﻿14 
  CONTAGIOUS 
  DISEASES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHINCH-BUG. 
  

  

  tin 
  caps. 
  Although 
  the 
  laboratory 
  was 
  provided 
  with 
  40 
  of 
  these 
  infection 
  

   glasses, 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  early 
  in 
  May 
  to 
  empty 
  the 
  entire 
  number 
  each 
  

   alternate 
  day. 
  An 
  examination 
  on 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  May 
  disclosed 
  the 
  alarming 
  

   fact 
  that 
  in 
  only 
  four 
  of 
  the 
  40 
  jars 
  did 
  the 
  infection 
  retain 
  its 
  virulence. 
  I 
  

   therefore 
  closed 
  the 
  laboratory 
  for 
  two 
  weeks, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  I 
  might 
  restock 
  

   the 
  infection 
  jars 
  with 
  viruleut 
  infection. 
  Fortunately 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  a 
  com- 
  

   munication 
  was 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  M. 
  F. 
  Mattocks, 
  of 
  Chautauqua 
  county, 
  

   stating 
  that 
  the 
  white-fungus 
  disease 
  (Sporotrichum), 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  received 
  

   from 
  my 
  laboratory 
  in 
  1890, 
  and 
  had 
  kept 
  alive 
  in 
  a 
  glass 
  flask 
  during 
  the 
  

   winter, 
  had 
  proved 
  effective 
  in 
  his 
  wheat 
  field, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  overrun 
  by 
  

   live 
  chinch-bugs 
  from 
  a 
  neighboring 
  farm. 
  I 
  immediately 
  visited 
  the 
  farm 
  

   of 
  Mr. 
  Mattocks, 
  and 
  found 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  chinch-bugs 
  in 
  his 
  

   wheat 
  field 
  were 
  dying 
  readily 
  of 
  the 
  white-fungus 
  disease. 
  Returning 
  to 
  

   Lawrence, 
  I 
  at 
  once 
  sent 
  my 
  field 
  agent, 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  C. 
  Hickey, 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Mattocks's 
  

   farm, 
  with 
  instructions 
  to 
  procure 
  10,000 
  chinch-bugs 
  which 
  had 
  died 
  of 
  Sporo- 
  

   trichum 
  and 
  were 
  covered 
  externally 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  growth 
  of 
  that 
  fungus. 
  

   In 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  Mr. 
  Hickey 
  returned 
  with 
  the 
  required 
  number 
  of 
  white-fungus 
  

   bugs, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  supply 
  all 
  my 
  fanner 
  correspondents 
  with 
  the 
  wMte- 
  

   fungus 
  infection, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  restock 
  the 
  laboratory 
  with 
  that 
  form 
  of 
  infection. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  recui'rence 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  

   the 
  infection 
  jars, 
  I 
  immediately 
  provided 
  two 
  large 
  cases 
  with 
  glass 
  tops 
  and 
  

   sides, 
  six 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  breadth, 
  and 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  height. 
  

   Into 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  large 
  cases 
  were 
  placed 
  from 
  15,000 
  to 
  20,000 
  live, 
  healthy 
  

   bugs 
  from 
  the 
  fields. 
  These 
  bugs 
  were 
  provided 
  with 
  fresh 
  wheat 
  plants 
  every 
  

   day 
  for 
  food, 
  and 
  among 
  them 
  were 
  introduced 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  white-fungus 
  

   bugs. 
  In 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  the 
  white-fungus 
  disease 
  had 
  become 
  epidemic 
  in 
  these 
  

   large 
  cases, 
  and 
  in 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  days 
  the 
  bottoms 
  of 
  the 
  cases 
  were 
  thickly 
  

   sprinkled 
  with 
  the 
  fungus-covered 
  bodies 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  chinch-bugs 
  of 
  all 
  

   ages. 
  From 
  this 
  time 
  onward 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  supplying 
  the 
  demands 
  

   of 
  the 
  farmers 
  with 
  infection, 
  although 
  applications 
  were 
  received 
  each 
  day 
  

   in 
  number 
  from 
  25 
  to 
  135. 
  

  

  Later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  common, 
  shallow 
  dry-goods 
  boxes 
  or 
  

   shoe 
  boxes 
  would 
  fulfil 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  infection 
  cages 
  as 
  successfully 
  as 
  

   the 
  more 
  expensive 
  cases 
  with 
  glass 
  sides 
  and 
  tops. 
  

  

  The 
  field 
  experiments 
  throughout 
  the 
  season 
  were 
  remarkably 
  successful. 
  

   Reports 
  have 
  been 
  received 
  from 
  1,399 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  than 
  2,000 
  persons 
  to 
  

   whom 
  infection 
  was 
  sent. 
  Of 
  these, 
  1,071 
  (or 
  76.55 
  per 
  cent.) 
  indicate 
  suc- 
  

   cess, 
  181 
  (or 
  12.94 
  per 
  cent.) 
  indicate 
  failure, 
  and 
  147 
  (or 
  10.51 
  per 
  cent.) 
  are 
  

   doubtful. 
  

  

  The 
  infectious 
  diseases 
  of 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  with 
  de- 
  

   structive 
  effect 
  during 
  all 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  (from 
  March 
  to 
  October) 
  when 
  

   chinch-bugs 
  have 
  been 
  active 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  Crops 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  have 
  been 
  res- 
  

   cued 
  from 
  destruction 
  — 
  wheat, 
  corn, 
  oats, 
  broom 
  corn, 
  barley, 
  rye, 
  sorghum, 
  

   milo-maize, 
  Kaffir 
  corn, 
  timothy, 
  and 
  clover. 
  

  

  