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  CONTAGIOUS 
  DISEASES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHINCH-BUG. 
  

  

  that 
  his 
  observations 
  throw 
  any 
  discredit 
  on 
  the 
  heretofore 
  highly-reputed 
  

   efficacy 
  of 
  excess 
  of 
  moisture 
  as 
  an 
  effective 
  natural 
  check 
  to 
  chinch-bug 
  at- 
  

   tacks. 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  some 
  pains 
  to 
  gather 
  Kansas 
  testimony 
  on 
  this 
  question, 
  

   for 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  Professor 
  Forbes 
  's 
  observations 
  and 
  conclusions 
  I 
  believe 
  

   the 
  matter 
  still 
  open 
  to 
  discussion. 
  I 
  therefore 
  present 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  in 
  

   the 
  matter. 
  I 
  am 
  able 
  to 
  offer 
  definite 
  data 
  concerning 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  

   chinch-bug 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  only 
  since 
  1883. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  paper 
  printed 
  in 
  the 
  Fourth 
  Biennial 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Kansas 
  State 
  

   Board 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  (1883-'84), 
  p. 
  604, 
  I 
  say, 
  referring 
  to. 
  insect 
  injury 
  in 
  

   the 
  State 
  in 
  1884: 
  

  

  Hap.pily 
  the 
  chinch-bug, 
  until 
  now 
  the 
  foremost 
  foe 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  grain 
  producer, 
  

   has 
  not 
  injured 
  the 
  wheat 
  to 
  any 
  considerable 
  degree, 
  only 
  two 
  counties 
  reporting 
  

   its 
  presence 
  in 
  numbers 
  worthy 
  of 
  notice. 
  

  

  In 
  1885 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  damage 
  was 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  in 
  Kansas. 
  In 
  

   a 
  paper 
  published 
  by 
  me 
  in 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Board 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  for 
  

   June, 
  1885, 
  pp. 
  5-18, 
  I 
  present 
  brief 
  reports 
  from 
  82 
  counties 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  

   and 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  is 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  being 
  present 
  in 
  but 
  six 
  counties 
  of 
  the 
  

   82. 
  In 
  a 
  paper 
  entitled, 
  "Injurious 
  Insects 
  from 
  July 
  to 
  September, 
  1885," 
  

   published 
  in 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Kansas 
  State 
  Board 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  for 
  the' 
  

   quarter 
  ending 
  December 
  31, 
  1885, 
  pp. 
  152-157, 
  I 
  make 
  no 
  mention 
  what- 
  

   ever 
  of 
  the 
  chinch-bug. 
  In 
  beginning 
  the 
  paper, 
  it 
  is 
  specially 
  stated 
  that 
  

   " 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  article 
  attention 
  is 
  called 
  to 
  those 
  insects 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   especially 
  active 
  in 
  destructive 
  work 
  during 
  the 
  second 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   1885." 
  

  

  In 
  1886 
  the 
  chinch-Jjug 
  was 
  present 
  in 
  force. 
  In 
  a 
  paper 
  on 
  " 
  The 
  Chinch- 
  

   bug," 
  in 
  the 
  Fifth 
  Biennial 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Board 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  

   (1885-'86), 
  pp. 
  153-157, 
  1 
  say: 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  1886 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  107 
  out 
  of 
  our 
  180 
  correspondents 
  report 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  chinch-bugs 
  in 
  damaging 
  numbers. 
  From 
  almost 
  every 
  county 
  in 
  the 
  

   State 
  come 
  complaints 
  of 
  the 
  nefarious 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  ill-odored 
  insect. 
  

  

  In 
  1887 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  was 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  

   not 
  rare 
  at 
  any 
  time. 
  I 
  quote 
  from 
  the 
  Kansas 
  Crop 
  and 
  Weather 
  Bulletin 
  

   for 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  May, 
  1887, 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  Kansas 
  State 
  

   Board 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  p. 
  3, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  weather 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  May 
  was 
  unfavorable 
  for 
  the 
  growth 
  

   of 
  the 
  plant 
  [wheat] 
  (too 
  dry), 
  and 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  has 
  well-nigh 
  destroyed 
  the 
  crop 
  

   in 
  certain 
  localities, 
  and 
  seriously 
  damaged 
  it 
  in 
  others, 
  reducing 
  the 
  general 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  40 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  bulletin 
  for 
  June, 
  p. 
  6, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  Oats 
  were 
  destroyed 
  by 
  chinch-bugs, 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  harvested 
  only 
  for 
  fodder 
  in 
  

   most 
  cases. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  July 
  bulletin, 
  p. 
  5, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  had 
  full 
  sway, 
  and 
  now 
  the 
  dry 
  weather 
  has 
  

   completed 
  his 
  work. 
  

  

  