 
  destructive 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  

   chinch-bug. 
  My 
  experiments 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1890, 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  dry 
  and 
  

   hot 
  season, 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  bacterial 
  disease 
  was 
  readily 
  communicated 
  and 
  

   thoroughly 
  effective 
  under 
  circumstances 
  which 
  are 
  generally 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  

   highly 
  unfavorable 
  for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  chinch-bug 
  disease. 
  The 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1891 
  were 
  accompanied 
  by 
  similar 
  results. 
  The 
  weather 
  

   during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  August 
  was 
  hot 
  and 
  dry 
  in 
  Kansas, 
  although 
  

   the 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  extremely 
  wet. 
  A 
  severe 
  drouth 
  prevailed 
  in 
  

   the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  in 
  Texas, 
  Illinois, 
  and 
  Wisconsin. 
  The 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  quotations 
  bearing 
  upon 
  this 
  point 
  are 
  made 
  from 
  farmers' 
  reports 
  : 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  62. 
  — 
  ( 
  Infection 
  was 
  sent 
  July 
  8.) 
  " 
  Bugs 
  were 
  found 
  dying 
  after 
  three 
  

   days; 
  in 
  10 
  days 
  the 
  bugs 
  were 
  dead 
  and 
  gone. 
  The 
  weather 
  was 
  dry 
  and 
  hot." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  132.— 
  ( 
  Infection 
  sent 
  July 
  8.) 
  " 
  Took 
  effect 
  in 
  one 
  week's 
  time. 
  Bugs 
  

   appear 
  to 
  bloat, 
  and 
  some 
  turn 
  white 
  before 
  dying. 
  Weather 
  rather 
  dry. 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  161. 
  — 
  (Infection 
  sent 
  July 
  22.) 
  "Scarcely 
  a 
  live 
  bug 
  left 
  in 
  10 
  days. 
  

   Weather 
  dry 
  and 
  hot." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  180. 
  — 
  ( 
  Infection 
  sent 
  July 
  8.) 
  " 
  Weather 
  dry 
  last 
  part 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  August. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  bugs 
  in 
  September 
  when 
  corn 
  was 
  cut." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  433. 
  — 
  (Illinois. 
  Infection 
  sent 
  June 
  30.) 
  "Weather 
  very 
  dry 
  when 
  

   putting 
  out 
  infection. 
  Bugs 
  commenced 
  dying 
  sixth 
  day." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  434. 
  — 
  ( 
  Illinois. 
  Infection 
  sent 
  July 
  3.) 
  " 
  Weather 
  dry 
  and 
  warm. 
  In 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  days 
  bugs 
  began 
  dying 
  in 
  large 
  numbers, 
  turning 
  white." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  455. 
  — 
  (Missouri. 
  Infection 
  sent 
  June 
  17.) 
  "Bugs 
  commenced 
  dying 
  

   in 
  eight 
  days 
  and 
  did 
  no 
  more 
  damage. 
  The 
  weather 
  was 
  extremely 
  dry." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  463. 
  — 
  (Oklahoma 
  Territory.) 
  Reports 
  from 
  17 
  parties, 
  in 
  all 
  cases 
  sat- 
  

   isfactory. 
  Weather 
  dry 
  and 
  hot." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  472. 
  — 
  (Oklahoma 
  Territory. 
  Infection 
  sent 
  September 
  7.) 
  " 
  Weather 
  

   hot 
  and 
  dry. 
  In 
  about 
  a 
  week's 
  time 
  could 
  scarcely 
  find 
  any 
  live 
  bugs." 
  

  

  Report 
  No. 
  484. 
  — 
  (Wisconsin. 
  Infection 
  sent 
  July 
  27.) 
  "Bugs 
  were 
  thick 
  in 
  my 
  

   corn, 
  and 
  are 
  now 
  very 
  few. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  There 
  came 
  a 
  drouth 
  for 
  five 
  weeks." 
  

  

  BUNCHING 
  BUGS. 
  

  

  A 
  remarkable 
  peculiarity 
  in 
  the 
  behavior 
  of 
  the 
  sick 
  bugs 
  in 
  many 
  fields 
  

   in 
  midsummer 
  demands 
  especial 
  attention. 
  In 
  many 
  corn 
  fields, 
  the 
  bugs, 
  

   having 
  abandoned 
  their 
  attack 
  upon 
  the 
  corn 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  fourth 
  

   day, 
  would 
  wander 
  about 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   days, 
  and 
  then 
  would 
  gather 
  in 
  bunches 
  containing 
  thousands 
  of 
  individuals. 
  

   In 
  three 
  days 
  more 
  the 
  majority 
  would 
  be 
  dead. 
  Examination 
  of 
  these 
  clus- 
  

   ters 
  of 
  bugs 
  disclosed 
  the 
  fact, 
  that 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  they 
  were 
  composed 
  of 
  the 
  

   skins 
  of 
  bugs, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  dead 
  bodies 
  of 
  bugs. 
  These 
  skins 
  have 
  by 
  

   some 
  been 
  considered 
  as 
  the 
  natural 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  moulting 
  of 
  the 
  bugs. 
  

   Examination 
  during 
  another 
  season 
  will 
  probably 
  reveal 
  a 
  more 
  satisfactory 
  

  

  