﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  FIELD 
  AGENT. 
  31 
  

  

  THE 
  WHITE-FUNGUS 
  DISEASE. 
  

  

  (Sporotrichum 
  globuliferum. 
  ) 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  earlier 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  especially 
  during 
  tlu- 
  wet 
  period, 
  the 
  

   larger 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  reports 
  observed 
  were 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  white- 
  

   fungus 
  infection. 
  This, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  conditions 
  having 
  been 
  more 
  

   favorable 
  to 
  this 
  infection. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  behavior 
  of 
  the 
  infected 
  bugs 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  

   have 
  been 
  taken 
  : 
  

  

  ( 
  1 
  ) 
  The 
  disease 
  begins 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  communicated 
  from 
  the 
  

   second 
  to 
  the 
  fourth 
  day 
  after 
  infection 
  has 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  

  

  ( 
  2 
  ) 
  The 
  live 
  bugs, 
  leaving 
  their 
  food 
  plant, 
  show 
  signs 
  of 
  uneasiness 
  by 
  

   moving 
  rapidly 
  and 
  aimlessly 
  about 
  from 
  spot 
  to 
  spot. 
  

  

  ( 
  3 
  ) 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  another 
  day, 
  the 
  bugs 
  become 
  sluggish 
  and 
  seek 
  

   protection 
  from 
  the 
  sun's 
  light 
  and 
  heat. 
  The 
  favorite 
  place 
  of 
  shelter 
  is 
  

   beneath 
  clods 
  and 
  corn 
  stalks, 
  or 
  within 
  some 
  moist 
  and 
  shaded 
  spot. 
  

  

  (4) 
  From 
  the 
  sixth 
  to 
  the 
  eighth 
  day, 
  the 
  first 
  dead 
  bugs 
  are 
  found, 
  envel- 
  

   oped 
  with 
  fungus, 
  looking 
  when 
  first 
  dead, 
  as 
  some 
  have 
  put 
  it, 
  " 
  like 
  little 
  

   wads 
  of 
  cotton." 
  From 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  bugs 
  first 
  become 
  sick, 
  they 
  cease 
  to 
  

   sap 
  the 
  growing 
  stalk. 
  Thus 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  ingress 
  of 
  the 
  pest 
  into 
  

   the 
  field 
  may 
  be 
  quickly 
  checked, 
  if 
  the 
  experiment 
  is 
  properly 
  attended 
  to. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  fields, 
  the 
  bugs 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  dead 
  in 
  bunches. 
  Of 
  the 
  fields 
  

   visited, 
  no 
  large 
  bunches 
  of 
  white-fungus 
  bugs 
  have 
  been 
  found. 
  In 
  the 
  corn 
  

   field 
  of 
  Frank 
  Shannon, 
  at 
  Augusta, 
  Butler 
  county, 
  small 
  bunches 
  of 
  dead 
  

   bugs, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  teaspoonful 
  in 
  a 
  bunch, 
  were 
  seen 
  ; 
  but 
  here 
  it 
  was 
  observed 
  

   that 
  the 
  bunched 
  dead 
  bugs 
  were 
  always 
  found 
  beneath 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  grass, 
  

   where 
  it 
  was 
  moist, 
  or 
  under 
  a 
  clod. 
  In 
  the 
  oat 
  field 
  of 
  John 
  Kinsey, 
  at 
  

   Douglass, 
  Butler 
  county, 
  the 
  crop 
  had 
  lodged, 
  shading 
  the 
  ground, 
  which 
  was 
  

   necessarily 
  moist. 
  While 
  the 
  dead, 
  fungus-covered 
  bugs 
  were 
  present 
  in 
  

   countless 
  numbers, 
  no 
  bunches 
  were 
  found. 
  Each 
  bug 
  had 
  died 
  by 
  himself. 
  

  

  Under 
  favorable 
  conditions, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  white-fungus 
  in- 
  

   fection 
  spreads 
  with 
  considerable 
  rapidity. 
  Near 
  Herington 
  and 
  Solomon 
  

   City, 
  Dickinson 
  county, 
  there 
  are 
  districts 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  disease 
  became 
  

   almost 
  an 
  epidemic. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  fortunate 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  numerously 
  live 
  

   bugs 
  are 
  present 
  in 
  a 
  field, 
  the 
  more 
  rapidly 
  the 
  disease 
  is 
  communicated 
  and 
  

   the 
  more 
  malignant 
  it 
  becomes. 
  In 
  the 
  wheat 
  field 
  of 
  JSToyes 
  Barber, 
  at 
  How- 
  

   ard, 
  Elk 
  county, 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  dead 
  bugs 
  were 
  placed 
  along 
  the 
  extreme 
  

   south 
  line, 
  the 
  disease 
  spread 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  accord 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  

   more 
  than 
  one 
  week, 
  killing 
  the 
  bugs 
  before 
  it 
  as 
  it 
  went. 
  So 
  effective, 
  

   also, 
  was 
  the 
  same 
  disease 
  when 
  placed 
  in 
  his 
  corn 
  field, 
  that 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  

   the 
  bugs 
  were 
  abruptly 
  ended 
  on 
  the 
  fourth 
  day, 
  when 
  the 
  whole 
  brood 
  was 
  

   found 
  upon 
  the 
  ground. 
  Despite 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  rows 
  of 
  corn 
  had 
  

   been 
  visibly 
  damaged 
  before 
  the 
  infection 
  was 
  introduced, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  blades 
  

   were 
  yellow, 
  the 
  hills 
  "braced 
  up" 
  and 
  produced 
  a 
  good 
  crop. 
  

  

  