﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  AND 
  EXPERIMENTS 
  OF 
  1889. 
  9 
  

  

  H. 
  J. 
  1 
  Waters, 
  assistant 
  agriculturist 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  

   Station, 
  at 
  Columbia, 
  wrote 
  July 
  10 
  : 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  station 
  grounds 
  here 
  the 
  chinch-bugs 
  are 
  very 
  numerous, 
  and 
  are 
  increasing 
  with 
  alarming 
  

   rapidity. 
  I 
  have 
  kept 
  close 
  watch 
  for 
  the 
  natural 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  disease, 
  but 
  so 
  far 
  no 
  bugs 
  have 
  

   shown 
  any 
  signs 
  of 
  it. 
  Would 
  it 
  be 
  possible 
  for 
  you 
  to 
  send 
  us 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  that 
  have 
  died 
  

   of 
  the 
  disease, 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  infecting 
  our 
  experiment 
  plats, 
  and 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  study 
  the 
  experiment 
  ? 
  

  

  The 
  infected 
  material 
  was 
  sent 
  out 
  on 
  July 
  18, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  30th 
  the 
  following 
  re- 
  

   port 
  was 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Waters: 
  

  

  Chinch-bugs 
  have 
  died 
  rapidly 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  days. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  ones 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  grass 
  

   and 
  weeds; 
  comparatively 
  few 
  die 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  Those 
  dying 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  under 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  

   weeds 
  and 
  grass, 
  develop 
  a 
  larger 
  growth 
  of 
  mould 
  than 
  those 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  blades 
  of 
  grass. 
  So 
  

   far, 
  the 
  disease 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  specially 
  fatal 
  only 
  in 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  localities 
  infected 
  July 
  21, 
  yet 
  dead 
  

   bugs 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  mould 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  several 
  rods 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  spots 
  first 
  

   infected. 
  

  

  Four 
  days 
  later, 
  the 
  following 
  was 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  source: 
  

   I 
  desire 
  to 
  say 
  further, 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  first 
  infected 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  hard 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  live 
  chinch-bug. 
  Two 
  

   weeks 
  ago 
  they 
  were 
  there 
  by 
  the 
  million. 
  Many 
  dead 
  ones 
  can 
  be 
  seen. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  report 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  M. 
  Webster, 
  entomologist 
  of 
  the 
  Indi- 
  

   ana 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  Station, 
  and 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  one 
  of 
  Professor 
  Riley's 
  

   most 
  trustworthy 
  field 
  agents: 
  

  

  The 
  germs 
  of 
  Entomophthora, 
  received 
  July 
  20, 
  have 
  had 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  destroying 
  enough 
  chinch- 
  

   bugs 
  to 
  warrant 
  the 
  statement 
  that 
  they 
  communicated 
  the 
  disease 
  and 
  established 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  What 
  

   the 
  ultimate 
  result 
  will 
  be, 
  and 
  whether 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  service 
  to 
  the 
  farmer 
  in 
  dry 
  weather, 
  when 
  he 
  most 
  

   needs 
  it, 
  are 
  questions 
  yet 
  to 
  be 
  settled. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  from 
  a 
  Clearwater, 
  Minn., 
  farmer, 
  to 
  whom 
  infected 
  material 
  was 
  

   sent 
  August 
  5: 
  

  

  Every 
  marked 
  hill 
  of 
  corn 
  was 
  freed 
  of 
  bugs 
  before 
  the 
  corn 
  was 
  cut 
  i 
  1st 
  to 
  15th 
  of 
  September), 
  

   but 
  still 
  there 
  were 
  some 
  bugs 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  but 
  nothing 
  in 
  comparison 
  to 
  what 
  it 
  was 
  when 
  the 
  fungoid 
  

   bugs 
  were 
  planted, 
  and 
  they 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  semi-paralyzed. 
  So 
  firm 
  is 
  my 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  efficiency 
  of 
  this 
  

   method, 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  saved 
  about 
  1,000 
  infected 
  bugs 
  for 
  next 
  year. 
  Please 
  accept 
  my 
  thanks 
  for 
  the 
  

   bugs, 
  and 
  I 
  will 
  hoist 
  my 
  cap 
  for 
  white 
  fungus. 
  — 
  Thad. 
  J. 
  Woodworth. 
  

