﻿r 
  

  

  32 
  CONTAGIOUS 
  DISEASES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHINCH-BUG. 
  

  

  THE 
  BACTERIAL 
  DISEASE. 
  

  

  ( 
  Micrococcus 
  insectorum.) 
  

  

  While 
  during 
  the 
  earlier 
  jmrt 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  larger 
  percentage 
  of 
  suc- 
  

   cessful 
  experiments 
  observed 
  were 
  due 
  to 
  Sporotrichum, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  

   during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  larger 
  percentage 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  bacte- 
  

   rial 
  infection. 
  

  

  Fortunately 
  conditions 
  unfavorable 
  to 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  Sporotrichum 
  are 
  

   favorable 
  to 
  successful 
  results 
  with 
  Micrococcus. 
  The 
  bacterial 
  infection 
  

   raged 
  more 
  strongly 
  during 
  the 
  hot, 
  dry 
  weather, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  chinch- 
  

   bugs 
  operate 
  most 
  destructively. 
  This 
  infection 
  is 
  generally 
  reported, 
  by 
  those 
  

   seen 
  by 
  me, 
  to 
  have 
  spread 
  under 
  favoring 
  circumstances 
  even 
  more 
  rapidly 
  

   and 
  with 
  greater 
  destructiveness 
  than 
  does 
  Sporotrichum 
  when 
  at 
  its 
  best- 
  

   The 
  abdomens 
  of 
  bugs 
  sick 
  with 
  this 
  disease 
  appear 
  greatly 
  distended. 
  It 
  is 
  

   this 
  disease 
  which 
  causes 
  the 
  bugs 
  to 
  bunch. 
  These 
  bunches 
  vary 
  in 
  size 
  

   from 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  walnut 
  to 
  a 
  teacupful, 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  some 
  few 
  reports, 
  still 
  

   greater. 
  However, 
  it 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  my 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  see 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  

   teacupful 
  of 
  dead 
  bugs 
  and 
  shells 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  heap. 
  While 
  the 
  bugs 
  were 
  

   bunching 
  in 
  fields 
  where 
  infection 
  had 
  been 
  placed, 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  bunch 
  in 
  

   uninfected 
  fields. 
  This 
  fact 
  was 
  established 
  by 
  repeated 
  examinations. 
  In 
  

   the 
  fields 
  of 
  Thomas 
  Nichol 
  and 
  of 
  Samuel 
  Garner, 
  both 
  of 
  Abilene, 
  Dickin- 
  

   son 
  county, 
  the 
  extermination 
  was 
  complete, 
  the 
  piles 
  of 
  dead 
  bugs 
  and 
  shells 
  

   of 
  dead 
  bugs 
  being 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  their 
  fields. 
  The 
  shells 
  have 
  be- 
  

   longed 
  to 
  bugs 
  of 
  all 
  sizes 
  and 
  ages. 
  Bugs 
  and 
  shells 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  

   bunch 
  from 
  the 
  wheat 
  field 
  of 
  Hon. 
  S. 
  C. 
  Wheeler, 
  of 
  Concordia, 
  Cloud 
  

   county, 
  by 
  Chris. 
  Nelson 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  place, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  infecting 
  his 
  

   field, 
  three 
  miles 
  distant, 
  and 
  a 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  report 
  was 
  obtained. 
  

  

  THE 
  GRAY-FUNGUS 
  DISEASE. 
  

  

  ( 
  Enip 
  usa 
  aphidis. 
  ) 
  

  

  Previous 
  to 
  June 
  10th 
  Empusa 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  visited. 
  

   However, 
  on 
  the 
  date 
  mentioned, 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  Empusa-cow 
  ered 
  

   bugs 
  were 
  collected 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  Station 
  from 
  the 
  wheat 
  field 
  of 
  Hon. 
  Jacob 
  

   Nixon, 
  at 
  Kellogg, 
  Cowley 
  county. 
  No 
  white 
  fungus-covered 
  bugs 
  were 
  seen 
  

   in 
  this 
  field. 
  Whether 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bugs 
  had 
  been 
  destroyed 
  by 
  Sporotri- 
  

   chum 
  or 
  bacteria, 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  say, 
  since 
  no 
  correct 
  memoranda 
  had 
  

   been 
  kept, 
  and 
  the 
  bugs 
  had 
  evidently 
  been 
  dead 
  several 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  weather 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  bugs 
  had 
  

   been 
  favorable 
  to 
  successful 
  work 
  with 
  Sporotrichwm. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  other 
  fields 
  in 
  which 
  Empusa 
  has 
  been 
  seen, 
  it 
  has 
  appeared 
  along 
  

   with 
  white 
  fungus 
  and 
  bacteria. 
  When 
  thus 
  found, 
  about 
  every 
  tenth 
  bug 
  

   was 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  Empusa 
  "mould." 
  Such 
  bugs 
  are 
  easily 
  detected 
  in 
  

   the 
  field, 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  decidedly 
  grayish 
  color. 
  They 
  also 
  

   present 
  a 
  moister 
  and 
  usually 
  a 
  larger 
  appearance 
  than 
  those 
  enshrouded 
  

   with 
  Sporotrichum. 
  From 
  about 
  June 
  20th 
  to 
  August 
  1st 
  Empusa 
  was 
  seen 
  

   in 
  numerous 
  fields, 
  but 
  in 
  no 
  field 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  While 
  Empusa 
  with- 
  

  

  