  

  The 
  county 
  treasurer 
  of 
  Worth 
  county, 
  Iowa, 
  wrote 
  as 
  follows, 
  September 
  2: 
  

  

  The 
  chinch-bugs 
  you 
  sent 
  me 
  did 
  good 
  work. 
  I 
  did 
  as 
  you 
  directed, 
  and 
  in 
  about 
  eight 
  days 
  after 
  

   I 
  put 
  them 
  in 
  my 
  50-acre 
  corn 
  field 
  the 
  bugs 
  began 
  to 
  die, 
  and 
  now 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  dead. 
  

   I 
  will 
  now 
  take 
  pains 
  to 
  get 
  them 
  scattered 
  over 
  the 
  county. 
  — 
  Q. 
  N. 
  Haugen, 
  Northwood, 
  Iowa. 
  

  

  P. 
  S. 
  — 
  The 
  weather 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  dry 
  since 
  I 
  commenced 
  the 
  experiment, 
  July 
  22 
  — 
  only 
  one 
  

   shower 
  of 
  rain 
  in 
  six 
  weeks. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  two 
  letters 
  are 
  samples 
  of 
  many 
  communications 
  from 
  Kansas 
  

  

  farmers: 
  

  

  Navarre, 
  Dickinson 
  County, 
  August 
  7. 
  

   I 
  received 
  your 
  diseased 
  chinch-bugs, 
  now 
  nearly 
  three 
  weeks 
  ago. 
  I 
  followed 
  the 
  inclosed 
  direc" 
  

   tions, 
  only 
  I 
  mixed, 
  perhaps, 
  90 
  or 
  100 
  times 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  you 
  sent. 
  I 
  put 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  tin 
  quart 
  can 
  and 
  

   left 
  them 
  in 
  there 
  for 
  about 
  48 
  hours. 
  Three 
  days 
  afterwards 
  I 
  went 
  out 
  and 
  looked, 
  and 
  to 
  my 
  sur- 
  

   prise 
  found 
  some 
  dead 
  ones. 
  I 
  went 
  out 
  a 
  week 
  afterward, 
  and 
  found 
  half 
  of 
  them 
  dead. 
  I 
  passed 
  the 
  

   other 
  day 
  again, 
  and 
  could 
  scarcely 
  find 
  any 
  that 
  had 
  life 
  in 
  them, 
  and 
  what 
  few 
  there 
  were 
  were 
  sick, 
  

   so 
  they 
  could 
  hardly 
  move. 
  I 
  certainly 
  feel 
  very 
  grateful 
  to 
  you 
  for 
  your 
  kindness 
  in 
  sending 
  me 
  

   these 
  few 
  bugs, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  blessing 
  to 
  the 
  country. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Lenhart. 
  

  

  Larned, 
  August 
  1, 
  1889. 
  

   Dear 
  Sir: 
  Your 
  letter 
  of 
  the 
  18th 
  alt., 
  with 
  the 
  small 
  box 
  of 
  chinch-bugs, 
  came 
  to 
  me 
  safely. 
  

   Your 
  directions 
  in 
  my 
  experiments 
  with 
  the 
  bugs 
  were 
  carefully 
  followed. 
  After 
  the 
  diseased 
  ones 
  

   had 
  been 
  with 
  the 
  healthy 
  ones 
  for 
  42 
  hours, 
  I 
  took 
  them 
  to 
  my 
  farm 
  expecting 
  to 
  plant 
  them, 
  but 
  found 
  

   I 
  had 
  been 
  anticipated 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  destruction 
  by 
  heavy 
  rains. 
  I 
  then 
  brought 
  them 
  back 
  and 
  put 
  

   them 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Capt. 
  A. 
  C. 
  Morris, 
  just 
  south 
  of 
  town, 
  where 
  there 
  were 
  bugs. 
  They 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   perform 
  the 
  work 
  whereunto 
  they 
  were 
  sent, 
  the 
  bugs 
  in 
  the 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  infected 
  being 
  killed 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  observe. 
  Of 
  one 
  thing 
  I 
  am 
  well 
  satisfied, 
  and 
  that 
  is. 
  that 
  the 
  disease 
  is 
  communica- 
  

   ble, 
  just 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  my 
  experiments 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  of 
  a 
  character 
  to 
  establish. 
  

  

  Samuel 
  Houston. 
  

  

  These 
  experiments 
  for 
  the 
  artificial 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  white-fungus 
  disease 
  having 
  

  

  